Greek-ish Barley Salad with Sundried Tomatoes

Fun fact about me: in college, when most of my female classmates were dressing as “under-dressed fill-in-the-blank (nouns)” for Halloween, I went as a teenaged boy.  A teenaged Newsie, to be precise.  Because there’s nothing like a light-hearted song and dance number about ending child labor, right?

On Friday, it took all of 30 minutes to conceive of and execute on this salad (inspired by Cooking Light).  Meaning I had plenty of time to drink some vino and get to Newsies the Musical (!!) on time, along with my former roommate, also a former Newsie for Halloween.  Word to all my Boston friends: it’s coming (as in the production, not this salad) to your city next.

Greek-ish Barley Salad with Sundried Tomatoes

• grated lemon rind from one small lemon
• juice from one small lemon
• olive oil
• about 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• fresh basil, chopped
• salt, pepper
• 1 cup quick-cooking barley
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• arugula
• about 10 oz cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cucumber, peeled and quartered
• about 2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes in oil, thinly sliced
• 4 oz Feta cheese, crumbled

1. Bring two cups of salted water to a boil, add barley, reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, combine lemon rind through salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to create a nice dressing.
3. Add red onion through cucumber to the dressing bowl and toss gently.  When the barley finishes, mix that in and add sundried tomatoes with oil, as well as Feta cheese (the heat from the barley combined with the oil and the Feta cheese will create a nice creamy texture).
4. This is lovely served both immediately and chilled.

The Verdict:

Since the blueberry mint salad extravaganza, I’ve been decimating the Trader Joe’s shelves of quick-cooking farro and barley.  It’s just so good, and so easy, and so…tasty, while being healthy.  Perfect for seizing the day.