Meatless Monday: Barley salad with Champagne-orange vinaigrette

Jun 04, 2012 8:00 AM by Patricia Conte

Posted in Food & Recipes / Healthy Recipes & Nutrition

You'll Be Bowled Over!

It's Meatless Monday. It's the summer season and that means salads all around. But you're hungry! Try this recipe for barley salad with Champagne-orange vinaigrette for dinner. It's filling, healthy and easy to put together. The best part? You can serve it in an edible bowl!

Meatless Monday: Barley salad with Champagne-orange vinaigrette

Salads, all around

Participating in Meatless Monday means you're committed to eliminating meat from your meals, at least one day a week. Good for you! Are you stumped by what to serve for dinner or just tired of serving the same thing over and over? Since the weather has gotten so much nicer, salads make great meals, especially on Meatless Mondays. Particularly nice if you're hungry, this recipe for barley salad with Champagne-orange vinaigrette hits the spot! The barley is filling and the avocado, cucumber and oranges bring out a great combination of flavors.

Check out this recipe for orange-fig salad dressing >>

Who doesn't love an edible bowl?

Barley is high in fiber, low in fat and cholesterol and high in vitamins and minerals. Fiber keeps you feeling full, so this really is a great mealtime dish. And if you're still hungry after dinner, eat the bowl. No really! Serve this salad in radicchio bowls for added color and maybe even a little extra crunch.

Try this recipe for tricolored salad with Gorgonzola and pomegranate seeds >>

Barley salad with Champagne-orange vinaigrette

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Grab a Plate

Ingredients:

For the salad

1 cup barley, cooked according to package directions, then chilled
1 head radicchio, gently separated to use whole leaves as individual serving bowls (wash and dry them thoroughly)
1 cucumber, seeded and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1-2 avocados, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1-2 oranges, peeled with pith removed and sectioned
3 tablespoons parsley, torn into small pieces

For the dressing

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Directions:

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Adjust the ingredients to taste. Chill until you're ready to use.
After you've cooked the barley (it takes between 50 and 60 minutes to cook), refrigerate it until it's cool.
Mix the diced cucumber and parsley into the barley. Gently fold in the orange sections and avocado. Add the dressing, a few tablespoons at a time, and gently toss until all the ingredients are lightly coated.
Scoop the mixture into individual radicchio bowls and serve on individual place settings.

This salad is filling and a great healthy dish for a Meatless Monday!