The Spicy Olive’s Mediterranean Barley Salad
Spicy Oliveʼs Mediterranean Barley Salad
This is one of our most popular recipes! It is a super healthy side dish as well, chock full of many different colored vegetables.
My favorite combination for the salad dressing is The Spicy Olive’s Persian Lime olive oil and our Honey Ginger white balsamic.
To boil barley:
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup barley (I use Quaker “quick barley”)
1 Tbsp The Spicy Olive’s single varietal Ultra Premium extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
For Salad:
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/2 cup cucumber or zucchini, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2/3 cup chopped parsley
cherry tomatoes, halved
avocado, peeled and chopped
feta cheese
optional vegetables (you can add all or none as you like):
blanched, fresh broccoli florets
blanched, fresh cauliflower (small pieces)
cilantro, chopped
spinach, fresh leaves, chopped
garbanzo beans
Dressing:
1/2 cup The Spicy Olive’s Lemon olive oil or The Spicy Oliveʼs Persian Lime or Cilantro and Roasted
Onion
1/2 cup The Spicy Oliveʼs Honey Ginger white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
(can add a splash of fresh lemon or lime juice if you use the cilantro and onion olive
oil)
Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add barley, olive oil and salt. Bring
back to boil and adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until barley
is tender ( 10 minutes for quick barley, about 30 minutes for regular barley. Remove
from heat and drain excess liquid, if needed. Cool. ( you can spread on a plate or
cookie sheet to keep from getting mushy.)
Meanwhile, whisk dressing together. Toss with barley and vegetables and serve!
