Lemony Mint Barley Summer Salad

Written by on in Appetizer, Dinner, Salad, Side Dish, Snack, Uncategorized
Lemony Mint Barley Summer Salad
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Lemony Mint Barley Summer Salad

Recipe by The Cooking LawyerCourse: SaladCuisine: MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups of uncooked quick cooking barley

  • 4 cups of broth

  • 3/4 cup of lemon juice

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • zest of 1 lemon

  • 1 tsp Zatar seasoning

  • 1/2 cup of fat-free feta

  • 1 TBS capers

  • 1 cucumber quartered and diced (see note)

  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered

  • 1 small purple onion diced finely

  • 10 leaves of fresh mint

  • Black pepper

  • Salt

  • Dash of crushed red pepper

Directions

  • Add barley and broth to a large pot. Bring to a boil.
  • Simmer for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed and barley is tender.
  • While barley is simmering, make your dressing. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and Zatar. Whisk together.
  • Prepare cucumbers and tomatoes. See note regarding cucumbers. Put in a small bowl and sprinkle with some salt while the barley is cooking.
  • Dice onion.
  • Slice mint into ribbons.
  • Once barley is done cooking, let sit for 5 minutes. Then add your dressing and feta cheese.
  • If you are not serving right away, let the dressing, barley, and feta meld together. Add the remaining ingredients when cool. If you are serving right away, just add the remaining ingredients (tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, mint, and capers).
  • Serve immediately or let cool in the fridge. Serve at room temperature or cool depending on your preference.

Notes

  • English cucumbers work best, but if you only have a regular cucumber, quarter it and remove the fleshy seeds. This will ensure your salad does not get soggy. Once you remove the fleshy part, dice the cucumber.

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