Warm Green Salad (VG)
This week I felt like eating lots of greens, but not in the traditional salad form. I decided to buy my favorite bits from the local farmers market I have close to my house, and make a warm green salad, mixed with kale, barley, and a fresh basil dressing. Frying fresh veggies and adding it to a salad adds another layer of flavor to a traditional salad, and I have always loved the combination of warm and cold food. There are plenty veggie combos you can use for this, so feel free to experiment!
Notes
I always add a carb to my salads as to avoid being starving in one hour, so for this dish I chose pearl barley. It’s high in fibre, especially beta-glucan, which may reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. If barley is not your favorite, brown rice or quinoa will work just as well – and both gluten free alternatives. For the kale, feel free to substitute for baby spinach. This dish is currently vegetarian, but if you’d like to make it vegan, swap the honey for sugar (in your dressing), and use vegan feta as a topping!
What You’ll Need
Salad
- 1/3 cup raw pearl barley (works out to two cooked portions)
- 4 – 5 stems broccoli, thinly sliced lengthways
- 1 cup diced/cubed courgettes (I used a green and yellow combination here)
- 7 – 8 stems of asparagus, ends trimmed and sliced into 1 inch pieces at an angle
- 1/3 cup feta, broken up
- 4-5 kale stalks, stems removed
- 2 tbs pine nuts, lightly toasted
Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil + extra for cooking
- small handful fresh basil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 fresh lemon
- 3 tbs red wine vinegar
- 2-3 tbs honey
Warm Green Salad (VG)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Warm green salad with pearl barley, fresh kale and. basil dressing.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1/3 cup raw pearl barley (works out to two cooked portions)
- 4 – 5 stems broccoli, thinly sliced lengthways
- 1 cup diced/cubed courgettes (I used a green and yellow combination here)
- 7 – 8 stems of asparagus, ends trimmed and sliced into 1 inch pieces at an angle
- 1/3 cup feta, broken up
- 4–5 kale stalks, stems removed
- 2 tbs pine nuts, lightly toasted
Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil + extra for cooking
- small handful fresh basil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 fresh lemon
- 3 tbs red wine vinegar
- 2–3 tbs honey
Instructions
- Start by rinsing your barley thoroughly, and cook according to packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
- In a large non-stick frying pan, toast your pine nuts on a medium to high heat for about 3-4 mins, and set aside in a small bowl.
- Prepare your asparagus. In the same pan you used for the pine nuts, add a dash of olive oil and fry the asparagus on a medium to high heat for about 6-7 mins, tossing regularly. Once done, set aside in a bowl and move onto the diced courgettes. Fry these for about 6-7 mins, tossing regularly. Set aside into the same bowl as the asparagus. Lastly, add your thinly sliced broccoli to the pan (adding a dash more olive oil if needed) and fry for about 8 to 10 mins and remove from the heat. Return the asparagus and courgettes to the pan, mixing well, and set aside to keep warm.
- While the broccoli cooks in step 3, prepare your kale. Remove the stems and roughly chop, placing in a mixing bowl. Add a small pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp olive oil and massage the leaves for 1-2 minutes to break down the fibers – this alleviates both the bitterness and the toughness of the raw kale.
- Before final assembly, make the salad dressing. Combine all ingredients into a food processor/blender and blits. Start with 2 tbs honey and only add the 3rd after giving it a taste. You will have some dressing left over, which can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- In two shallow bowls, distribute your kale, and top with the barley. Then add your mixed veggies into each portion, sprinkle the feta, pine nuts, and add your dressing (about 3-4 tbs per bowl works)!
Notes
I always add a carb to my salads as to avoid being starving in one hour, so for this dish I chose pearl barley. It’s high in fibre, especially beta-glucan, which may reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. If barley is not your favorite, brown rice or quinoa will work just as well – and both gluten free alternatives. For the kale, feel free to substitute for baby spinach. This dish is currently vegetarian, but if you’d like to make it vegan, swap the honey for sugar (in your dressing), and use vegan feta as a topping! Lastly, my husband really enjoyed this salad with some chicken meat balls on the side, so feel free to add these if you’d like a meat element!
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Lunch/Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
Anonymous
sophie slater
Absolutely delicious 🤤
mail7.net
What the right words … super, brilliant thought
Ashleigh at Temple Health
This is amazing – very easy to make, and tastes delish. Easily adaptable too, if you don’t have various ingredients. Brilliant.
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