Maple-Barley Salad

Maple-Barley Salad

If you’re looking for a hearty salad to serve as a main course, look no further.  This barley (or wheat berry) salad has it all, chewy grains; fresh vegetables and a salad dressing that will make you swoon. It is the perfect take-along for parties too!

Salad:

1 1/2 cups wheat berries (or barley)
6 cups water
4 ounces Cabot Sharp Light Cheddar, finely diced (about 1 cup)
2 cup chopped grape tomatoes
1 cup frozen white corn, thawed
2 green onion, green and white parts, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Dressing:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

To make salad:

In large saucepan, combine wheat berries and water; bring to boil and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Drain well, spread out on baking sheet, and let stand until cool.

Transfer to large bowl; add cheese, tomatoes, corn, green onion and lemon juice.

To make dressing and finish salad:

In medium bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients except salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss together well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Just before serving, stir salad again and season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 8 Servings
Nutrition Breakdown: Calories: 250, Fat: 9g, (3g saturated fat), Cholesterol 10mg, Sodium: 210mg, Carbohydrates: 33g, Dietary Fiber: 4g, Protein: 9g
Percent Daily Value: Iron: 8%, Vitamin A 8%, Calcium: 20%, Vitamin C 15%
Carbohydrate Choice: 2 Carbohydrate Choices
Diabetes Exchanges: 2 Starches, 1 Medium Fat meat, 1 Fat

Recipe provided and slightly modified from Cabot: www.cabotcheese.coop/

Kim’s Note: This recipe originally used wheat berries; however I struggled to find wheat berries in the North Augusta grocery stores. Barley has a similar cooking method and chewy texture and was a suitable replacement.