Photo of Warm Barley Salad by WW

Warm Barley Salad

6
Points® value
Total Time
22 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
12 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
This simple side dish makes a wonderful concomitant to any warm weather meal. The combination of salty capers and feta, and slightly sweet vinaigrette is fantastic.

Ingredients

Uncooked pearl barley

1 cup(s), quick-cooking variety

Table salt

¼ tsp(s)

Feta cheese

½ cup(s), crumbles

Capers

1 tbsp(s)

Fresh dill

1 tsp(s)

Uncooked scallions

¼ cup(s), minced (green parts only)

Low-fat vinaigrette salad dressing

4 tsp(s)

Black pepper

¼ pinch(es)

Lemon zest

1 tsp(s), freshly grated

Instructions

  1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium-size pot; stir in barley and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 10 minutes. (There may still be some water in the pot. If so, cover the barley and set it aside for 10 minutes for the liquid to be absorbed. Or you can drain the barley).
  2. Spoon cooked barley into a serving bowl; add cheese, capers, dill, scallions, vinaigrette, pepper and lemon zest. Stir gently but well; serve warm. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

Notes

Oregano and chives are also delicious in this salad. Replace the dill weed and scallions with a quarter teaspoon of dried crushed oregano and two tablespoons of minced chives.To make this a Core Plan recipe, replace the feta cheese with pot cheese and swap the low-fat vinaigrette for a fat-free version. Also, omit the capers and increase the lemon zest to 2 teaspoons. For added flavour and colour, consider stirring two cups of torn baby spinach leaves into the salad just before serving and increase the dressing to taste.