Pearled Barley Salad

Hello, long lost friends! I have been a little MIA lately with continued travels, crazy weeks at work, and not many meals at home. When we have been cooking at home it's been our usual quick staple meals: tofu and veggies, pizza and salad, beans and rice...

I'm currently in Muskegon, Michigan for my Grandma's 80th birthday celebration. Jacob wasn't able to come with me due to work responsibilities, so I made the 12 hour drive solo on Wednesday. I've been soaking up the sun at Lake Michigan, hanging out with family, and trying to get as much adorable niece time as possible. Here are a few iphone snapshots from my Michigan adventures...

Un-edited. 

4th of July watermelon.

Let me out!

Me and my cousin, Brianna at Lake Michigan.

Rice and beans bowl bake with toppings and fresh farmers market veggies. Recipe to come soon. 

Ok, back to the barley. This barley salad was a recent creation. I had cooked some pearled barley one night to go along side our tofu and veggies, and threw the extra in the fridge to use later on. I decided to make a cold salad out of it and it turned out great! This is such a simple recipe, and makes for a refreshing summer side dish for your next cookout. You could add or take away any veggies to cater to your own tastes.

I added green pepper, cucumber, fresh corn, and basil.

Dressing was simple: lemon juice, olive oil, salt.

I love the chewy texture that pearled barley has. The raw veggies compliment the texture of the barley nicely. Can't wait to make this dish again!

Pearled Barley Salad Recipe:

- 2 cups cooked pearled barley, cooled (cook according to package directions)

- 1/2 cucumber, diced

- 1/2 green pepper, diced

- 2 ears fresh corn, kernels sliced off the cob

- 4 to 5 larges basil leaves, chiffonade (ed)? What's the past tense of that word?

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tsp salt

Directions:

- Toss the barley, veggies, and basil in a medium sized bowl.

- Mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

- Pour the dressing over the barley and vegetables, toss to combine.

Slow Roasted Pork Chops with Spring Root Vegetables and Pearled Barley

If you haven't already figured it out, I like to keep out grocery bill to a minimum each week. I'll share my full grocery store strategy some other post, but the quick and dirty is this: shop the sales! Instead of listing specific things to purchase at the store (except for the necessities - i.e. toilet paper, eggs, milk, etc), I list groups of things that I know I can make meals from. Vegetables, fruit, dairy, proteins, grains, etc. My favorite way to juggle this kind of "fly by the seat of your pants" way of shopping is to stop by the protein sections first. Once you pick your protein for a meal, you can build a vegetable and carbohydrate to go with it quite easily.

This particular recipe came from one of those planned, but un-listed grocery store trips. I stopped by the meat section, and these beauties were looking fresh and cheap! $3.62 for 1.21 pounds of lean pork - can't beat it! So, I thought to myself, "what could I do with these chops if they were to come home with me"? You see, I'm not particularly fond of pork chops. They often end up dry and flavorless. But, the trusty crock pot always does an amazing job - I knew I could figure something out with these babies.

So, I bought the pork chops. When I got home, I seasoned them with salt and pepper.

Then, I seared both sides to get a nice golden browning.

I opened up the fridge and pulled out a bunch of veggies.

Then, I layered veggies and golden brown pork chops into the crock pot.

I added some pearled barley (can't get enough of this stuff these days)!

Some seasonings went in - rosemary/sage, and old bay seasoning.

A little water to keep things moist during the slow cooking process.

And... 6 hours later! A wonderful one-pot-wonder.

Although I cheated and added some skillet cornbread and a little kale to the plate.

Slow Roasted Pork Chops with Spring Root Vegetables and Pearled Barley Recipe

Serves 3-4

- 1.5 pounds lean pork chops (thick cut work best)

- Salt/pepper to season the chops
- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 2 medium carrots

- 2 stalks celery 

- 1 small onion

- 3 cloves of garlic, minced

- 5 to 6 radishes

- 10 small button or baby bella mushrooms
- 1 to 2 cups of water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp of dried rosemary (fresh would work well too!)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme (fresh would work well too!)

Directions:

- Season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet on medium-high
- Once the oil is hot, place the pork chops in the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. You'll be looking for that nice golden color.
- Wash and chop the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, radishes, and mushrooms. You'll want everything but the garlic to be about the same size.
- Layer the carrots, celery, and onion in the bottom of the crock pot.
- Place the pork chops on top of the first layer, and add the remaining veggies and garlic on top.
- Sprinkle in the pearled barley, salt, rosemary/thyme, and add the water.
- Add enough water so that the pork chops are partially submerged.
- Set the crock pot on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with corn bread or crusty bread.