Tomato, Basil & Red Pepper Barley Salad (Dinner 9.23.10)

Since school started, I've been completely forgetting about my garden! Today I noticed I had A LOT of basil & quite a few tomatoes ready to be picked. I decided to make a tomato, basil and red pepper barley salad to use up some of the veggies. I was going to just make it tomato & basil, but I had a red pepper in the fridge that was going to go bad if I didn't use it, so I added that in too. It was really quick & easy to make. I'll definitely experiment with more barley salad recipes in the future since I just love the taste of barley. If you're a fan of basil, this recipe is for you! If not, skip this one and hang around for my next barley recipe! I only made 1 serving for myself and used it as a side dish to my dinner. You could double the recipe and have the salad as your meal (would be an easy lunch to bring to work), or have it as a side like I did. With the salad, I had a Morning Star tomato & basil pizza veggie burger (seemed appropriate) and steamed asparagus.

Tomato, Basil & Red Pepper Barley Salad

Serves: 1 (double or triple as needed to serve more)

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup (dry) Pearled Barley
• 1/2 small tomato, diced
• 3 tbsp chopped red bell pepper
• about 8 small fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1/8 tsp salt and a dash pepper

Directions:

1. Cook Barley according to directions.
2. Meanwhile, chop the tomato, pepper & basil.
3. When the barley is finished cooking, drain any excess water and add to chopped ingredients.
4. Then add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and mix well.
5. Cover & refrigerate until chilled.
6. Then serve!

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Serving Size: 1 recipe
Calories: 195, Total Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 278mg, Carbohydrates: 35g, Dietary Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 3g, Protein: 5g