Barley salad is barely salad!

This is such an amazing and simple fall meal. Great for easy school lunches or a quick dinner on a busy evening.  The bright red pomegranate not only looks great in the picture but gives this hearty meal a fresh, juicy pop that my kids love 🙂

**barley is a heart healthy whole grain, full of many vital nutrients such as vitamin B6, chromium, potassium, folate, etc.  It promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and is a great source of dietary fibre promoting good digestion **

After the barley was washed and rinsed I covered it in about 2 inches (5cm) of water and added a teaspoon of bouillon.  It cooks very similar to rice in that the water gets absorbed into the grain, therefore the flavour that you add to the water also gets absorbed!  The barley alone was so good that my little girl had a mini quick bowl with nutritional yeast (she eats almost everything with nutritional yeast, it’s like her ketchup)  while she waited for me to chop the veggies for supper.

I chopped up some fresh veggies that my family loves such as cucumber (B vitamins), tomatoes (antioxidant), dill (aids digestion), green onions (immune boost, stabilize blood sugar), carrots (vitamin A), and pickles for that salty crunch.

Pomegranates are in season right now and I like to take advantage of including fresh seasonal fruits and veggies whenever possible.  They are a powerful antioxidant and a great source of vitamin C…  not to mention fun to eat!

Leftovers for lunch!  I added a little cilantro to the barley salad and I never seem to be able to get enough steamed kale and asparagus with a squeeze of lime 🙂