Delicious Spring Salad

First off, I apologize for the lack of posts over the last week. Working 6/7 days is not conducive to blogging. Apparently it’s not conducive to my immune system either! So while I’m curled up in a blanket on the couch, I wanted to share a great recipe with you to kick off the start of spring.

It’s my barley salad with roasted beets and vegetables.

This salad is delicious hot or cold. I had it warm when it was finished because I couldn’t wait for it to cool off. Then I had it cold out of the fridge when it was leftovers!

The color of the finished product is fantastic. The beets turn the barley a deep pink – beautiful!

I topped this salad with a bit of goat cheese, because I absolutely love the stuff. You can omit it, or maybe use gorgonzola if you prefer.

Always remember to get some help from the grocery store when you can. In this recipe, I used the prewashed, pretrimmed green beans in the produce section.

Barley Salad with Roasted Vegetables
(Serves 6-10 … depending if it’s a side or not)

1 c. barley, cooked according to package directions
1/2 bunch asparagus, about 8 stalks, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, cut into 1/2″-1″ chucks
1 c. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1/2-1″ chunks
3 medium-sized beets
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
4 oz. goat cheese (or the cheese of your choice), optional
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

First, cook your barley according to package directions. It takes awhile to cook!

Meanwhile, roast the beets – I have instructions from this post. I also have instructions how to peel there as well. Cut into 1/2-1″ chunks.

While the beets are roasting and the barley is cooking, chop up your veggies. Line a baking sheet with foil. Put your veggies on the sheet, overlapping as little as possible. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with S&P. Bake until the veggies become tender and start to brown. About 25-30 minutes.

In a large bowl, put your cooked barley, beet chunks, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well. The beets turn the barley a pretty pink! See?

Add the rest of your vegetables Stir to combine. Top with goat cheese before serving.

Brussel Sprouts: Your New Favorite Vegetable

Why do I say that? Because who can resist a vegetable made with bacon? Unless you’re one of my friends who doesn’t like bacon *ahem* you know who you are.

This was my first attempt at brussel sprouts with bacon. Usually, I’d make them just with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. But I like to experiment with new things. And I love the salty meaty flavor bacon adds to dishes.

Remember that meatloaf I made? These sprouts were paired with it.

Now I know that these little cabbages have a bad rep. If you’re unsure if you like them or not, just give it a try. Especially if you love bacon.

You can get fresh brussel sprouts, chop of the ends a tad, take off the bad leaves, and cut in half. Or if you want to save time, just go for the frozen ones. Frozen vegetables are great to use. They’re flash frozen at the peak of freshness and in season all year round!

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
(Serves 4)

1 lb of fresh brussel sprouts, or the same weight frozen
4 slices of bacon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Slice 4 slices of bacon into about 1/4 inch slices, width wise. (Tip: if you put the bacon in the freezer for about an hour it makes it easier to slice). Put in the frying pan and cook until just starting to get crispy, they’ll cook longer in the oven.

Prepare the fresh brussel sprouts as I mentioned above, wash and put into a baking sheet. Or just dump the frozen ones onto a baking sheet.

Pour the bacon and grease (if you’re ok with that!) over top of the brussel sprouts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the sprouts are nicely browned. Serve as a side dish or just to eat by themselves!

So what do you think? Will you give them a try?