If you need to a make a salad for a summer gathering and want it to be both tasty and nutritious, toss some cooked, cooled grains into it. Barley, brown rice and quinoa are excellent choices, as you鈥檒l see in today鈥檚 recipes.
The barley was added to a Greek-style salad, rich with peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, feta听cheese and olives. The barley grain married well with all those flavours, and also those found in the salad鈥檚 tangy dressing.
Barley contains protein, fibre, B vitamins and other good things. Supermarkets usually sell two types: pearl barley and pot barley, also called Scotch barley.
Pearl barley is polished to remove the tough bran portion and the germ, giving the grain a pearl-like finish, hence its name.
Pot barley is also polished, but the polishing is not as intense and a larger amount of the whole grain is left intact. This makes it more nutrient-rich than pearl barley and something that has a more toothy texture when cooked, which is why I used pot barley in听my salad.
In my second salad recipe, almost nutty tasting brown rice anchors an Asian-style creation strewn with colourful vegetables and bits of chicken, all tossed with a miso dressing.
Unlike white rice, the process that produces tan-coloured brown rice removes only the hull, leaving the nutritious bran attached. Brown rice is much higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals than white rice. It鈥檚 also chewier in texture when cooked, a quality I听like in a rice-based salad.
My last recipe sees quinoa and black beans combine in a chili-spiced, southwest-style salad flavoured with a citrusy dressing, corn, cilantro and other tastes.
Quinoa has a grain-like appearance and is often referred to as a grain, but it is actually a tiny seed harvested from a plant native to the Andes that is now grown in sa国际传媒. It contains all eight essential amino acids, making it a complete source of protein, is high in fibre, is a complex (good) carbohydrate, contains linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid), several minerals and vitamin E. Those are all good reasons to toss quinoa into a salad.
Greek Salad with Barley
Cooked, cooled and nutritious barley is tossed into this version of Greek salad. Serve it alongside things you would normally serve听Greek salad with, such as听grilled lamb chops, kebabs and听spanakopita.
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Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: None
Makes: eight servings
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3/4 cup pot barley
4 cups water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
鈥� salt and freshly ground black pepper to听taste
150 grams feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 English cucumber, cut into small cubes
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
12 cherry tomatoes, each quartered
3/4 cup pitted black olives
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Combine the barley, 4 cups water and a pinch salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat until the water gently simmers. Cook the barley until just tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Place the barley into a fine sieve and drain the water away. Now spread barley on a wide plate and cool to temperature.
Combine the oil, juice, garlic, cumin, cayenne, oregano, salt and听pepper in a large salad bowl. Add the barley and remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate the salad until needed. It can be made several hours ahead. Toss again gently before serving.
Brown Rice and Chicken Salad with Miso Dressing
This salad recipe is a slightly adapted version of the one found in my book, The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook. It鈥檚 fibre-rich thanks to its use of brown rice. The diced chicken used in this salad is from a rotisserie/barbecue chicken sold ready to听eat at most supermarkets.
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Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: about 35 minutes
Makes: eight servings
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1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 cups cold water
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp white (shiro) miso (see Note)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp honey
2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small carrot, grated
1 cup finely diced, cold rotisserie chicken meat, or to taste
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/3 medium cucumber, diced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
12 raw snap peas, sliced at a slight angle, or 3/4 cup frozen peas or shelled edamame (thawed)
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Place the rice and water in a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to its听lowest setting and cook for 35听minutes, or until tender. Spoon the rice onto a wide plate and cool to room temperature.
Place the oil, vinegar, miso, soy听sauce, honey, ginger and garlic in a large bowl and whisk until well mixed. Add the cooked rice, carrots, chicken, bell peppers, cucumber, green onions and听snap peas (or peas or edamame) and toss to combine.
Cover and refrigerate the salad听until needed. It can be made several hours ahead. Toss again gently before serving.
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Note: The shiro (white) miso used here is made from cooked and mashed soy beans injected and fermented with koji, a yeast-like mould, and then matured for a few months. It is lighter in colour, lower in salt and mellower and sweeter in flavor than other longer-aged miso pastes. Look for it at Japanese food stores and many supermarkets.
Southwest-style Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
Citrus juice and zest, hot sauce and peppers are some of the ingredients that give this nutrient-rich salad a Southwest-style taste. I like to serve it alongside foods cooked on the barbecue, such as vegetable kebabs, prawns, fish, chicken or听ribs.
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Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes: eight servings
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1 1/4 cups quinoa
2 cups water
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) black beans, drained, rinsed, and drained again
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp honey
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, or to taste
鈥� salt and freshly ground black pepper to听taste
Place the quinoa and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the quinoa, undisturbed, for听15 minutes, or until just tender and the water has evaporated. Spread the cooked quinoa on a wide plate and cool to room temperature.
Place quinoa in a large salad bowl and add the beans, onion, bell听pepper, corn and cilantro. Make salad dressing by combining the remaining ingredients in听a听separate, smaller bowl. Add the dressing to the quinoa mixture and toss to combine.
Cover and refrigerate the salad until needed. It can be made several hours ahead. Toss again gently before serving.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His latest is The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His听columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
