I’ve always loved a good salad. The problem is, my definition of “good” basically means “not homemade.” I know the premise sounds simple – how can you screw up throwing some lettuce and a few ingredients into a bowl? But there always seems to be something missing when you throw a salad together at home.
Because of this, I began to shy away from making an entree out of it. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. As I’ve mentioned, I was the woman of the house (the human of the house, actually) this winter and spring. You can only survive on microwavable meals for so long before you want to throw away the freezer entirely.
I came across a recipe on Sweet Peas and Saffron for a Kale, Barley, and Feta Salad. Although I don’t have barley in my cabinet, or even know what it looks like, the concept of the salad sounded right up my alley. With so many varied add-ons I knew it would be flavorful and filling enough to make for dinner.
I used the concept of the original blog post and made some adjustments based on what I could find in my cabinet. I stuck with the kale, chickpeas and avocado, but changed the following:
– Quinoa instead of barley
– Pine Nuts instead of sunflower seeds
– Beets instead of red onion
I made the vinaigrette from the original post but used rice vinegar instead of white wine vinegar and I skipped the lemon zest.
The dressing is perfectly light and refreshing for a hot summer night. The best part is that aside from cooking the quinoa, all you have to do is open some jars and scoop out the ingredients! You could add whatever your heart desires. It’s really more of a bowl than a salad, so you won’t be left with that “we should’ve eaten out” feeling. It’ll taste like you got it from a trendy, healthy restaurant!
Click the link above to get the full recipe.
Enjoy your colorful bowl!
2 Comments
YUM! This looks amazing. I always find it hard to make an elaborate salad at home, but I will have to give this one a try!
It’s the best homemade salad I’ve tried! Hope you like it! 🙂