This Barley Lentil Apple and Radish Salad is a delightful mix of fresh flavours, soft and crisp textures and bright colours. It’s creamy, warming, delicious, super nutritious and so perfect for autumn. This salad has so much going for it…protein, fiber, iron, B vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, not to mention cholesterol lowering beta-glucans, from the barley. That’s what I love about a plant-based diet! When you consume a variety of plant foods each day you don’t have to think about any of that! All you have to do is enjoy the food you’re sitting down to eat!
There is definitely something to be said about eating fresh seasonal ingredients. Autumn conjures up images of rich, organic earth and all the magnificent colors associated with harvesting. The food I love to cook with mirrors those same characteristics and colors. The rich warmth of the earthy green lentils and festive reds of fresh picked apples and cream colored barley are so visually appealing.
Health benefits of lentils
This little legume is full of fiber, folate, magnesium, iron, and B vitamins. They’re an excellent source of protein (they actually come in third place for highest protein among all nuts and legumes). With 18 grams of protein per one cup serving, lentils get an A+ when it comes to plant-based protein. The high levels of soluble fiber found in lentils are great for heart health, lowering cholesterol, stabilizing blood sugar, and digestion.
Health benefits of barley
I love barley because cup-for-cup, it has less calories and more fiber than quinoa, brown rice, millet, wild rice, or amaranth. It’s also full of manganese, selenium, iron, folate, vitamin B6, niacin, and magnesium. It gets high marks in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, and dietary fiber.
Barley also contains antioxidants, believe it or not, in the form of cancer-fighting, inflammation-reducing, and heart-healthy lignans.
How to make Barley Apple Radish Salad
The creamy lentils, combined with the chewy nutty barley and crisp sweet apples and radishes is wonderful by itself. But the dressing is really what brings it all together. I love to use mustard vinnagrette in these kind of salads, it’s so creamy, tangy, sour and sweet, there’s just so many flavours in this dressing but everthing works so great together. I also love to spice up the salad with many herbs such as parsley and spring onion, it just brightens up the salad and also gives more colour and vitamin to it.
Check out more salad inspiration:
Rice Salad with Carrots and Beets
Barley Apple Radish Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry barley
- 1 can green or brown lentils
- 2 medium apples
- 1 cup radishes
- ½ cup fresh spring onion
- ½ cup chopped parsley
Mustard dressing
- 1 ½ tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp agave syrup
- ½ lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cloves minced garlic
Instructions
- Cook the dry barley by the package instruction until tender and chewy.
- Meanwhile make the dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients until smooth and creamy.
- To a serving bowl add all barley, lentils, chopped radishes and apples together with herbs.
- Pour over the mustard dressing and mix well. Enjoy!
No Comments