Beetroot and barley salad

Ingredients

Salad

300g pearl barley

4 medium sized beets, quartered (no need to peel)

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup green lentils

1 small yellow onion, peeled and halved

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

Dressing

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated (+ additional to taste for more of a bite)

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220C
2. Cook the pearl barley according to the pack instructions. Once cooked, set aside.
3. Toss the beetroot pieces with salt, pepper and olive oil, and roast for about 25 minutes. Once cooked (you can prick them with a fork), set aside.
4. Rinse the lentils, and put them in a pan with plenty of water, the bay leaf, and halved onion. Cook for the length of time indicated on the packet. Once cooked, removed and discard the onion and bay leaf. Drain the lentils and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, roast the walnuts in a dry frying pan. Watch them carefully as they burn very quickly! Once they're cooked and cool enough to handle, put them in a plastic bag and whack them with a rolling pin to break them up into small pieces.
6. Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together.
7. Assemble the salad by mixing together the pearl barley, roast beetroot, lentils, walnuts and parsley. Pour the dressing over, stir to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste.
8. Enjoy straight away at room temperature.

This salad also packs into Tupperware for lunches if you have any leftovers. It stores well in the fridge for a few days.

This recipe tastes even better made with vegetables from Community Harvest Whetstone :)