Warm Roasted Kale Salad
This next dish is a warm lemon roasted kale salad with herby chickpeas, baby plum tomatoes, peppery rocket and caramelized onion pearl barley. This was my first time trying pearl barley and I really enjoyed it, it's always good to mix up what grains you're eating and try something new every once in a while, the barley was a great addition to the salad, adding texture and flavour.
This salad is not one of those that you sit there gnawing through like a rabbit because you know it's good for you & then still leaves you hungry after; it's filling, bursting with flavour and best of all warm! No one in winter wants to be eating a cold salad with leaves straight out the fridge, warm salads are great in winter, you can add roasted veg to them, different grains etc and they're actually enjoyable! When many people make salads they forget that they can actually be exciting and nutritious at the same time, enjoy what you eat and it will make you want to carry on a eating natural, clean, plant based diet, not to mention how much better you'll feel for it.
This salad is not one of those that you sit there gnawing through like a rabbit because you know it's good for you & then still leaves you hungry after; it's filling, bursting with flavour and best of all warm! No one in winter wants to be eating a cold salad with leaves straight out the fridge, warm salads are great in winter, you can add roasted veg to them, different grains etc and they're actually enjoyable! When many people make salads they forget that they can actually be exciting and nutritious at the same time, enjoy what you eat and it will make you want to carry on a eating natural, clean, plant based diet, not to mention how much better you'll feel for it.
Ingredients:
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2/3 cup pearl barley
- 4 cups water
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1/2 lemon
- 3-4 large handfuls kale
- 1 large handful rocket
- 10 baby plum tomatoes
- 1 tbsp dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme etc)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Olive Oil
- Salt & pepper
Instructions:
- Dice the onion & mince the garlic, add to the frying pan with a drizzle of oil and fry on a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt & pepper and fry for 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and the onions caramelized. Add the pearl barley & water to the pan and simmer for 45 minutes, until the barley is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed. Add more water if needed during this time.
- After the barley has been cooking for 20 minutes, rinse the chickpeas and add to a baking tray with the herbs and spices, roast at 200°C for 15 minutes, then remove the tray from the oven, push the chickpeas to one half and spread the kale out on the other. Drizzle the kale with olive oil, lemon juice & a pinch of salt and return to the oven for 5 minutes. The kale should be slightly crispy but still tender after baking.
- Thinly slice the tomatoes and then begin to arrange the salad with the kale and rocket leaves mixed together to season the rocket, add all the elements to your serving dish and enjoy!
