I always really enjoy grain salads that have fresh and/or dried fruit in them but I've never attempted to make one myself... Until now!
I often make a similar salad with lentils and rice but this time I wanted to make something different and something kind of christmassy as I took this to a Christmas Eve bbq and also to our Christmas lunch. I always love adding in herbs to a dish so I used 3 different types in this so that was the green and I added pomegranate for a pop of red. That's christmassy enough for me! Pomegranate also helps to make the salad look pretty because they sit like little jewels in the salad.
Salads like these often include raw red onion which I do like but my girls aren't quite there yet with raw onion so I used chives instead. One kid like it, the other didn't. It's so annoying how kids are so damn fussy!! (Insert eye-rolling emoji!)
RECIPE
Ingredients
- 2 cups veggie stock
- 1/2 cup dried barley (when I initially cooked this I thought it was freekeh (farro) but having a closer look I now realise that it was in fact barley! It turned out great though so I'll be sticking with barley for this recipe!)
- 1/2 cup dried quinoa
- 1 bunch chives
- 1 bunch mint
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1/3 cup pepitas
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup currants
- 1 pomegranate
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
Method
- In separate pots on the stove, cook the barley & quinoa in 1 cup of veggie stock each. Bring them to a boil then simmer both on low with the lids on. They will take different times to cook. 1 cup of stock will cook into the quinoa but I had to drain the barley as there was still a little bit of excess liquid in the bottom when it was cooked (NB It will have a slightly chewy texture when it's cooked). Allow them to cook slightly before mixing with the rest of the ingredients
- Meanwhile, chop the herbs with a large knife until really small & add to a large mixing bowl
- Add in the seeds, currants & little fruits of the pomegranate
- When the barley & quinoa have cooled add them in too then mix well
- In a small glass jar add in the olive oil, vinegar & honey, place the lid on and shake to combine then pour over the salad
- Transfer to a nice bowl and serve.
NB: If you're taking the salad somewhere then take the dressing with you and dress before serving