Wild Rice, Barley & Quinoa Salad
Alas, how does a healthy foodie say no to a salad? Long story short: they don't. This colourful salad gave me an energy kick much needed during the day and is the perfect way to get your daily dose of veggies! To be honest, a salad is my go-to meal during the summer as it refreshes and keeps me cool during the warmer months. And, it was so filling as well! It contains three different grains with a hefty load of veggies, meaning that it's jam-packed with healthy goodness! Also, for those of you who haven't done it yet, would love for you to subscribe to this blog as you'll be updated instantly on the latest recipes! And as Christmas is only a few days away, just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all of you guys and thank you for all you support and hope you have a happy holiday season with friends, family and joy! Happy Christmas xx
Serving size: 6-8
Tip: I ended up making A LOT of this salad and it lasted for a few days, so you can halve or even quarter the ingredients if you don't need to make as much!
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- juice of half a lemon
- sprinkle of salt
- sprinkle of pepper
Grains (uncooked):
- 100g of wildrice (about 1/2 a cup)
- 1/2 cup of quinoa
- 1/2 cup pearl barley
Vegetables:
- 1 sweet potato, cubed
- 1 eggplant, cubed
- 1 carrot, cubed
- 1 capsicum, diced
- 420g of canned kidney beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil for frying
Herbs:
- handful of coriander, finely chopped
Method:
1. Cook the grains using the instructions on the packets, each brand may have different cooking methods/times, but here's what I did...
- Quinoa: placed it in a pot with 1 cup of water, increased heat to the boil then reduced heat to a simmer and covered, stirring occasionally for about 20 mins.
- Wild Rice: placed it in a pot of 1 and a half cups of of water, increased heat until it boiled, reduced heat to a simmer and covered, stirring occasionally for about 45 mins.
- Pearl Barley: placed it in 1 and a half of cups of water in a pot, increased heat to the boil, then reduced heat to a simmer and covered, stirring occasionally for about 35 mins
2. Then, in a pan on low heat, add oil, carrots and sweet potato until they have softened and are beginning to brown - to speed up this process, I usually cover the pan for a few minutes and this usually takes about 5-10 mins. Once the carrot and sweet potato is cooked, repeat this process with the eggplant.
3. To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and mix until it's well combined.
4. Finally, combine all the grains, vegetables, coriander and the dressing in a large bowl and place in fridge for at least an hour. Enjoy!
Tip: I ended up making A LOT of this salad and it lasted for a few days, so you can halve or even quarter the ingredients if you don't need to make as much!
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- juice of half a lemon
- sprinkle of salt
- sprinkle of pepper
Grains (uncooked):
- 100g of wildrice (about 1/2 a cup)
- 1/2 cup of quinoa
- 1/2 cup pearl barley
Vegetables:
- 1 sweet potato, cubed
- 1 eggplant, cubed
- 1 carrot, cubed
- 1 capsicum, diced
- 420g of canned kidney beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil for frying
Herbs:
- handful of coriander, finely chopped
Method:
1. Cook the grains using the instructions on the packets, each brand may have different cooking methods/times, but here's what I did...
- Quinoa: placed it in a pot with 1 cup of water, increased heat to the boil then reduced heat to a simmer and covered, stirring occasionally for about 20 mins.
- Wild Rice: placed it in a pot of 1 and a half cups of of water, increased heat until it boiled, reduced heat to a simmer and covered, stirring occasionally for about 45 mins.
- Pearl Barley: placed it in 1 and a half of cups of water in a pot, increased heat to the boil, then reduced heat to a simmer and covered, stirring occasionally for about 35 mins
2. Then, in a pan on low heat, add oil, carrots and sweet potato until they have softened and are beginning to brown - to speed up this process, I usually cover the pan for a few minutes and this usually takes about 5-10 mins. Once the carrot and sweet potato is cooked, repeat this process with the eggplant.
3. To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and mix until it's well combined.
4. Finally, combine all the grains, vegetables, coriander and the dressing in a large bowl and place in fridge for at least an hour. Enjoy!