Earlier this week I wrote about my trip to Hollywood for the launch of Albertsons new Signature product line. What I am most excited about is that with over 4000 products, it’s easy to stock the panty with whole food staples at a great price without sacrificing quality. Sounds like a win-win-win to me.
2016 is the year of the pulse. It wasn’t until recently that I found out that the family of leguminous crops such as dried beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas are called pulses. What I did know is that they are loaded with protein and fiber and make a great canvas for building a salad, like this Lentil & Pearl Barley Spring Salad with Pickled Mustard Seeds.
This salad is also easily customized with your favorite ingredients whether that be adding in chopped, bright-colored bell peppers or finishing it with a crumble of feta. With no mayo to worry about, this is a perfect salad for all those BBQs and picnics that are right around the corner.
- ½ onion, chopped into large pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 cup Signature Kitchens™ lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup Signature Kitchens pearl barley, rinsed
- ½ cup Signature Kitchens white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ⅛ cup mustard seeds
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Signature Kitchens lime juice
- 8-10 radishes, thinly sliced
- ½ of an English cucumber, sliced and quartered
- 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced (include leaves if you’re lucky enough to have a bunch that has them)
- ½ cup packed fresh mint leaves, torn
- ½ cup parsley leaves
- 1 Tbsp Signature Kitchens stone ground mustard
- 2 Tbsp Signature Kitchens lime juice (use reserved from pickled onions)
- ½ cup Signature Select™ olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Bring pot of salted water to simmer. Add onions, garlic and lentils. Cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Slightly undercooked is better than overcooked so check them often. Remove onion and garlic and discard. Drain.
- Bring 2½ cups salted water to a boil. Add pearl barley and cook 45 minutes over low heat until tender but still chewy. Drain excess water.
- Bring vinegar, salt, sugar and ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar.
- Toast the mustard seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the seeds to the vinegar mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender (they should pop when bitten into), 30 to 40 minutes. Cool.
- Place red onions in a small bowl and cover with lime juice. Let sit a half hour. Remove onions and save 1 Tbsp of lime juice to use in the dressing.
- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl using reserved lime juice from the quick-pickled onions.
- In a large bowl combine lentils, pearl barley, radishes, cucumber, celery, mint, parsley and red onions. Pour dressing over the top and add pickled mustard seeds. Stir to mix well, adjusting salt and pepper to taste. Salad can be eaten immediately but is even better if it has a few hours in the fridge for the flavors to meld.
*** This post is sponsored by Albertsons & Safeway Companies but all opinions expressed are 100% my own. ***
