I love a good barley salad. You guys know I am borderline obsessed with barley. It is cheap. It is wholesome and very versatile. You can serve this easily customizable, budget-friendly summer mushroom asparagus barley salad with lemon dill dressing- it just screams bright and light and SUMMER.
Just a thought, I get a little too excited when I can add pesto to any dish. Any pesto is just a flavor bomb. It really is the gift that keeps giving. Plus summer salads and lemon dill dressing just makes sense to me. One, it is easy. And two, the flavor from this lemon dill dressing just keeps getting better.
Sometimes when I need a quick hearty salad- i’ll just pick a grain and toss in some veggies and cover them with some fresh dressing and presto! It seems like I spent some time on a great salad, (but we know that while all these flavors were marrying together we were catching up on GOT).
So I love mixing asparagus with mushrooms- it just makes me happy. If you like you can mix up the vegetables in this salad with basically any vegetable. I like it with bell peppers and fresh sweet corn or cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Simple is best sometimes. It is totally my kinda food. Quick, easy and bright. Which is my current food necessity.
Make it today and let me know how you like it. Enjoy!
Peace and Love,
Ann
Mushroom Asparagus Barley Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing
This budget-friendly summer mushroom asparagus barley salad with lemon dill dressing recipe- just screams bright and light and delicious.
Ingredients
Barley Salad
- 1 Cup Pearl Barley
- 8 oz Mushrooms( wild or Portobello) cleaned, trimmed and sliced
- 1 small Onion Finely chopped
- 2 Sprigs Thyme
- 1 Pound Asparagus Trimmed and Chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 Clove Garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Lemon Dill Dressing
- 2 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Fresh Dill
- 1/4 Cup Olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
Instructions
- For the dressing: Whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt and pepper until completely blended. Add oil in a slow steady stream, whisking continuously until thick and creamy. Add dill and stir to combine. pour into a storage container and place in the Fridge until ready for use.
Prep: Cook barley in a medium pot of boiling salted water until tender, 20–30 minutes for pearl barley. Drain; spread out on a baking sheet and let cool. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until hot. Arrange mushrooms in skillet in a single layer and cook,until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper, toss, and continue to cook, tossing often and reducing heat as needed to avoid burning. Add onions to the skillet- stir. Reduce heat to medium and add thyme sprigs, garlic, and butter to skillet. Add the asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes- until the butter smells nutty. Turn off the heat and remove mixture to a large bowl.Assemble the salad: Toss together the Barley,asparagus and mushroom mixture. Add 3 Tablespoon of the dressing ( or more if desired). Serve at room temp. or warm.