Awesome Lentil and Barley Salad

With my new obsession of storing and organizing my kitchen ingredients in mason jars and clear canisters after reading Amy Pennington's Urban Pantry, I've been stocking up on lots of bulk items to fill all my jars - all sorts of grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, flour, sugar.. you name it.  Buying these items in bulk is not only economical (a.k.a. so much cheaper!), but it also saves the excess packaging, and you have guaranteed, hearty and healthy ingredients on hand at all times for easy go-to meals. 

This definitely came in handy tonight because we are having a potluck lunch/surprise baby shower at work tomorrow and I said I would bring a main dish of some sort. So I cooked up some barley and lentils from my pantry stash, and mixed in some currants, capers, onions and almonds with an amazingly delicious and flavorful vinaigrette.. all inspired by one of my favorite cooking blogs "My New Roots" .  This salad is so fantastic and the flavors so unexpected; as Sarah Britton of My New Roots explains, "It is this special combination of flavors that creates a truly remarkable salad that is lip-smackingly tasty and totally addictive".... not to mention ridiculously healthy! It's also the perfect food to make ahead of time for a large group, as the flavors get better over time and it keeps and transports well. And feel free to mix up the ingredients or use what you have on hand- you really can't go wrong by adding anything to lentils and barley. 

AWESOME LENTIL AND BARLEY SALAD

Ingredients:

1:1 Ratio of barley to lentils (I used about 1.5 cups of each; green or brown lentils work best)

1 bay leaf

1 medium red onion, diced

1 cup dried currants

1/3 cup capers

3/4 cup almonds, dry-roasted, chopped

Optional add-ins: 

Walnuts (or any other nut)

Goat cheese

Seasonal veggies

Fresh herbs

For the vinaigrette 

(**Don't get overwhelmed with the list- If you have everything, great.. if not, just use what you have and it will still taste great!)

1/3 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. maple or agave syrup
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Rinse barley well, drain. Rinse the lentils separately, drain and put aside. 

2. Place barley in a large pot and cover with about 6 to 8 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. 

3. After about 15-20 minutes of cooking, add the lentils, one bay leaf, and some salt and pepper; and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes until the barley and lentils are cooked, but not mushy (check frequently to see when they are done so they don't get overcooked!)

4. While the lentils and barley are simmering, make the dressing by whisking or shaking together all the ingredients until well combined. 

5. Once the lentils and barley are done cooking, remove from heat, drain any excess water, if necessary, and put back into a large pot, bowl or tupperware. 

6. Add the onion, capers, currants and almonds (and any other add-ins), and toss with the dressing. Can be served warm, or put in the fridge to hang out for a day or two before serving cold. Most awesome lentil salad ever! 

Couscous and Lentils with Goat Cheese

Here is a great, one-pot, quick, healthy and hearty meat-free meal to help you start your week off right. Lentils are a great meat alternative because they are packed with protein, fiber, iron and B vitamins, and they are also really tasty, cheap and quick-cooking. They are many different types of lentils; all are extremely versatile and go well in soups or with grains.  I chose to cook up some lentils with whole wheat couscous tonight, which is also really quick and easy to make. And I made a big pot so I have plenty of leftovers to eat throughout the week- yes!

COUSCOUS WITH LENTILS AND GOAT CHEESE

Ingredients
1 tblsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tblsp chopped onion
2 tblsp chopped carrot
2 tblsp chopped celery
salt/pepper
1.5 cup lentils (I used a mix of brown, red and yellow)
1 cup whole wheat couscous
4-5 cups water
goat cheese

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in pot, stir in garlic, onions, celery, carrots and salt/pepper and cook for a few minutes until softened.
2. Add lentils and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook, covered, for about 15-20 minutes until lentils are soft.
3. Add couscous to the same pot and cook for an additional 5 minutes until couscous absorbs the remainder of the water and becomes soft. (If there is excess water, simply drain it out; and just add more water if there is not enough).

4. Once mixture is nice and fluffy and all the water is absorbed, serve a bowl and top with goat cheese.  ENJOY!