Recipe: Tex-Mex Veggie-Grain Salad

From the Vitality Food Feature ‘Cool and Easy Summertime Dining‘.

Sometimes I make this with barley as below, other times with wheat berries, coloured quinoa, or rice. Or I use a mixture of whatever cooked grains I might have lingering in the fridge or freezer – bits of leftovers saved from other recipes. They’re great in salads!

Ingredients

The Salad

• 1 cup cooked barley
• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 1 cup cooked corn kernels (frozen or canned)
• 1 cup chopped sweet peppers
• 1 diced jalapeno pepper
• 1/2 stick sliced celery
• 1 chopped red onion
• 1 cup whole grape tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes

The Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
• 3 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (or 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

1) Put all the salad ingredients into a large salad bowl.

2) In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing.

3) Mix dressing ingredients well and pour mixture over salad and toss.

4) Serve this salad with crispy tortillas or corn chips on the side, and pass around a bowl of grated sharp cheddar cheese (dairy or vegan) for sprinkling over top.