Summer is a great time for barbecues. Lately, I have gotten tired of the same old side dishes: coleslaw, grilled corn, and potato salad. Since I have been on a roasted cauliflower kick and also trying to incorporate more grains into my diet I tried to combine the two. A dear friend of mine was coming over for dinner and she is so great about trying my “new” and unproved recipes. We both loved it. I tried leftovers the next day and the flavor was not as robust. I would suggest making it the same day you are serving it. This would also be a wonderful vegetarian entree.
Roasted Cauliflower and Barley Salad
Ingredients
½ cup pearled barley
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 15 oz. can of cannelloni beans, rinsed
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
¼ cups fresh basil leaves, chopped
1. Place barley in a saucepan with 1 ½ cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for about 50 minutes. Drain.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place cauliflower florets on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Stir half way through roasting. Let cool slightly before adding them to the other ingredients.
3. Wisk lemon juice, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and 5 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer cauliflower to a large serving dish, add beans, barley, parsley and basil. Add the dressing, salt, and pepper and toss to coat.
You can leave this at room temperature until you are ready to serve it. The maximum would be less than 2 hours because of the mayonnaise.
Enjoy!