Originally Posted by
luvstoquilt301
Our guild is having a pot luck dinner with our party. I am out of ideas for a dish to bring. The hot stuff is usually cold by the time everyone gets through the line. They have way toooooooooooooo many deserts.
I am looking for a side dish that does not have to be kept hot. Hoping to avoid the obvious potato and macaroni salads.
ok I'll give you my recipe that is great hot or cold and you can make it ahead of time because it can last about a week in the fridge.
Barley Salad
I use whole barley not the pearl or polished barley.
Cook 2 cups of barley according to package instructions.
While it is cooking, I process 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 stalk of celery, a small hand full each of Broccoli and cauliflower ( you can save the tops for using with dip and only process the stems if you want)
Then I de-seed and hand cut up some of the following: zucchini squash, cucumber, yellow squash or any other vegetable you like, just be sure to de-seeded them. The seeds are what usually cause the veg's to go bad faster.
Once the barley is done, I mix all the vegetables in with the barley add salt and pepper to taste and a little bit of lemon or lime juice and that's it.
Do not add any dressing other then the lemon or lime juice. The lemon or lime juice helps the vegetables stay fresh longer.
It can be eaten just like it is or if someone likes a little vinaigrette or other type of dressing on it they can add it themselves.
I love this stuff anytime of the day or night and it's healthy! Not like most of the junk food you find at get togethers.