Makes 4 cups

This easy to make summer salad using fibre rich cooked barley and seasonal local blueberries is a cinch to make.

Bonus, if you are following WW (Weight Watchers) it’s only 4 points per serving. Add a 3 oz. serving of grilled chicken or turkey breast and some steamed green beans and dinner is only 4 points.

Note: this salad uses leftover cooked barley – click here for Barley 101

1 cup fresh commercial or wild blueberries, rinsed well and patted dry

Salad Dressing:

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or canola oil

Salad:

1 ½ cups diced greenhouse cucumber, approx. ½ cucumber

1 ½ – 1 ¾ cups cooked pot barley – see above Barley 101 for how to cook

½ cup chopped fresh dill

½ cup/3 oz. feta, crumbled

Rinse and let the blueberries air dry or pat dry before adding them to the salad. Wet blueberries will make the salad mushy.
Make the salad dressing: in a large bowl whisk together the vinegar and oil.
Toss in cucumber, cooked barley, dill, blueberries and feta. Toss well and serve right away. You can make this ahead of time, but barley has an uncanny way of absorbing flavours. For the biggest flavour hit, make it and serve it right away.

Makes 4 cups

One serving = ½ cup

Per Serving: 117 Calories, 5.8 g Total Fat, 2 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 9 mg Cholesterol, 93 mg Sodium, 14.3 g Carbohydrate, 2 g Fibre, 2.8 g Sugars, 0 g Added Sugars, 2.5 g Protein, 96 mg Potassium

Carbohydrate Choice = 1 choice

WW = 4 points

Professional home economist tips:

When looking for the freshest blueberries make sure they have a silver sheen on them. Its called bloom and it’s an indication of just picked. No bloom? No buy.

In the summer months I cook a large pot of pot barley most weeks and then use it as a side dish or as an ingredient in salads during the week.

This recipe is from Peace, Love & Fibre (appetite by Random House)

Mairlyn Smith

summer side salad