Warm Barley Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Today was a very busy day at work. Each year my school has a project week. This year, the project week is on art- portraits to be more exact, and I’m in charge of it all.

This is my first experience being responsible for a whole-school project of this scale. It’s been a lot of fun to plan and organize but the actual act of carrying it out is exhausting. Rewarding to see it all come together, but exhausting.

While on break duty this morning, I ate strawberries and blueberries with homemade Greek yogurt and drew chalk portraits with a group of kids.

 

Sometimes I’m amazed at what can be accomplished in 1 day. Today, my students created self-portraits using chalk pastels, they designed and cemented down their Roman-style mosaics and made whole-face masks of each other using plaster casting.

I wish I would have taken a photo of my classroom at the end of the day- it looked like the art cabinet exploded. Exactly how a classroom should look during project week.

The weather today was warmer and the sun came out to play so I went on a walk after school.

I’m also happy to report that Sebastian and I made our own pizza tonight rather than ordering out. We went with one of my new favorites, Black Bean Mexican Pizza from goodlifeeats. Delicious!

I’m off to bed now but before going wanted to share a great recipe I tried this past weekend. Thanks to Andrea at Bella Eats for this recipe, it will become a regular. Another gem from my Recipe Wish List. This simple yet fancy recipe made a fast, warm dinner. Leftover were a lovely change of things as a cold lunch.

 

Full of flavor, texture and healthy food.

Now for your dining pleasure, Andrea’s recipe.

adapted from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop
serves 4 as a main course

Ingredients

• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 quart water
• 1-1/2 cups pearl barley
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 6 cups packed baby arugula, spinach, or mix
• 4 oz Pecorino Toscano, feta or goat cheese, diced or crumbled (I used parmesan, shaved over the top of the salad)

Method

1. Move an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 425*.
2. Toss the mushrooms, tomatoes, shallots and 2 tbsp of the oil together on a rimmed baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Toast the veggies, stirring once, until the mushrooms and shallots are browned nicely, about 25 minutes.  Let cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, bring water, barley and pinch of salt to a boil in a large saucepan.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender but still a bit chewy, about 30 minutes.  Drain the barley well in a strainer and transfer to a large bowl.
4. Toss the barley with the remaining 3 tbsp oil until coated evenly.  Add the roasted vegetables and parsley and toss to combine.  Cool slightly and then season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Divide the arugula or spinach among four large plates.  Spoon warm barley salad over each plate, sprinkle with cheese, and serve.
6. Store barley salad separately from arugula or spinach and reheat for lunch the next day, if desired.

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