The weather has been HOTT and I’m not complaining. I like an early summer which means only good things like popsicles, bbqs and hanging out at the beach. Last night I had a friend over and I didn’t want to turn on the oven or do anything that would increase the already HOTT temperature in my kitchen, so I made a meal out of 2 dips and a very hearty salad. As my friend Kristen can attest, the meal was flavourful and delicious and can definitely stand up to repeat makings in the HOTT summer weather.
simple hummus
Dip number one was my simple hummus recipe, which is simply a drained and rinsed can of chickpeas dumped into a blender along side 3 plump cloves of garlic, 3 heaping T of tahini, 2 T cumin, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a few large drops of hot sauce, juice of 1 lemon, salt & pepper, 1-2 T water and 1-2 T olive oil. Blend. If it’s too thick, add a bit more water. Done!
Print This RecipeDip number two, was the very delicious white bean dip posted by poco-cocoa. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except that I used less oil and more garlic. Beyond tasty!!
white bean dip
2 T plus 2 T olive oil
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t salt, plus more to taste
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c (loosely packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 T fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
4 garlic clovesIn a blender, combine beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add in the olive oil until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Season the puree with more salt and pepper to taste.
The salad I conjoured up was a bit unusual since I never use pearl barley except in soups. Here, it’s the main grain and works nicely. Colourful, a bit different and so good.
white, red & green barley salad
6 c water
1 2/3 c. pearl barley
1 red pepper, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1/4 of a red onion, choppped fine
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1/2 c raisinsDressing:
1 lemon, juiced plus grated rind
3 T olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 T cumin
1 t dried dill1. Boil water in a large pot and add barley. Turn down heat and cover until barley is tender about 45 minutes. Drain and rinse barley until water runs clear. Barley should still be warm to help absorb the dressing.
2. Add barley to large bowl and add red pepper, red onion, apple, raisins.
3. In a small bowl, mix dressing ingredients together until thickened. Add to salad and mix well.
Serve at room temperature or chill until ready to eat.
I’m intrigued by your barley salad…and I’m glad you liked the dip!
Hi there fellow Vancouverite 🙂 I know what you mean about the days getting hot here, the summer is gonna be a scorcher! I really enjoy your blog and would like to link to it if that’s ok.
Ahhh, its hot here, too, but I AM complaining! I am definetely a cold weather person. I adore barley and your recipe for the salad sounds so incredibly good, I want to eat some right this minute! Definetely will be making this, and soon!
That salad looks delicious – I’m always looking for more barley recipes, and I like varied salads (especially lentil) so this will definitely be on my list for this summer.
This sounds like the perfect meal for a hot summer — er, spring — day! Oh, I envy you your HOTT weather; we’ve had grey skies and rain rain rain all week. Boo.
Well thank you Crystal for posting the recipe! It was sooo good!!
Tanvi, sorry you aren’t liking the heat…but I hope you do get to make the salad. It’s a tasty one 🙂
Hello Stefanie, sure you can link to my blog! It’s nice to have another Vancouver face in the blogosphere!
Dawna, it’s super easy and quite a bit different. It’s also very pretty looking which makes it nice for company too!
Too bad about the rain, Tania! Summer is coming so enjoy the springtime!
your hummus sounds delicious! I usually stop at the garlic, chickpeas, lemon and tahini but look forward to spicing it up a notch like you next time!
I love barley. Thanks for the ideas!
Reads DELICIOUS! Hahaha! A great way to spice up a salad. Thanks for sharing!
Darlamay, i too love a simple hummous, but it’s nice to add spice. a friend makes a great hummous with tamari and siracha sauce!
bna, glad i could inspire a bit of barley love.
thanks, abster.
now that sounds like vancouver…yay clouds! Better than the flipping 35C here, though.
barista worker, you have to cut me some sunshine slack here! vancouver needs some sun, y’know!
Just had to comment on your Barley salad – I tried it and its YUMMMMYYY!!!
THANK YOU for posting it and the dressing was just the touch!