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Nordic Barley Salad

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This hearty Nordic barley salad has all the gorgeous flavors of autumn with delicata squash and roasted beets, complete with butter bean and topped with pickled red onions and a vegan goat cheese. A scallion-dill vinaigrette drums through the Nordic flavors. Perfect weekday dinner and you’ll have leftovers for lunch the following day!

  • Author: Sunny Gandara
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Nordic
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

For the salad: 

1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1 x 15 oz can butter beans or broad beans, rinsed and drained *
2 small or 1 medium delicata squash, halved and sliced into half moons
1 medium red beet, roasted, peeled and diced
1 medium yellow beet, roasted, peeled and diced
1 crisp apple, like honey crisp or Granny Smith
½ large bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed and thinly sliced
Couple of handfuls fresh dill, chopped plus more for garnish
Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
⅓ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped**
Pickled red onions for garnish
½ cup (125 grams) vegan goat cheese 

For the vinaigrette: 

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Juice of ½ lemon
1 small garlic clove, grated
1-2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoons maple syrup
4 tablespoons good quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch scallions, sliced finely (white and light green parts only) divided
Salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

To make the vinaigrette:

Combine all ingredients (only half the scallions, reserve the rest for topping on the salad) in a bowl and whisk together, season with salt and pepper and set aside until ready to use. 

To make the salad:

First, preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃). Cut off the greens from the beets (if attached), rinse, and scrub them, and place them in a large sheet of foil, drizzle with a little olive oil and kosher or sea salt, and wrap loosely. 

Bake in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour until a knife or cake tester pierces easily through the middle. Let cool slightly before peeling and dicing them. 

Place the delicata squash on a sheet try and drizzle with a little olive oil and kosher salt, and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, turning them half way through. Set aside to cool slightly.

Second, cook the barley in about 2 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt. Follow the package directions, but the cooking time for pearled barley should take 20-25 minutes. Drain and add into a large mixing bowl.

Massage the kale with your hands and a drop of olive oil to remove some bitterness, then slice the leaves thinly and add them to the bowl with the barley, along with the butter beans and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, pour in half the dressing and toss with tongs to combine. 

Add in the diced beets, roasted squash and apples and with a large spoon, carefully toss to combine. Drizzle in the remainder of the dressing, top with pickled red onions, goat cheese, toasted hazelnuts, the remaining scallions and a few sprigs of fresh dill. 

Serve with your favorite glass of wine. 

Notes

*sub any beans of your choice, you can also cook your own beans from scratch
** Toasted pumpkin seeds would work really well too in case of a nut allergy

Salad will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. Remove from fridge at least ½ hour before serving to let it come to room temperature. 

Find it online: https://sunnygandara.com/nordic-barley-salad/