Kale, Barley & Roasted Beet Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Hey! Hey! Hey!!!

How are you doing?

I find myself constantly alternating between dreamy, instagram-worthy living where I have a cup of tea and homemade short biscuits at 3pm each day and trot around windy cities with my husband on weekends, and not being able to remember how long ago I washed my current bath towel and scrambling around at 4:45am to try to find Mr.  Pedantic a pair of black socks for work. I'm not sure how all three hundred pairs always manage to be dirty. 

This salad right here is for the organized days.  The days where we are purposeful about fueling these bodies of ours. 

This is my adaptation of an amazing salad I had when I visited Chattanooga a year and a half ago.  Up until that point, I would have told you that I did not eat beets.  

Then, I ordered a salad in some very hipster, exposed beams + crystal chandelier kind-of coffee shop and fell in love with the sweet, jewel-like cubes that lay atop my greens.  That salad taught me that roasted beets are nothing like the horrible canned slices of my childhood.   

This salad also makes me really like kale, which is sometimes a challenge.  I had a kale chip experience once.  I don't want to talk about it...

So let's make it!

Wash your greens, scrub your beets, and preheat your ovens. 

Beets are wrapped up in aluminum foil, along with a bit of olive oil, and roasted until soft and sweet. Then we get to peel off those skins, which is also known as, "time to dye our fingers fuchsia." 

I love the addition of barley in this salad because it makes my brain think I'm eating pasta and adds a very welcome chewy texture. 

Kale is chopped fine and gets cozy with our still-warm barley and a sweet honey and poppy seed dressing.  

The colors here are making me really happy. 

Now, for the toppings. 

I threw pistachios, dried cranberries, and feta atop this salad, but the sky is the limit!  Use whatever nuts or dried fruits you have on hand.  I think walnuts would be excellent. 

The salty feta alongside the sweet roasted beets is my favorite. 

I know it's Pi Day, but around here pretty much every day is Pie Day - just check the archives.  Oh, and when you need to detox, me and my new salad will be waiting here for you.  xoxo

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Beet & Barely Salad

serves 4-6

for the beets

3 medium-sized beets, greens removed

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Clean beets thoroughly.  Cut 3 large squares of aluminum foil and pour 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil into the center of each.  Place each beet on top of the oil and wrap the sides of the foil up and around the beet, sealing it tightly.

Place the foil-wrapped beets in a baking dish and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until fork-tender.  

(This is a great time to cook your barley.)

Allow the beets to sit until they are cool enough to handle, then peel away the outer skins.  Chop into 1/4-inch cubes. 

for the barley

1 cup quick-cooking barley*

2 1/2 cups chicken stock 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Combine barley and chicken stock in a 3-quart sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, with the lid on, for ten minutes. 

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the barley to sit, covered, for five minutes.  Drain away any excess liquid and fluff with a fork.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine.

Allow the barley to cool slightly before adding it to the salad. 

*I buy Trader Joe’s “10-Minute Barley.”  Of course, if you prefer traditional barley, that will certainly work here - just prepare it according to the maker’s instructions. 

for the dressing

3 tablespoons honey 

1 tablespoon dijon mustard 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a small jar, combine honey, dijon mustard, sea salt, poppy seeds, and lemon juice.  Use a fork to whisk together. 

Add the olive oil to the mixture and top your jar with a tight lid.  Shake until the dressing is smooth and well combined.

toppings & assembly

6 cups kale, cut roughly into bite-size pieces 

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1 cup crumbled feta 

1/3 cup pistachios  

cooked barley

roasted beets

prepared dressing

There are two ways to make this salad.  The first option is to prepare it as instructed below for serving a large group.  The second option would be to refrigerate the roasted beets, barley, and dressing in separate containers and build individual salads as you need them.  (The individual elements will last at least a week in the refrigerator.)  The choice is yours.  For an individual salad, I used two good spoonfuls of dressing. 

Pour the dressing into the bottom of a large salad bowl and add chopped kale, barley, and roasted beets; toss to coat.  Allow this mixture to sit for five minutes or so.  This resting time will give the kale a chance to soften.  Top with cranberries, feta, and pistachios.  Serve immediately and enjoy!