Pearl Barley Salad with Mushrooms and Roasted Peppers

1. 1 Pearl barleypack 800 g ≈ $2.80 50 g
2. 2 Button mushrooms≈ $7.50 per kg 120 g
3. 3 Roasted peppers in oilpack 300 g ≈ $4.00 40 g
4. 4 Fresh spinachpack 150 g ≈ $2.50 30 g
5. 5 Feta or brined cheesepack 200 g ≈ $3.00 30 g
6. 6 Parsleypack 50 g ≈ $1.50 8 g
7. 7 Red onion≈ $3.00 per kg 20 g
8. 8 Olive oil 8 ml
9. 9 Lemon≈ $4.70 per kg 12 g
10. 10 Garlic≈ $10.00 per kg 2 g
11. 11 Salt 2 g
12. 12 Ground black pepper to taste

Grey rows are pantry staples: salt, oil, spices. They are not counted in the serving price.

Method

1. Rinse the pearl¹ barley, cover with 250 ml cold water, bring to a boil, season with salt, and simmer covered on low heat for 30–35 minutes until tender. If the water evaporates early, top up with boiling water. Drain any remaining liquid, then let the barley cool slightly.

2. Slice the mushrooms into 5 mm-thick rounds, cut the red⁷ onion into thin half-moons, and mince the garlic¹⁰.

3. Sear the mushrooms over high heat dry for 4–5 minutes until they release their moisture. Add half the olive oil and garlic¹⁰, cook another 1–2 minutes, then season with salt.

4. Slice the roasted³ peppers into strips, tear the spinach roughly, and chop the parsley⁶.

5. Mix the warm barley with the mushrooms, peppers, onion, spinach, and parsley⁶. Toss with lemon⁹ juice and the remaining oil, crumble in the feta⁵, and serve warm.

In short

• Marked healthy: the planner picks it more often for the goals “lose weight” and “eat well”.