Back at it

Hello World! Several kale salads, avocados ,gray hairs, Essie nail colors, tears, laughs, hugs, bottles of wine, sips of bourbon, episodes of the Bachelorette, walks with Q, and new recipes later I AM BACK AT IT!!  While my summer mornings have been consumed by Today show shenanigans , Kathie Lee and Hoda ridiculousness, k-cups, smoothies that consume too much time, walks with Q, too much pinterest, facebook and instagram all with little snoozes in between I am still whipping up the colors of the rainbow in the kitchen! Summer is and always will be my favorite season simply because I LOVE the bright farmers market fresh pops of flavor and colors in every dish! I'm very religious (even tho I haven't been to church in YEARS) about SIMPLICITY! (p.s. God still loves me) Sweet, tart, spicy, rustic, herbaceous flavs, and crunchy, creamy textures melt together creating the most satisfying umbrella in drink exotic vaca in your mouth!

 

Could you even imagine if this was a scratch n' sniff image?!
 

 When I go to market I look for fruits and veggies that are bright and fragrant! Most times without a recipe in mind my arms are overflowing within the first 10 minutes with whatever strikes my fancy! Its seriously like Christmas morning when I get home and display my finds under the tree (just kidding)! And that is when it all begins!!  The dish I'm sharing with you today is a combo of nutritious vibrant flavors! Crunchy cucs, and yellow peps paired with exploding fireworks of garden fresh cherry toms, jewels of kalamata saltiness, creamy feta, nutty barley and an herbal infusion of parsley and mint will be the best damn thing you have eaten since that shitty iceberg lettuce salad hiding under preservative infested salad dressing!  I know it sounds like a lot of ingredients but don't you dare even go there! Eating healthy and feeling good about what you are feeding your body takes prep time BUT it doesn't have to take hours every night Mon-Sun!! The only ingredient in this recipe that needs stove time is the barley! That's IT and this salad is a balanced meal! Get your grocery list app ready bc HERE WE GO!

 

Barley Deliciousness

Servings:4

 

1-2 cups cooked and cooled barley

1/2 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas

1 cup chopped yellow, red, or orange pep (I'm not a fan of green)

1 cup cherry toms cut in 1/2

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

4 leaves of rinsed and chopped kale

1 handful of parsley finely chopped

1 handful of mint finely chopped

1 handful of chopped kalamata olives

1 handful of good crumbled feta (I buy mine from the cheese dept in Wegmans)

Red wine vin

Evoo

Lemon

S&P 

 

Okay so I know that was a lot of chopping but this recipes is as easy as combining the barley through the olives in one bowl! Once you have thoroughly mixed your hard work (hopefully not any fingers)  all together you are going to add a 1/4 cup of the red wine vin, 1/4 cup of evoo, and the juice of two lemons! Sprinkle your salt and pep to taste and give it another good stir! Every great chef tastes their creation so don't be afraid to dip your fork in there to see what it might need or perhaps it is perfection! As this salad sits it will soak up the liquid so you may need to add more as you enjoy it! After plating sprinkle with tangy feta! Of course you can add feta ahead of time if you are packing lunches or taking it to a summer shindig!

 

Happy Creating!!!

Live, Laugh, Love,

Me

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