Barley, Roasted Butternut & Grape Salad.

The lemon dressing used here is also available as a standalone recipe: Lemon Dressing (Barley, Roasted Butternut & Grape Salad).

Ingredients

• 1 container of seedless red grapes, rinsed and dried completely
• 1 small or medium butternut squash, peeled, cut and diced small
• 1 cup (240 ml) of cooked barley, then cool.
• a good handful of fresh spinach
• a good handful of whole pecans or any nuts of your choice toasted, 350 deg (175°C) for 8 minutes.
• fresh lemon juice
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 finely grated garlic clove
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat the oven to 425. For the grapes, spread them on a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil and roast them for about 15 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan, until they start to slightly burst. Set aside to cool.
2. Roast the diced butternut squash on a separate baking sheet at the same temperature until golden. Let cool.
3. Cook the barley according to the package and cool down.
4. Assemble your salad on a platter with all of the ingredients.
5. Spoon the lemon and olive oil dressing all around; just a few tablespoons did the trick.

LEMON DRESSING

1 part fresh squeezed lemon juice to 2 parts olive oil

add 1 grated garlic clove, salt and pepper and whisk