Home Salads Rosemary Cucumber Barley Lentil Salad

Rosemary Cucumber Barley Lentil Salad

by Ann
12 comments

Rosemary Cucumber Barley Lentil Salad

The idea of a chopped cucumber salad with rosemary popped into my head the other day. I had some cucumber I bought for my daughter, but she hasn’t shown much interest in eating them lately, so I decided to go ahead and use them up. I cooked up some barley and red lentils to go with it and they took over and outnumbered the cucumbers, but all in all, I was very pleased with the results. Barley is something I usually think of putting in soups, but I thought it would be fun to try it in a salad. It’s a very healthy grain, full of fiber.


Dressed with lemon juice and olive oil and seasoned with a little Moroccan seasoning and some cumin, it turned out to be quite a nice salad. Great for lunch or as a nice side dish to serve with fish or meat.

Rosemary Cucumber Barley Lentil Salad

  • 1/2 cup dry barley
  • 1/2 cup dry lentils (you can use any color: I chose red ones)
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced and chopped cucumber
  • 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (like a Vidalia)
  • 1/4 cup parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onion
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Moroccan seasoning (I used some I purchased from Mystic Blue Spice Company, but if you are in a pinch, there is a recipe for making your own here)
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • For garnish: About 2 Tablespoons toasted pinons (pine nuts), lemon slice(s) & fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

  1. Cook the barley and lentils (in separate pots) according to package directions.
  2. While they are cooking, chop the cucumber and onion and gather the herbs.
  3. Zest and juice the lemon into a small bowl. Add the garlic, rosemary, cumin and Moroccan seasoning, then whisk in the olive oil.
  4. In a larger bowl, mix the cooked barley and lentils, the cucumber, onion, parsley and green onion, then drizzle on the dressing and stir to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh lemon slice(s), toasted pine nuts and some fresh parsley leaves. Serve hot or cold. It’s good both ways.

Rosemary Cucumber Barley Lentil Salad

This recipe was shared at Newlyweds Recipe Linky, Full Plate Thursday, Fit & Fabulous Fridays, and Summer Salad Sundays.

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12 comments

Trish June 12, 2012 - 9:13 am

Im so making this! You have some of the greatest salad recipes.

Reply
Ann June 12, 2012 - 9:23 am

Thank you so much, Trish! But really I think your awesome Moroccan seasoning was the thing that made it special. I love your spices! 🙂

Reply
tannage888 June 12, 2012 - 9:43 am

Lovin the salads! Good ideas when I don’t want to eat too much meat

Reply
Ann June 12, 2012 - 10:27 am

Thank you! Salads make me happy so I make a lot of them 🙂

Reply
Krista@EverydayMom'sMeals June 12, 2012 - 4:06 pm

This looks so good for summer. Love lentils. I have a little something waiting for you on EMM http://everydaymomsmeals.blogspot.com/2012/06/blogger-inspiration-another-award.html

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Michele June 12, 2012 - 8:31 pm

love, Love, LOVE this Ann! 🙂

Reply
Ann June 12, 2012 - 9:15 pm

Thank you so much Michele! You are so sweet 🙂

Reply
Miz Helen June 21, 2012 - 8:09 am

Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you are having a great week and enjoy your new Red Plate.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen

Reply
Ann June 21, 2012 - 8:12 am

Why thank you Miz Helen! 🙂

Reply
Debbie Plaistowe June 21, 2012 - 11:46 pm

Using barley as the grain in a salad would have never occurred to me, but it’s a very tasty idea! Thanks for sharing this with Summer Salad Sundays, look forward to seeing you again soon!

Reply
luvsclassics September 7, 2012 - 7:44 am

I love making up a warm bowl of lentil soup but using cooked lentils in a cold salad is a great idea. I’m curious how to make Moroccan seasoning as I have so many spice mixes in my cubboard already! Cucumbers are one of my fav to salads, too!

Reply
Ann September 7, 2012 - 9:43 am

Thanks for your kind comments … Here’s a recipe I found for Moroccan seasoning: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Moroccan-Spice-Blend-109356

Reply

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