Barley salad with summer vegetables

Barley salad with summer vegetables is easy to make, versatile and satiating too. It's effortlessly vegan but be made gluten-free too.

Rating

5.00 stars (9 reviews)

easy,gluten-free,healthy

Slice zucchini thinly and halve your tomatoes widthwise.
Heat up a large stainless steel pan on low-medium heat. Add 2 tsp (10 ml) of olive oil, once the oil warms up arrange half of the zucchini slices on top. Sauté them until cooked through on both sides and charred in places, flipping to the other side frequently. Continue until all of the zucchini is done (you can add more oil if you wish but I didn't find it necessary), remove from the pan and set aside. Clean the pan and make sure it's not too hot before frying garlic.
Gently heat up the remaining oil in the pan, add diced garlic and cook it on a whisper of a flame so that it does not burn. Stir frequently.
Once garlic is fragrant and translucent, arrange tomatoes on the pan, cut side down. Increase the heat a little and allow them to cook gently until they soften and release juices.
Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper and a pinch or two of sugar.
Turn the tomatoes that have cooked to the other side, continue to cook them until softened a little - not too much, you want softened not mushy.
Add cooked barley and zucchini slices to the pan. Optionally, add cooked chickpeas for extra nutrition and another texture. Stir well, season with balsamic vinegar and more salt and pepper if needed.
Stir basil through and divide between bowls, top with vegan ricotta (or other soft vegan cheese) and chilli oil (or extra virgin olive oil) if using.