Apple Barley Pumpkin Seed Salad

Pepitas are a popular ingredient in Mexican cuisine and are also roasted and served as a snack. Marinated and roasted, they are an autumn seasonal snack in the United States, as well as a commercially produced and distributed packaged snack, like sunflower seeds, available year-round. Very nutritious. Today’s recipe is Apple Barley Pumpkin Seed Salad. It’s a continental dish, main ingredients are barley, and red apple. Roasted pumpkin seeds make apple barley salad more special making it nutritive in Calorie, Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat and Fibers. This will take 15 to 20 minutes to prepare, tastes scrumptious. This is a vegetarian salad. 

Ingredients: 

• Red apples : 2 medium

• Barley: 1 cup

• Pumpkin seeds: 1/4 cup

• Lemon juice: 1.5 tablespoons

• Salt to taste

• Apple juice: 1/2 cup

• Extra virgin olive oil: 3 tablespoons

• Fresh mint leaves: 10-15

• Parsley: 2-3 sprigs

• Coriander sprig: 4-5

• Black pepper powder:  1/2 teaspoon

• Iceberg lettuce leaves: few

• Lollorosso lettuce leaves: few

• Honey: 3 teaspoons

Method: 

• Firstly slice the apples thick, core and cut into big pieces and put them into a bowl. Add ½ tablespoon lemon juice and mix to avoid discoloration. Toast barley in a non-stick pan 2 minutes. Add 2 ½ cups water and cook barley till soft. Drain the barley and add to the bowl.

• Heat another non-stick pan and lightly toast the pumpkin seeds. Add salt, apple juice, extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the barley and mix with gentle strokes.

• Roughly chop fresh mint leaves, parsley and coriander leaves. Cool the pumpkin seeds. Add the chopped fresh herbs to the bowl along with pepper powder.

• Roughly tear iceberg and lollo rosso lettuce and add to the bowl. Add honey and pumpkin seeds to the bowl and toss everything well. Plating this into a serving bowl in a docile manner and then serve immediately.