Summer Salads

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Photo courtesy of Elizabeth.

Happy Friday, yogis! I hope you're all enjoying a beautiful week. Do you have any fun yoga plans this weekend? :)

I wanted to share a little post from my lovely sponsored yoginis Elizabeth and Keyla. They've both been making new summer salad recipes featuring Litehouse dressings. If you're looking for quick meal ideas for this weekend, try these! 
Photo via Litehouse.
From Elizabeth:

Being quite picky with my salad dressings I have to say I am so in love with the Spinach Salad dressing. The texture of the dressing did take a little getting used to, however the flavor is so yummy! I really enjoyed the bits of bacon and the smoky flavor. 

My favorite salad mix so far with this is:
  • spinach
  • fresh strawberries from my garden
  • walnuts
  • hulled hemp seed
  • Litehouse Spinach Salad dressing
Mmmmm! It's my go to lunch these days. I was also quite impressed with how many varieties of dressings Litehouse offers.

Above photo courtesy of Keyla. Below photo via Litehouse.



From Keyla:

Here's a great summer salad featuring the Greek vinaigrette. 

Black Eyed Peas and Barley Salad

  • 1 cup of dried black eyed peas 
  • 1 cup of dried barley 
  • 1 cucumber 
  • 1 pack of grape tomatoes
  • Handful of cilantro
  • Handful of cheese (Feta)
  • Lite house Greek vinegarette 
  • Salt and pepper to taste 

Cook the peas and barley in separate pots and prep the veggies as they cook.

How to cook black-eyed peas: Soaking is not essential for black-eyed peas, but cooking time can be shortened if they get a quick soak in hot water, or soak overnight in cold water if cooking the next day. Place dried peas in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove pot from heat and allow to stand for 60-90 minutes. Drain water and replace with fresh, cold water for cooking - or if you skipped the hot-soaking step, just rinse and add cold water. Place on stove and bring to a boil in a pot with a lid. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, tilting the lid slightly to allow steam to escape, and leave to cook for up to an hour, or until tender

How to cook Barley
1 cup pearl or hulled barley
3 cups water or stock
Salt (optional)

Instructions
  • Combine the barley and water. Add salt if needed
  • Bring to a boil: Bring the water and barley to a boil over high heat. Keep an eye on the pot to prevent foam from overflowing.
  • Simmer the barley: When the barley has reached a boil, lower the heat to a low simmer, cover, and continue to cook until the barley is done. For pearl barley, start checking at 25 minutes. For hulled barley, start checking at 40 minutes. The barley is done when it has tripled in volume and is soft yet chewy. Add more water if the pan becomes dry before the barley has finished cooking; check every 5 minutes until desired chewiness is reached.
  • Drain the barley (if necessary): When the barley is done, it will have absorbed most of the water. If there is a little water still left in the pot, just leave the barley to sit for 10 minutes, covered, until it has all been absorbed. If there is a lot of water left, drain the barley in a strainer over the sink.
  • Fluff the barley: With a fork, fluff the barley to separate the grains and set aside.

Assemble the Salad:
1. In a big bowl, combine diced cucumber, grape tomato halves, cheese, barley and black eyed peas. Toss in Litehouse Greek Vinaigrette and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a handful of fresh cilantro or parsley. You can serve as a side or on top of fresh spring greens. Enjoy!

Have a lovely weekend, and big thanks to Elizabeth and Keyla for sharing these yummy salads! Namaste.

 PS More summer salads.