Mediterranean Barley Salad

It was 94 degrees today. Ninety four. Not to mention the humidity. And tomorrow it's supposed to be 103! With a heat index of 110! I'm going to melt into a puddle and evaporate upon contact with the ground. Yes, I'm flipping out a little. But it's just so hot! When I left Utah to come out here, it was barely spring and now I find myself in the tropics!

Anyway, enough complaining. Luckily I made a boat load of this nice cool refreshing salad, so tomorrow there will be no cooking. There won't be much of anything besides lounging around with a water-misting fan (my apartment, sadly, does not have AC) and trying to move as little as possible.

Here are a few things to know about this salad. 1) it's hearty enough to be a light main course; 2) if you love parsley, you should add at least the 1/2 cup recommended below. If you don't love it, add a little less; 3) I used green olives because I could find purple ones (can you believe it?). Use purple or black depending on your preference and what's available; 4) definitely wait until the barley is room temperature before adding the other ingredients. I got a little impatient and my cheese melted as I was taking the pictures. Oops! 5) Caroline is currently taking a short break from us (leave a comment and tell her you miss her!), so you'll be stuck with me and mostly vegetarian recipes for various reasons relating to the weather and my lack of a proper kitchen. I hope you enjoy!

Mediterranean Barley Salad
Recipe and Pictures by Kelly

3/4 cup uncooked barley
4 cups water
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 can green olives, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1/2 of one lemon
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. In a large pot, add barley and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer 45 minutes, or until barley is tender. Fluff with a fork and let cool to room temperature.
2. Combine barley, tomatoes, olives, parsley, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Add more salt or pepper, to taste. Add feta cheese and stir to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.