ratatouille & barley salad

since i did my juice cleanse at the beginning of may, i've been eating A LOT more fruits and veggies.  this change in eating habits has lead to my new favorite thing to do on sunday - shopping at the farmers market!  not only are the fruits and vegetables at the farmers market fresher than the grocery store, but they taste better & pretty there is pretty much no packaging (zero waste!).  since i've been buying all this amazing produce from the farmers market, i've had to find new recipes that focus on more vegetables and less on meat and diary.  i scoured the web and discovered this website that pretty much follows exactly how i have been eating!  i found a recipe for ratatouille & barley salad that was a perfect match for all the goodies i bought at the farmers market!

ratatouille & barley salad (adapted from this recipe)

serves 4

1 cup pearl barley

1 1/2 cup water

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon raw agave nectar

half an eggplant, sliced into 1/2" slices

3 squash (i used 1 green zucchini, 1 yellow zucchini, and 1 yellow summer squash), 1/2" slices

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup basil, finely chopped

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

salt & pepper to taste

step 1: rinse the pearl barley.  add barley to a pot with the water & bring to a boil.  once the barley is boiling, reduce to a simmer and let cook about 20 minutes or until tender.

step 2: drain any remain water from the barley.  add the minced garlic and a pinch of salt, mix.  then add the oil, vinegar and agave.

step 3: using a oiled grill pan, grill the eggplant & squashes until they are charred and soft.  set aside to cool a bit.  cut the eggplant into about 1"x1' pieces.  add to the barley. 

step 4: cut the tomatoes, chop the basil and parsley & add to the barley.

step 5:  mix until all ingidents are combined.  salt & pepper to taste.  serve & enjoy!

this was a delicious and light sunday night dinner, and i have enough leftovers for lunch!  oh, did i mention my farmers market is certifited organic so everything sold there is organic?  yep, it is!  one more reason to shop the farmers market!  do you shop at the farmers market?