Barley Breakfast Salad

Barley doesn’t exactly get a lot of culinary fanfare. The oft-forgotten grain is best know for playing a supporting role in soups like Mushroom Barley and Chicken Barley. Its texture, though, kind of reminds us of oats more than rice, so it makes sense that it works as a breakfast ingredient. Try this recipe when you’ve had your fill of oatmeal and overnight oats for a while. Speaking of filling, it’s packed with fiber, so you won’t be hungry again at 10:00 a.m.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons low fat ricotta cheese
1/4 teaspoon pure maple syrup or honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1/3 cup cooked quick-cooking pearl barley
1 tablespoon chopped pecans
1 teaspoon dried cranberries
1 medium orange, sectioned and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon orange zest

Directions

1. Combine ricotta, maple syrup or honey, and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon in small bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine barley, pecans, cranberries, orange, zest, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon in serving bowl.
3. Top with ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE Salad for breakfast? Why not? This colorful, delicious breakfast bowl will make you spring out of bed in the morning thanks to the protein from ricotta cheese and a fresh vitamin C-infusion from oranges. Fiber-rich barley will keep you feeling satisfied, and cinnamon’s health benefits are too vast to even detail. Buh-bye, cereal.