Green Grain Summer Salad with Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce

This Green Grain Summer Salad recipe has creamy avocado, greens, pearl barley and crunchy almonds all tossed together with a creamy Lemon-Garlic Cashew Sauce.

INGREDIENTS

Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce Ingredients: 

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup water

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup cooked pearl barley

1 cup peas (fresh or frozen & thawed)

1 cucumber, chopped (about 1 cup) 

1 avocado, cubed

2 cups kale, chopped & loosely packed (4–6 kale leaves)*

1/2 cup Creamy Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce (from above)

1/4–1/2 cup sliced almonds (or any other nut for crunch)

INSTRUCTIONS

Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce Instructions: 

Blend: Blend all ingredients on high speed until smooth (about a minute).** Use immediately or store in a sealed container in the fridge until needed.

Salad Instructions:

Assemble & Toss: Put the salad ingredients in a large bowl and drizzle with the Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce. Toss until well combined and the salad is evenly coated with the dressing. Top with addition sliced almonds (or other seed/nut) if desired. Serve immediately. Put leftovers in a sealed container and store in the fridge. 

*When chopping the kale, remove and discard of the stem as it is too tough to eat raw. Chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces. TIP: Kale is a very hearty green. Give the leaves a little massage to make them a little more tender. Don’t be shy. Kale is tough and can handle a little massage, no problem!

**A powerful blender will get you a smooth and creamy consistency. If you do not have a powerful blender, soak the cashews in water for 2 hours before blending. This will soften the cashews and make the sauce nice and creamy regardless of blender used.

Download this recipe