Barley, tomatoes, pistachios in a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette

When the weather gets warmer, I look for fun meals for easy summer living. Like most of us, we want to get the most out of each summer day, whether going for a run, spending time walking around outside, doing errands or shopping, there are so many things that we'd rather do than spend more time than necessary on summer cooking.  Although for me, cooking is actually something that I look forward to (most days).

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 cups of barley (serving size- 2 people)

-1 pint of cherry tomatoes

-1/4 cup of pistachios (taken out of the shell)

-pinch of salt

-pinch of pepper

-6 strawberries, cleaned and diced

Directions:

Fill a pot half full with water and bring to a rolling boil.  Then, add the barley and a pinch of salt.  Stir the barley, every so often, for about 10-15 minutes as the barley expands and becomes soft. Once the barley is finished, place in a strainer and drain out the remaining water.  Chop the cherry tomatoes to bite size pieces.  

For the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, take the diced strawberries and to a food processor with 1/3 cup balsamic, 4 Tbsp olive oil.  Lightly pulse the mixture, until the strawberries have blended.  

Combine the vinaigrette, barley, tomatoes, and pistachios until well mixed.  This dish can be served warm or chilled!