Lunch Box: Lemony Barley Salad with Veggies and Egg

This recipe is second in a series of lunch posts. I like to prep lunches on the weekend so they're ready in my fridge for days when we don't have leftovers. I find that between leftovers and work-provided lunches, four weekend-prepped lunches is just about right between me and my husband. To me, it's well worth the time because we save a lot of money and the meals are healthier than take-out. And I would never be able to motivate to get this done in the morning...it's all about grab and go.

This grain-based salad is a healthy, tasty lunch that's great for weekend prep because each step is very simple -- for the most part, each ingredient just gets steamed separately and then set aside to cool, so you can definitely work on this while doing other tasks.  (I made mango frozen yogurt at the same time, yum!)  Although my favorite way to prepare veggies is probably roasting (which you could certainly do with these ingredients), something about a steamed-and-chilled salad just screams spring to me, especially if you throw in a hard boiled egg.  These eggs are actually steamed rather than hard boiled, a technique I learned from Cooks Illustrated.  In that recipe, they steamed the eggs for 6-1/2 minutes, yeilding a perfect soft-boiled egg.  Here, I add a little steaming time for hard-cooked yet still tender and fluffy yolks.

Lemony Barley Salad with Veggies and Egg (loosely inspired by Food52)

Makes 4 hearty lunch servings

8.8 ounce bag quick-cooking barley

Salt

Olive oil

2-3 medium waxy potatoes, scrubbed

Rice vinegar

1 bunch asparagus

4 eggs

1 bunch rainbow chard, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

For the dressing:

Juice of 1 lemon (2 if your lemons aren't too juicy)

Olive oil

Spoonful of Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Minced herbs (optional)

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it generously.  Add the barley, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender (about 10 minutes).  Drain, and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.  Set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, set up a steamer basket over simmering water.  Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, and steam until tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Sprinkle with a little rice vinegar and salt, and gently stir to combine.  Set aside to cool.

3. In the same steamer basket, steam the asparagus until tender, 3-8 minutes depending on thickness.  Transfer to a cutting board, let cool slightly, and cut into bite-sized lengths.  Set aside to cool.

4. In the same steamer basket, steam the eggs for 12 minutes.  Run under cold water to stop the cooking.

5. Finally, yet again in the same steamer basket, steam the chard leaves until tender, just 2-3 minutes.  Toss with salt, olive oil, and cider vinegar, and set aside to cool.

6. Make the dressing: In a jam jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the lemon juice and then pour in about twice as much olive oil as lemon juice (you can eyeball it).  Then add the mustard, salt and pepper, and any minced herbs you have around (optional).  Screw on the lid and shake well.  If you like an extra dressing-y salad, you may wish to make a double batch.

7. Assemble your lunch containers.  It helps to set four contianers out on the counter.  Then just divide all the ingredients evenly among the containers -- barley, potatoes, asparagus, chard, and chickpeas.  I suggest storing the eggs (in their shells) separately and peeling/slicing right before lunch, simply because I think they stay fresher this way.  I would also suggest storing the dressing in a small container and dressing the salad right before eating, although everything here is hardy enough that it won't wilt if dressed early.  Note: The "rainbow" in the rainbow chard will dye the potatoes a bit pink.  I liked this, but if you don't, you might want to choose a non-rainbow variety.

Other Lunch Box Posts: 

Green and Yellow Vegetable Soups

Bleu Apple Salad

Quinoa Salad with Tofu, Fresh Corn, Scallions, and Cashews

Lentil-Quinoa Yoga Bowl

Fennel-Potato Soup with Black Beans