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Gifted items.
Autumn Salads! Ahh my favourites. Technically, they are not exactly salads in my view because when it’s practically a cooked dish and or smothered in mayo-like sauces, it isn’t a real salad for me. Nevertheless, let’s call it a salad! This Butternut Squash, Tenderstem Broccoli and Pearl Barley Salad can be a main dish, a side dish and can be served hot or cold – it’s delicious either way.
I have teamed up with Andalucian Olives for this recipe – for this recipe I used their:
- 500ml Green Gourmet Polyphenol Rich Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Premium Organic Basil Flavoured Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Spanish Balsamic Vinegar
About Andalucian Olives
The Andalucian Olive Company located in the Municipality of Almeria, produces some of the finest quality olives in the whole of Spain. They pick all their olives by hand, using no pesticides and always with the ultimate respect for the environment. The Andalucian Olive Company is a family run business with a deep passion for olives and their many health benefits. Since the beginning their aim was always to create something organic and sustainable, by promoting the importance of sustainable agriculture, by protecting the environment.
With their beautiful aromas I made the dressing for this salad that is really the cherry on the top in this recipe – but more than that, it’s a vital ingredient in the salad and preparing it with the best olive oils and balsamic vinegar rally makes a difference!
Recipe
So this type of autumn salad is a real comfort food. Warm, filling, full of autumnal flavours. Everything is in season too – just perfect autumnal flavours.
You can tweak here and there with the ingredients as usually you can do with salads:
- I used half extra virgin olive oil and half basil flavoured oil – but you can swap it for garlic, lemon or even truffle flavoured oil.
- I used roasted tomatoes with garlic and chilli – but you can swap them for sun dried tomatoes of any flavour
- vegetables are also interchangeable – add kale, pumpkin, broccoli florets
- you can add seeds and nuts
- you can also add vegan or regular feta cubes
So there are a lot of possibilities to explore.
Enjoy!
Butternut Squash, Tenderstem Broccoli and Pearl Barley Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1/2 medium butternut squash peeled and cut into long pieces
- 150 g tender stem broccoli cut into bitesize pieces
- 200 g pearl barley cooked
- 80 g roasted tomato (chilli flavoured if possible) or sun dried tomato
- 1/2 medium red onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp sliced black olives
- 1 handful fresh basil chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil for roasting the squash
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp basil flavoured extra virgin olive oil
- 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
Instructions
- Peel the squash, remove seeds, toss with oil and roast the slices on 200C for 20-25 minutes in the oven until the start turning golden brown around the edges.Cook the pearl barley in salty water. Prepare the vinaigrette: mix all the ingredients an set it aside.Boil the broccoli for 3-4 minutes until they are al dente.When everything is cooked, combine all the ingredients in a salad bowl. Enjoy it hot or cold, as a side or a main dish.
If you liked this recipe, do check out my other similar recipes on the blog:
Wholewheat Couscous With Roasted Butternut Squash And Kale Salad (Vegan)
Beetroot and Orange Salad With Chickpeas (Vegan Recipe)