I absolutely adore this recipe. It tastes so quintessentially California to me.
The lemony yogurt sauce is citrusy, tangy, and pairs so well with the avocado and sprouts. I've never considered mixing cooked grains in salads before and it's now sparked a whole new world of hearty salads for me. I usually have cooked brown rice in my freezer so making this bowl took no time at all. I'd like to experiment with other grains like farro and millet as well. I used alfalfa sprouts and chopped romaine lettuce the first time I made this recipe and topped the whole dish with a fried egg for extra nutrition. Everything about this recipe is versatile and can be created with whatever vegetables you have in your fridge that day.
California Barley Bowl with Lemony Yogurt Sauce
Adapted from Whole-Grain Mornings
Serves 2
Ingredients
1½ cups / 255 g cooked barley, still warm
1 cup / 55 g bean sprouts, any variety
1/3 cup / 60 g crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco
¼ cup / 20 g sliced almonds, toasted
½ tsp kosher salt
1 small ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced or sliced
2 fried eggs (optional)
Lemony Yogurt Sauce
½ cup plain yogurt
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp black pepper
flaky salt
Instructions
In a small bowl, stir the barley, sprouts, cheese, almonds, and kosher salt together.
Scoop into 2 individual bowls and top with the avocado and a few generous spoonfuls of yogurt sauce.
Sprinkle with flaky salt and pepper and top with fried egg if you wish.
