Three Grain Salad on Lemon Pesto

I used to love when we had people over for dinner and I could get creative by making bowls out of chocolate, rolling up a salad and stuffing it into a cucumber, and building a cheesecake that was a heart attack on a plate.

Nowadays, I have to get creative on a daily basis to get certain people to even try vegan food.  They are strictly meat and potato kind of people and wouldn’t know a vegetable if it walked up and introduced itself.

But then I have other friends who willingly try anything I make.  Like the one who told me recently that he had informed his friend that he was eating vegan.

Now, I’ve seen him go through a menu like a one man wrecking ball.  Appetizer? They are small, so better order at least two.   Entree? You bet.  What’s the largest one you have?  Dessert?  Just leave the whole dessert tray and I’ll work through it alphabetically. Vegan, he is not.

After I picked myself up off the floor from laughing so hard, I asked him what his friend said.

“He didn’t believe me,” he answered as though bemused by his friend’s response.

Probably because he’s seen you eat.

This recipe is meant to be something you can serve to guests, or you can just mix it all together and shovel it in like I do!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pearled barley, cooked according to package directions
• 1/4 cup farro, cooked according to package directions
• 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked in water
• 12 stalks of asparagus (I used fairly thin stalks as I was cutting them into small pieces)
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper
• arugula
• 4 Tablespoons of lemon juice
• 8 Tablespoons orange juice
• 3 teaspoons agave (or honey)
• salt to taste
• 1 batch lemon pesto (recipe follows)

Lemon Pesto:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (start with 1/4 teaspoon and adjust to taste)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 Tablespoons almond milk
• 1/2 cup basil
• 1 clove minced garlic (about 1 teaspoon)

Directions:

1. Steam asparagus till crisp tender, set aside to cool, then cut into small (large dice) pieces, saving the tops for another use.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cooked and cooled grains, asparagus and red pepper.
3. In a small bowl or jar, combine lemon juice, orange juice, agave and salt (start with a pinch and add more according to taste) and shake or whisk well to combine.  Pour half of it over the grain/veggie mixture and stir well to blend flavors.  Refrigerate till cold. Refrigerate the other half of the dressing till ready to serve.
4. Meanwhile, make the lemon pesto by putting all ingredients into a high speed blender and puree.
5. To serve,  put a large spoonful of the lemon pesto on a plate and top with the grain mixture.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine arugula ( as much as you need to top each portion) and add enough of the reserved dressing to lightly dress it. Place on top of grains.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!