I was an anti-salad girl for a long time.  For starters, they are cold – and I am all about the warm foods.  Texture was also a problem.  Too often, I felt like I was sitting down to a plate of grass & leaves from the backyard.  But I think that the biggest mark against the average green salad was that I was starving only an hour after eating.  And I mean really hungry.

And then I started adding grains to my salads – barley, farro, wheatberries, you name it.  Problem solved.  Although, they are still cold, adding some cooked grains creates the hardiness that I love about warm foods.  They also introduce a variety in texture that is missing from your standard issue lettuce/tomato/cucumber salad.  But most importantly, grains make my salad a meal.  With all the fiber in the whole grains, salad suddenly has staying power.  No more hungry afternoons. No more mid-afternoon bonking.  My opinion of salad has now changed.

ENJOY!

Steps:

1. Combine your barley with 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Stir the barley and then reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 45-60 minutes or until tender.  Drain if necessary and then let cool.
2. While the barley is cooking, combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.
3. Move barley to a large bowl.  Combine with the peaches and dressing.  Mix well.  Add the arugula and toss lightly.
4. Divide the salad between 4 bowls and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds.

Serves 4.

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