Eating nutritious salads generally precedes or accompaniesmost meals. There are restaurants that specializeinpreparing delicious salads, as well as salads that you can put together at home. This particular salad is simple, one that you can prepare quickly and enjoy in the sanctuary of your own home. You can prepare it ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to four days. The dish is so tempting that you may not want to wait:

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups of water
• l/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley
• l/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces fresh asparagus
• l/2 cup shredded red cabbage
• l/4 cup roasted red bell peppers, rinsed, drained and chopped
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon feta cheese, rinsed and crumbled
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Method

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat. Stir in barley and salt; cook, covered. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until barley is tender.
2. Meanwhile, trim 1 inch from bottom of asparagus, discardtrimmed portion. Cut spears into 1-inch pieces. Stir into cooked barkey. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve immediately or cover and chill.