Shrimp Barley Bowl with Tomato Radish Salad

I have been doing my best to pack myself lunches for work. One of my favorite “lunch meals” is a bowl (either rice or another grain) topped with veggies and a protein. My latest creation, this Shrimp Barley Bowl with Tomato Radish Salad was inspired by some nifty new tools I had sent to me from OXO.

I used OXO’s Rice & Grains Washing Colander, Mandoline Slicer, and Grape & Tomato Cutter to prepare my lunch the night before.

The Rice & Grains Washing Colander is great for tiny grains that require rinsing to wash impurities and starch from the grains, like rice, quinoa, buckwheat, and barley. The small holes in the colander allow water to drain slowly, while preventing the grains from falling through.

The Large Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer has seven thickness options to get the perfect slick thickness depending on what you need. The food holder can be placed on top of whatever you are slicing for safety, and the non-slip notches allow you to slice directly over bowls if needed. For this recipe, I used the lowest setting to make paper thin radish slices.

The Grape & Tomato Cutter quickly and easily quarters grape tomatoes, pitted olives, and grapes, just insert the produce and push down to use.

This recipe combines nutty barley with peppery arugula, sweet tomatoes, crunchy radishes, and grilled shrimp for a really tasty meal, cold or hot!

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw pearl barley
• 3 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb medium sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 4 small radishes
• 1 small cucumber, seeded and diced
• the juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 cup baby arugula

Rinse your barley under cold water for a minute or two.

To cook the barley, add to a pot with 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 50-60 minutes.

While waiting for the barley to cook, heat a grill pan or large saute pan over medium high heat. Brush with the olive oil. Season your shrimp with salt and pepper, and add 1/4 of the shrimp to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes then flip, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.

Quarter your grape tomatoes and add to a large bowl.

Thinly slice your radishes and also add to the bowl.

Seed and dice your cucumber, adding to the bowl.

Add in the chopped parsley. Squeeze 1/2 of the lemon juice over the mixture in the bowl and season with salt and pepper, tossing to combine.

To assemble your bowl, add 1/4 of the barley mixture to a bowl. Top with 1/4 cup arugula.

Squeeze some lemon juice over top, then top with the radish tomato mixture.

Add 1/4 of the cooked shrimp on top of the tomato radish salad.

 

This recipe can be eaten immediately, but it also works great refrigerated overnight and eaten for lunch the next day.

I toss everything together before eating so that each bite has a little bit of everything in it!

I love how colorful the dish is too!

The barley, veggies, and shrimp make for a delicious, balanced meal as well, perfect for weekday lunch!