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Black Bean Salad with Barley

Updated on March 4, 2018

Susan Zutautas

One of Susan's passions is cooking and creating new recipes for family and friends.

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What Are Black Beans?

Black beans, also called turtle beans are part of the legume family. These beans have been eaten for the past 7000 years and were first used in South America. Now they are enjoyed all over the world.

Not only are they healthy, but versatile too as they can be used in many different types of cold or hot dishes, or eaten all alone. Most supermarkets or grocery stores will carry black beans either canned or dried in packages.

Where do black beans grow?

A warm climate without any frost is needed in order to grow black beans. There are many places that grow black beans all over the world, but the highest producing countries are Brazil and India.

Brazil:

Brazil

get directions

Brazil and India are the highest producing black bean growers in the world.

India:

India

get directions

What dishes or recipes use black beans?

The list is endless but here are some of the dishes that use black beans.

Soups
Stews
Chili's
Salads
Rice Dishes
Re-fried beans
Baked beans
Mexican Lasagna
Salsa

Black Beans & Barley "A Healthy Choice"

Nutrients in Black Beans	Benefits of Eating Black Beans	Nutrients in Barley	Benefits of Eating Barley
molybdenum	Will help in lowering cholesterol levels	fiber	Aides in lowering cholesterol
folate	Because they contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, they will help to fight cardiovascular disease	selenium	The fiber will help to keep you regular
fiber	Reduces the risk of some cancers.	tryptophan	Helps to prevent heart disease
tryptophan	Helps balance high and low blood sugar	copper	Can help to slow down atherosclerosis
manganese	High proteins in black beans are beneficial to your digestive health	maganese	Has been known to lower risk of type 2 diabetes
protein		phosphorus
magnesium		zinc
vitamin B1,B2,B6,A,		calcium
iron		thiamin
niacin		riboflavin
pantothenic acid		niacin
		pantothenic acid
		vitamin B6, A, E, K

Cook Time (Does not include 1-hour for refrigeration)

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 12 min

Ready in: 32 min

Yields: Serves 4 people 1-cup serving

Tips for cooking dried black beans

Soaking the beans overnight will reduce the cooking time. First, clean them and remove all bits of dirt and rocks. Cover with water in a container that is large enough to allow the beans to expand a bit. Before cooking rinse in cold water.
Soaking beans overnight will give you a tenderer bean.
During hot seasons refrigerate the beans while they are soaking.
If eating beans cause flatulence, add summer savory to help reduce it.
To cook the beans evenly make sure that they are covered in water while cooking.
Adding cooking oil to the water will stop the beans from foaming over.
Beans that have not been soaked will take 2-3 hours to cook.

Ingredients For: Black Bean Salad with Barley

1 cup of water
1 tsp. of instant chicken flavor bouillon, powder
1/2 cup of barley (I use pearl barley)
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup or 1 rib of celery, chopped
1/2 cup or 4-5 green onions, chopped
Salad Dressing
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. of ground cumin
3 TBS. of extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS. of orange juice
2 TBS. of apple cider vinegar

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Cooking the barley in water with chicken bullion.

For the salad you will need a can of black beans, chopped green onions and chopped celery.

You can remove the seeds from the chopped tomatoes if you like. I leave the seeds. Chop the tomatoes as large or small as you wish.

Instructions:

To start with you will need to cook the barley. In a medium saucepan add 1 cup of water and mix with 1 teaspoon of instant chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil and add the barley. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 12 minutes. Set aside to let it cool.
For the salad dressing I use a jar with a tight fitting lid to shake and mix it. Finely chop the garlic clove and add it to the jar. Add the extra virgin olive oil, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake really well. Set aside.
Chop onions, celery and tomatoes. Drain and rinse the black beans and put them into a medium sized salad bowl. Add and mix barley, onions, celery, and chopped tomatoes. Pour the salad dressing over the top and toss coating all ingredients.
Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to blend all the flavors together. Toss once more before serving. Enjoy!

Sound good? Please rate.

4.7 stars from 10 ratings of Black Bean Salad with Barley