Two Grain Salad with White Beans, Tomatoes and Parmesan

In my Fitness Magazine I came across a recipe called Three Grain Salad With White Beans, Tomatoes and Parmesan. Since it had lots of fiber I decided to give it a try.

I did modify the recipe because I could not find bulgur and I would prefer balsamic vinegar over red white vinegar.

Here is my version:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hulled barley

salt to taste

1/2 cup bulgur

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 cup white cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)

2 tomatoes

fresh basil

3 tbs olive oil

pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese to taste (I shredded just a bit over each portion)

I served this over 1 cup of spinach.

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the barley and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt; boil for 50 to 55 minutes, until barley is just tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, bring 6 tablespoons of water to a boil in a small saucepan; add the bulgur. Bring the liquid back to a boil, then cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let sit for 25 minutes, until the water is absorbed.

In a large bowl, toss together the vinegar, onion, garlic and remaining salt.

Add the grains to the vinegar mixture while still warm; toss well. Remove the garlic and stir in the beans, tomatoes, basil and olive oil; season with black pepper to taste. Fold in the Parmesan and serve.

Serving size - 1.5 cups

4 servings

For my recipe here is the nutritional break down:

Total Calories - 260 calories, 12 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbs, 7.5 grams of fiber, 7.5 protein

I was getting lazy and tired while cooking this and forget or skipped the onion and garlic and that might have made a difference because my version needed some more flavor big time.