Warm Barley Bowl with Roasted Brussels and a Coconut Curry Dressing

Between holiday parties, preparing for your own holiday (lights, decorations, etc) and always more busy at work, December has to be one of the busiest months of the year. I was not prepared to join in Sam and Andrew‘s Vegan Mystery Box Challenge but once I heard the three ingredients were cranberries, pistachios and coconut milk, I just had join in.

I opted for a savoury option and knew a warm barley bowl would be perfect. Combined with some of my favourite roasted vegetables (Brussels sprouts and sweet potato), I just needed a way to incorporate the coconut milk. While unusual, I liked the idea of a spicy coconut dressing and was drawn to Gena’s Five Ingredient Red Curry Coconut Dressing. It was an excellent dressing since it was somewhat spicy and it complemented the sweet dried cranberries and roasted vegetables nicely. I imagine roasted fresh cranberries could have worked too as I’ve paired them with curry flavours before.

This salad packed excellent as leftovers, although I added the dressing just prior to serving.

Please check out all the other ways bloggers combined cranberries, pistachios and coconut milk:

Cranberry Cheesecake & Pistachio Stuffed Vegan French Toast by Connoisseurus Veg
Pistachio Crusted Cranberry Cashew Coconut Cheese by Lemon and Coconut
Cranberry Pistachio and Mango Salad by Veggies Save the Day
Cranberry Cointreau Coconut Ice Cream with Candied Pistachios by Vegan Yack Attack
Cranberry Pistachio Donuts by Two City Vegans (Casey)
Cranberry Pistachio Gingersnap Truffles by Two City Vegans (Alix)
Whole Wheat Cranberry Pistachio Vegan Biscotti by Veggie Inspired Journey
Coconut Pistachio Cashew Cheese Panini with Cranberry Jam by Peppers and Peaches
Toasted Pistachio Rice Pudding with Candied Cranberries by The Lazy Vegan Baker
Pistachio and Cranberry Cream Sandwich Cookies by Love Me Feed Me
Vegan Meringue Nests with Cranberry Coconut Whip and Crushed Pistachios by The Viet Vegan
Vegan Coconut Quinoa Salad by Beets Not Meats
Cranberry Orange & Pistachio Muffins With Vanilla Cream by A Virtual Vegan
Gourmet Lazy Cabbage Rolls by Choose to Cook
Sweet Potato Coconut Curry with Cranberries and Pistachios by The Tofu Diaries
Lebanese Semolina Pudding (Layali Lubnan) by Lands and Flavors
Vegan Chocolate Cranberry Cake by The Seasonal Diet
Jolly Bollywood Holiday Curry by Sexie Veggies
Vegan Cranberry Pistachio Loaf by It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
Magic Fruit Cake Bars with White Chocolate Drizzle by One Ingredient Chef

PS. I am sharing this Meat Free Mondays and Vegetable Palette for Brussels sprouts.

Warm Barley Bowl with Roasted Brussels, Sweet Potatoes and a Coconut Curry Dressing
Dressing adapted from The Full Helping

1 cup pot barley, rinsed and drained
3 cups water
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup shelled pistachios

2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 small/medium sweet potatoes, sliced into 1-cm rounds

1-2 tbsp oil of choice (high heat stable)
1/2 tsp Mesquite seasoning (or salt and pepper, to taste)

1 cup light coconut milk
2 tbsp Bragg’s liquid aminos (or soy sauce/tamari)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp maple syrup
1.5 red curry paste (or to taste)

1. Begin by making your barley. I put the barley, water and salt in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes on high pressure. (For stovetop method for cooking barley, please see here). Once finished, remove from heat and stir in the dried cranberries and pistachios.

2. Meanwhile, roast your vegetables. Preheat your oven to 400F.

3. In a large bowl, toss the prepared Brussels with half the oil and seasoning. Place on a baking tray lined with a silpat in a single layer. Toss the sweet potatoes in the remainder of the oil and seasoning. Place in a single layer on a separate silpat-line baking tray.

4. Bake vegetables at 400F for 20-30 minutes, or until tender and crispy. Remove from heat.

5. While your vegetables are roasting, prepare your dressing: Mix together the coconut milk, liquid aminos, lime juice, maple syrup and red curry paste.

6. When all components are ready combine the barley with the roasted vegetables and drizzle with the dressing.

Serves 4.