WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS For a fresh, California-style take on wildly popular rice bowls, we swapped the rice for hearty barley and paired it with snow peas, chunks of ripe avocado, and toasted spiced sunflower seeds. While the barley cooked, we sautéed the snow peas with some coriander and toasted the sunflower seeds with lots of warm spices. Last, we mixed together a quick lemon-mint yogurt sauce to drizzle over the top. We tossed the barley with the peas, topped it with the chunks of avocado and the sunflower seeds, and drizzled it all with the sauce. Do not substitute hulled or hull-less barley in this recipe. If using quick-cooking or presteamed barley (read the ingredient list on the package carefully to determine this), you will need to alter the barley cooking time in step 1.

Serves 4

TOTAL TIME:  50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup pearl barley
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces snow peas, strings removed and halved lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ¾ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 avocados, halved, pitted, and cut into ½-inch pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 tablespoons juice, 1 tablespoon mint, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add barley and 1 tablespoon salt, and cook until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain barley. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons oil, remaining 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon juice, and remaining 1 tablespoon mint together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in barley and toss to coat. Cover to keep warm.
3. While barley cooks, heat 1½ teaspoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add snow peas and ½ teaspoon coriander, and cook until peas are spotty brown, about 3 minutes. Add to the bowl with barley and toss to combine.
4. Add remaining 1½ teaspoons oil to now-empty skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in sunflower seeds, cumin, cardamom, remaining ½ teaspoon coriander, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until seeds are toasted, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly off heat.
5. Portion barley into individual serving bowls, top with avocados and spiced sunflower seeds, and drizzle with yogurt sauce. Serve.