Beet Berries Barley Salad

The MIND Diet

The MIND Diet: 2nd Edition: A Scientific Approach to Enhancing Brain Function and Helping Prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Fully Updated with New … Tips and Tools Based on the Latest Research by Maggie Moon MS RD

I absolutely love reading nutrition books, but you probably already know that about me if you’ve spent any time on my blog. This book was a really great read, easy to understand, easy to implement, and a good way to take positive action. I like that the book is evidence based and a reliable resource to make a positive and long-lasting change our health.

what does it stand for?

MIND is an acronym for a for a dietary pattern created to study how what we eat affects our brain health. It stands for Mediterranean- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. The short explanation is that this book is about eating right to keep your brain younger for longer, to reduce the risk of developing brain related ailments like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Following this diet can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 53% and slow down biological aging in the brain by 7.5 years.

There are 15 components: 10 types of foods to eat and five to limit, for a possible weekly score of 15. And, you don’t need to attain that perfect score of 15 each week. Scores between 8.5 and 12.5 are also beneficial. The book even has a weekly scorecard for you to use.

It explains that the best foods for your brain include leafy green vegetables, nuts, berries, poultry, fish, whole grains, and olive oil. The foods to limit (though total elimination is not mandatory) are red meat, butter and stick margarine, whole fat cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried fast food.

There are sections that talks about the different vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, berries, beans, and more! There’s also a great looking recipe section in the book that’ll help you incorporate these ideas into your daily life. I want to make spicy greens & egg toast on page 163, the smoked trout spread on page 167, and the ginger citrus vitality bites on page 172.

How to make

This salad is like one you’d get at a fancy restaurant. Make it at home, and know that this colorful and nutritious goat cheese beet barley salad is filled with healthy complex carbs, lots of vitamins and minerals, fiber, and protein.

I like how the barley gets dyed a little pink color from the beets, and the best part? It comes together in no time!

How to cook barley

The longest part of this recipe is cooking the barley. I like to cook a big pot of barley and use it in meals throughout the week.

The healthiest choice for barley would be whole barley, which may also be labeled as dehulled barley, hulled barley, or hull-less barley. I have been having trouble finding whole barley, and so you can see I bought pearled barley, which still has lots of nutritional benefits.

Remember, barley is an agricultural product, and despite the use of cleaning equipment, there may still be some dirt, rocks, or other foreign material. Always rinse and look through the barley before cooking it.

To cook pearled barley, bring 2 & ½ cups of water and 1/8 teaspoon salt to boil. Add 1 cup rinsed pearled barley. Cover with lid and cook for 45 minutes over low heat until grains are tender but still chewy. This will yield approximately 2 cups of cooked barley.

Check the label of any other barley for cooking instructions.

Assemble the salad

You can use canned beets, precooked beets from the produce section (my choice), or steam or roast your own beets.

I love these precooked beets from the grocery store produce section. So fast and easy. Take a look over by the shredded carrots and convenience items for these cooked beets. I find they have a better flavor than canned beets.

First, you’ll dress the beets for this salad in a little lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Dressing the beets gives some depth and dimension to the salad rather than just dressing the whole thing. It also makes a little more of the pink beet juices to color the salad.

You’ll want warm barley, to slightly wilt the arugula. So, either use the freshly cooked barley, or microwave the barley briefly to warm it up.

Then you’ll toss that warm barley with the arugula until the greens are slightly softened.

You’ll add in the rest of the ingredients, beets, strawberries, and walnuts.

The salad gets divided between two bowls and dressed with olive oil, remaining lemon juice, and remaining balsamic vinegar equally between the two bowls.

Then crown it all off with a little goat cheese and some grinds of black pepper.

This salad can be served warm or cold. Serve it with some Air Fryer Ratatouille Gnocchi for a delicious and easy dinner.

Make ahead and storage

This salad holds up really well to being make ahead and storing leftovers, which makes it great for meal prep. Just keep it in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Changes to the recipe

Salads are like a blank canvas, once you try it you can feel free to mix it up as often as you like. Besides adding in more or less of any ingredient you like, here are some starter ideas:

Swap in different grains: try quinoa, brown rice, farro, wild rice, amaranth, or bulgur

More protein: top it with lentils, shredded chicken, tofu, chickpeas, kidney beans, salmon, or shrimp

Change the nuts: pecans, cashews, almonds, or pistachios

Change up the cheese: not a fan of goat cheese, swap in queso fresco, feta, cotija, even pearls of fresh mozzarella

Use different veggies: your choice of salad mix, spinach, or any chopped leafy greens, add some roasted sweet potatoes, cucumber, try golden beets instead of red beets (they’re sweeter and less earthy-tasting than red beets)

Want it vegan or dairy free? Leave the cheese off or use a dairy free cheese

Swap the berries for blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries

Want it super fancy? Use a high-quality olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.  

MIND foods

The MIND foods in this recipe are leafy greens, more vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, olive oil. Besides being delicious, you’re doing your body and mind a favor!

Let’s look at some information from the book on these ingredients 

Beets Look for firm, smooth skinned beets, and know that the smaller in size they are the more tender they’ll be. Excellent source of folate and polyphenols. Check out my Farmer’s Market Salad for more great ways to use beets.

Barley, a fiber superstar, barley is 17 to 30 % fiber (by comparison, whole wheat is 12% fiber, oats are 10% fiber, and corn is 7%). Generally, a grain’s fiber is in its outer bran layer. Interestingly, in barley, fiber is found throughout the grain, so even refined barley will have some fiber. Try to find whole barely. Barley labeled “pearled”, or “quick cooking” will be refined versions. Barley’s nutty taste and texture are great, and it’s beneficial for gut health. It’s not gluten-free. Check out my Baked Barley with Mushrooms and Pumpkin Barley Soup for more great barley recipes.

Strawberries, these popular berries are covered in about 200 tiny seeds per berry, and are rich in vitamin C and folate. They’re the most popular berry in the US. Check out my Oven Roasted Strawberries and Peach and Strawberry Salad for more berry recipes.

Walnuts are the only nut with a significant amount of omega-3 fats. These nuts are rich in manganese and copper, and a good source of magnesium. Check out my Mushroom Walnut Pesto and Blue Cheese Spinach Walnut Sauce for more savory walnut recipes.