Pearled Barley

I have some pearled barley in my pantry that I've wanted to use before it gets old, but I've had a hard time finding recipes I like with it. This time, however, I made two barley salads in a row that were quite good.  This one had kidney beans, fresh garden tomatoes, green bell pepper, and tiny cubes of cheddar cheese.  The dressing was a little lemon juice, garlic, dijon mustard and olive oil.  I served it over lettuce as our main dish with some stripped of grilled chicken as more of an accent. 

I think the barley makes a better salad base than addition to a soup - we're going to keep eating it like this!