Barley Salad with with Roasted Carrots and Feta

I have been eating rather a lot of carrots recently, hopefully they'll make me see in the dark better but I doubt it! I am definitely loving roasted veg salads in this cold weather. Even though I generally eat them cold there is something comforting about eating roast root veg. This one combines roasted carrots with barley and was really filling, I love the scattering of feta on top which also seems to appear with regularity at the moment or will do over the next few days for you!

Barley Salad with with Roasted Carrots and Feta
(adapted from Good Food Magazine October 2012)
(Serves 4)

500g carrots, halved or quartered
2 red onions, quartered
1 tbsp olive oil
200g pearl barley
100g baby spinach
50g feta cheese
1 tbsp sunflower seeds

For the dressing
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp clear honey
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
small handful parsley, finely chopped

Heat the oven to 190C. Put the carrots and onions in a large roasting tin, drizzle with the oil and season well. Roast for 20 mins, sprinkle over the sunflower seeds and roast for a further five minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, boil the pearl barley following packet instructions. Drain and tip into a bowl.

Mix the dressing ingredients with 1 tbsp water and some seasoning, then stir half through the warm grains.

When the vegetables finish cooking, pour over the remaining dressing and mix well. Toss with the barley and leave to cool. Put the spinach leaves in your lunchbox, put the vegetables on top, and then crumble over the feta.