Crockpot Barley Black Bean Salad

This is an easy main dish salad recipe that prepares the main ingredients in the slow cooker and was obtained from a crockpot e-mail list. It has been modified to be vegan.

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups dried black beans
1 cup medium pearled barley
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/2 cup honey mustard salad dressing (if you don't use honey then you need to use a 1/2 cup of some sort of liquid, perhaps another salad dressing, perhaps water with a little agave. Experiment.)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Vegan Parmesan cheese
2 red or orange bell peppers, chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 pound extra firm tofu, cut in small cubes

The original recipe called for 1 cup cubed Havarti cheese, I elected to use tofu instead. You could experiment with some of the vegan cheeses out there if you like as well.

Preparation:
Start the night before you want to make the recipe. Pick over beans, rinse, cover with water, and soak overnight.

In the morning, drain well and place in 3-quart slow cooker along with barley, onion, garlic, and carrot. Cover with 6 cups water.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours until beans are tender.

In large bowl, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, honey mustard salad dressing, mustard, and Parmesan cheese. Drain mixture in crockpot and stir into bowl.

Stir in bell peppers, cherry tomatoes. Cover and chill for 4-5 hours before serving. Serves 6