Bacony Barley Salad with Marinated Shrimp

Adapted from "Healthy in a hurry" (Eating well)

3 strips bacon
1 1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup quick cooking barley
1 lb peeled, cooked shrimp coarsely chopped
1/3 c lime juice
2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup diced red onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 avocado, peeled and diced

1. Cook bacon in a small saucepan until crispy. Remove from pan.
2. Add water and salt to saucepan and bring to a boil. Add barley and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.
3. Combine shrimp, tomatoes and lime juice in a large bowl. Add the barley and toss to coat. Let stand for a few minutes so barley can soak up some of the lime juice.
4. Add onion, olive oil and bacon to the bowl. Toss to coat.
5. Add avocado and serve

Note: I didn't have any bacon defrosted so I used breakfast sausage (actually, they were the Morning Star breakfast "sausage") and that was also really good. It definitely added some flavor to the dish. The original recipe also called for cilantro, but we know how I feel about that. I also went easy on the tomatoes (because I forgot to buy cherry tomatoes and so I used the innerds of the tomatoes I gutted for the other shrimp dish of the weekend). I followed the recipe and added the tomatoes in step 4, but they would have tasted more like they belonged in the dish if they had marinated a bit longer, so I suggest adding them to the lime juice with the shrimp. Also, the recipe called for 1/2 cup of onions, but I thought that was overkill so I recommend 1/3 cup or use shallots or something milder. Very yummy dish and also very filling.