Wheat Berry Salad

Recently, my mother took a class at the local community college about cooking with whole grains. One of her favorite new recipes was a wheat berry salad which I had the opportunity to try when I was home for a weekend last month. Reaction: Wheat berries are YUMMY! Hearty, chewy texture, nutty flavor, fills the belly. However, I thought the dressing left much to be desired. Too oily and too sweet for my palate. Thus, I created my own, sans oil and sugar.

Oh, one more great thing about wheat berries: They are super cheap! I got mine from the bulk bins at my local natural food store for $1.49/lb. Thus, this recipe cost me about a dollar to make. Just my style.  But if you really can’t find them, you could make something similar with brown rice or bulgar wheat.

Forgive me, I didn’t measure much.

Wheat Berry Salad

1 c hard red winter wheat berries

1 carrot, grated

Handful of raisins or dried cranberries

small handfull of chopped walnuts

salt and pepper

dash of cumin and marjoram

Vinegar, maybe 2-3 tbls? I used apple cider vinegar, but I think red wine vinegar  or malt vinegar would be really lovely. Lemon juice would also be good.

1. Cook the wheat in 3 c water for 40-60 mins, much like you’d cook brown rice. When they are the right amount of chewiness for you, drain off any excess water.

2. Toss all the other ingredients with the warm wheat and taste. Adjust seasonings and eat up!

If you wanted to bulk this up a bit, I think some baby spinach leaves and chickpeas would be a great addition!  I’ll let you know how it looks in leftovers.