Wheat Berry Salad

Wheat Berry Salad

Wheat berries are simply the grains of wheat that come from the wheat plant. These wheat kernels are a whole grain product and therefore have terrific health benefits. Wheat berries are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and many other nutrients. Try this delicious recipe to get this whole grain into your diet.

Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus 1 hour to chill. Wheat berry cook time: 50-60 minutes (with minimal monitoring).

Serves four as a main dish, eight as a side dish.

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 cup uncooked wheat berries*
• 6 cups water
• 1½ cups broccoli florets
• 5 medium chopped scallions (scallions are long, thin, white and green onions; use the full green and white length of the scallion except the little roots at one end)
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
• One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), rinsed and drained

Dressing

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive, canola, or sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon crushed dried basil leaves
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• Dash of salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced**

Instructions

• Heat wheat berries and water to boiling in a large pot, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 50-60 minutes. Wheat berries should be tender, but still firm (remember, you can save time by precooking a large batch of wheat berries and freezing them; just thaw and use each time you want to enjoy this dish).
• Drain remaining water from wheat berries and let berries cool.
• Combine dressing ingredients in a tightly lidded or covered container and shake to mix well.
• Toss all salad ingredients together to mix.
• Add dressing to salad and toss to coat salad.
• Chill for 1 hour in refrigerator and serve cold.