Summer Wheatberry Salad

I'm always on the search for wholesome grains that taste less wholesome than they look. When I say less wholesome, I mean grains that don't taste like cardboard and hamster pellets. Wheatberry was something I tried during a recent co-op grocery lunch with a friend and the chewy, popping grains were quite good as a cool summer salad. 

This recipe was rated highly on the Food Network website so I decided to give it a shot. 

Summer Wheatberry Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups hard wheat berries

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup tart dried cherries, chopped

1 scallion, white and green parts, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot combine the wheat berries and enough water to come 2 inches over the wheat berries. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender. Drain and let cool. 

2. Toast the walnuts in a medium dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, walnuts, celery, dried cherries, scallions, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Wheatberry Salad with a side of marinated beets (marinate with water/beet juice, balsamic vinegar, and sugar). Super easy to prepare and stores well as a side item for workday lunches. Sometimes eating healthy simply allows you to indulge a little bit for dessert. Perhaps more on that in another post. ;) 

Have a great Wednesday!