Let’s make some wheat berry salad!

Remember these little guys that Liana Krissoff introduced us to? Their toothsome texture and earthy flavor make these little kernels the perfect base for a healthy salad chockfull of veggies and beans. Serve it as a light lunch or with something hot off the grill! Here goes!

Wheat Berry Chickpea Salad – adapted from Oh She Glows

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw wheat berries
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 1 orange pepper, diced
• 1 large tomato (or 4-5 small), diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• small bunch of chives, diced
• Sea salt + pepper, to taste

Dressing:

• 2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste (I used 2 Tbsp Tuscan herb-infused olive oil)
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley

Method:

1. In a heavy sauce pan, combine the wheat berries and 3 cups of water. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the wheat berries are tender, about 30 minutes for soft white wheat berries or 50 minutes for hard red or hard white wheat berries. Add a pinch of salt toward the end of their cook time and drain well.
2. Meanwhile, prepare all of your vegetables then mix them in a large bowl and stir in the chickpeas. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
4. When the wheat berries are ready, drain and stir into the salad. Add the dressing just before serving and stir well. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Yum! This salad is super easy and packed with crunchy, fresh veggies! It’s also just begging for you to make all kinds of additions and subtractions. Sub in some fresh zucchini or carrot. Swap out the chives for some scallions or green onions (as the original recipe did). Replace the lemon with lime, the chickpeas with black beans, and the parsley with fresh cilantro for a totally different approach. Go ahead – give it a whirl!

Enjoy!