Wheat Berry Salad With Roasted Vegetables And A Lemon Vinaigrette

This is a delicious salad to have as a side dish or just on its own. To be quite honest it does take a while to cook the wheat berries for this recipe but it is so worth it. It is a light and filling dish that is full of flavor. I love cooking this on a Friday and snacking on it during the weekend. I take it to all sorts of get-togethers during the summer as well. It travels great and goes well with any main dish.

Now before you make this salad I also have to tell you that wheat berries do not get as soft as any other style of grain. They have a bite to the center of them as it is the whole wheat berry and unprocessed as the other grains are. So keep that in mind when making this but it is so good.

Here is what you will need for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups. Wheat Berries
Salt And Pepper – to taste
1 Cup. Broccoli
1 Cup. Carrots – diced
1 Onion – diced
Olive Oil
8 Cups of Water ( more if needed)
2 Cloves of Garlic – minced
1 Tsp. Grated Ginger
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Tsp Dried Parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh)
1/4 Cup. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400*. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
2. Add the veggies, salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp olive oil to the sheet tray. Toss to combine well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove and allow the vegetables to cool.
3. In a large pot, add the wheat berries. Turn the heat on to medium-low heat and toast the wheat berries until golden. This should take about 5 minutes.
4. Carefully add the water to the pot. It will sizzle so just be careful adding in the water. Reduce the heat to low and cook (stirring often to prevent burning or sticking) for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. The berries should be tender, however, the center of the berry will have an “al dente” bite. If you need to add more water during the cooking process, do so. I typically have to add extra water.
5. Once the berries are done you can drain them. I just pour them through a colander and let them drain.
6. Add the berries to a large bowl and add the veggies.
7. In a small bowl whisk together the honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, ginger, parsley, and Dijon mustard. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pour the dressing over the berries and veggies and toss to combine well. Taste again and adjust the seasoning if needed.
8. You can serve this warm, room temp, or cold.

• if you can not have wheat berries you can sub this out with lentils. This is a great alternative to grains.
• If you can not find wheat berries at your local store, you can check Asian markets or order them online. I have a local Asian market I purchase our grains as well as local Amish stores. I like to purchase wheat berries from Azure Standard. You can sub for lentils, couscous, orzo, or beans.