Have you tried wheat berries yet? I hadn’t until a few weeks ago. Wheat berries are the entire wheat kernel (except the hull) and they’re full of protein and fiber. They have a delicious nutty flavor. You can eat them so many different ways – cooked as a cereal, in salads, or even ground into flour! I’m obssessed =).
This easy wheat berry salad is the perfect way to showcase their delicious flavor. I loved the nutty, robust flavor of the wheat berries with the sweet cranberries and crunchy celery. The lemon juice and parsley add a bit of freshness. The hardest part – which isn’t hard at all, only slightly time consuming – is cooking the wheat berries. Since it takes the wheat berries around an hour to cook, I’d recommend cooking a double batch and freezing the leftovers. Thaw the frozen, cooked berries in the fridge overnight or a couple hours at room temperature. That way, when you get ready to make this salad again (or something else) you won’t have to wait! Get your hands on some wheat berries and give this recipe a try! I think you’ll love it, but if you’re still not sold on wheat berries, I have a wheat berry pancake recipe coming soon! Enjoy!
Easy Wheat Berry Salad
3/4 cup hard wheat berries, uncooked (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Cook wheat berries according to package directions. (This will take about an hour.) Drain and cool.
2. Combine cooked wheat berries, walnuts, celery, cranberries, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil in bowl and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or cold. Serves 3.
Notes: Recipe can easily be doubled if desired. Make a double batch of wheat berries and place the other half in the freezer. Defrost in the fridge when you get ready to use.
Nutritional Info (3 servings, ~3/4 cup per serving): 291 calories; 11.4 g fat; 41.2 g carbohydrates; 7.6 g fiber; 8.7 g protein.
