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A few months ago I went to a parent-teacher potluck meeting at my kids’ school. The drill is each parent brings a dish big enough to serve about 20 people, which is no small feat for a busy mom. But what’s awesome about these events is that there always an array of delicious homemade dishes to sample from lasagna to crunchy bruschetta to rotisserie chicken and occasionally, a hot pizza picked up on the way.
At our last meeting, one of my friends (who’s also a great cook) brought a wheat berry salad which everyone went crazy for. Full of nutty, nutritious wheat berries, it was mixed with peanuts, currants, veggies, peaches and tossed with an Asian vinaigrette. As everyone was busy telling my friend how amazing and delicious it was and asking her for the recipe, she leaned over to me and whispered, “I got it from the prepared food counter at Gelson’s” (our local supermarket).
Cut to me a few days later, having cornered the lady working the prepared food counter at Gelson’s and begging her to give me the exact recipe. While she wouldn’t tell me the measurements or proportions, she did reveal the combination of ingredients which makes this dish so special. I’m not sure if I got it exactly right, but in a side by side taste test after I made my version, we decided it was pretty darn close. Now, with great pleasure, I to share with you my friend’s “homemade” parent-teacher potluck Wild Wheat Berry Salad!
Wild Wheat Berry Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Wheat Berries
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Peanut Oil
- 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 Cup raisins or currants
- 1/4 Cup Peanuts, chopped
- 1 Cup Peaches, chopped
- 1 Small Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 Cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Cook wheat berries according to package directions, place in a strainer, rinse, drain and cool.
- Whisk the honey, garlic, lime juice, rice vinegar, peanut oil and salt in a large bowl until combined.
- Place the wheat berries, raisins, peanuts, peaches, bell peppers and spinach in the bowl with the dressing and stir to coat.
- Serve.
Nutrition
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I think this could also work well with mangoes instead of the peaches. Cant wait to try it!
Oh! I’m excited to try this recipe. Looks yummy AND healthy!
I love the “pop” wheat berries give to a dish! Looks yummy! I’ll be getting all the ingredients next time I go to the store.
Its a 3:1 ratio. 3 cups of water to 1 cup of wheat berries. Rinse first. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour!
I buy my wheat beries from the bulk bin and grind into flour. I’ve never cooked them. How do you cook them? Same as rice? How much water to grain? Thanks. This looks like a salad my kiddos will eat. Any gluten free variations on this?
You can use a flavorful oil like extra virgin olive oil. The taste will be different, but I have tried it that way and it is still delicious! If you need to take out the peanuts I would suggest subbing a different nut if possible so you still get that crunch. Another suggestion I saw was toasted soy beans!
Can you sub a different oil for peanut? My daughter is allergic
Wheat berries about double in size, so I would use 2 cups cooked. Enjoy! Good idea, cooking a large batch and freezing!
How much cooked wheat berries do you end up with (approximately)? I cook mine in a super large batch and store them in the freezer for future use. Thanks!
If you cannot find wheat berries I would substitute farro or barley. Those grains will be closer in size and texture to the wheat berry!
LOL..I thought i was the only one who had no clue what a wheat berry is!?!?!?! Do they come frozen?
That looks stunningly delicious! Love all the bright, beautiful colors. Can’t wait to try this with the wheat berries that have been sitting in my freezer for a long while.
So glad to know I’m not the only one who didn’t know what a wheatberry was. I googled it. 🙂 Looking forward to making the recipe now that I know what it is. Happy cooking!
I didn’t know what wheat berry was either, but found out it’s a grain. I don’t know if your stores carry Bob’s Red Mill or not, but they have it!
At the risk of sounding stupid (because I have no idea either) I will say that I am planning on making this and using quinoa. I think bulgar would work too, but I am not a chef. 🙂
What is a wheat berry? I have never heard of that am I living under a rock..lol. Where can I find it in my supermarket