Recipe: Wheat Berry Salad with Mint and Cranberries

This Wheat Berry Salad serves up the perfect balance of refreshing, healthy and hearty protein, herbs and veggies. A perfect blend of sweet (maple-roasted walnuts, dried cranberries) and tart (feta cheese), protein-packed wheat berries are tossed in a tangy vinaigrette with fresh mint and parsley. Now that’s a super salad!

Ingredients

1 cup red spring wheat berries, rinsed and drained
3-1/2 cups cold water
1 tsp kosher salt

Vinaigrette

3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup peeled and chopped English cucumber
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

Maple-Glazed Walnuts

1 cup walnut halves
2½ tbsp pure maple syrup
1/8 tsp kosher salt

Directions

1) In a medium saucepan, combine wheat berries, water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat to low, cover and cook 1 hour or until berries are bursting and chewy. Remove from heat and drain excess water from wheat berries. Transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool.

2) For the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

3) Once wheat berries have cooled, add cucumber, dried cranberries, feta, mint and parsley to cooked wheat berries. Toss with dressing.

4) For the maple-glazed walnuts, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add walnuts, maple syrup and salt. Cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, until syrup is caramelized and nuts are lightly toasted. Immediately remove from pan and spread out on parchment paper to cool. Once cool, roughly chop and add to wheat berry salad. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Authors of bestselling cookbooks Bite Me, Bite Me Too and Lick Your Plate, saucy sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat love eating, feeding, entertaining and dishing up easy recipes at BiteMeMore.com.