Wheatberry Salad Recipe - Easy, Healthy & Delicious!

I love wheatberries.  They are chewy and a bit nutty and make a very filling, healthy salad. A wheat berry is the entire wheat kernel (without the hull) - containing the bran, germ, and endosperm. It's a whole grain and chock-full of fiber. They also contain manganese, selenium, phosphorus and magnesium, as well as lignans (phytochemicals).

This is a delicious salad made with wheatberries. Feel free to play around with the recipe and add more or switch out some of the veggies. I like the slightly sweet addition of the dried cranberries.  Another great addition to the salad is golden raisins.

1 cup wheatberries
1 tsp salt (divided)
1 cup finely diced red onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (divided)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 scallions, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
1 carrot, diced small
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring 3 cups of water with 1/2 tsp of the salt to a boil.  Add the wheatberries, return to a boil, cover and cook over low heat  45 minutes to an hour or until they are soft. (Depending on the type of wheatberries, they make take as long as an hour and a half.  Soak them overnight to reduce cooking time.)  Drain.

When the wheatberries are almost ready, saute the onion in 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until just starting to brown.  Add in minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. olive oil and 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar.

In a large bowl with lid, combine the wheatberries, onion mixture and remaining ingredients.  You can serve this warm as a side dish, but for a salad, cover and refrigerate.  The flavors will blend together as it sits.  This will keep for about a week in the fridge, but I doubt it will last that long because it is GOOD!