Wheatberry Salad #TheSaladBar

Each month our favorite salad bar-tender, Wendy from The Weekend Gourmet hosts The Salad Bar Group.
This month we’re featuring salads made with grains.
Last April during Sample Whole Grains Day, I posed the “Switch to Whole Grains Day” challenge to the students at the college where I work.
Students were asked to switch their bread choice to 12 grain or whole grain wheat. Many students already choose whole grain bread on a daily basis. For those students, I asked them to take the challenge one step farther.
I made a Wheatberry Salad and asked students to chose it as their side dish instead of potato chips.
I thanked the many students that stepped up to the challenge. I realize wheatberries are not for everyone. I did get many compliments on the salad. For those students that tried the wheatberries but did not like the salad, I say a special thanks for tasting and being honest about the outcome. There are so many fantastic whole grains on the market today that I am sure you can find one to enjoy.
We serve a variety of whole grain dishes for student meals and are always welcome to ideas.
Here is the recipe I used and shared for those interested in trying wheatberry salad at home for themselves.

Wheatberry Salad

Ingredients
• 2 cups hard winter wheatberries
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, finely diced
• 1/4 cup carrot, finely diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place the wheatberries and broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking until wheatberries are softened but still chewy (about 45 minutes). Drain.
While wheatberries cook, mix together in a medium-sized bowl 2 tablespoons of the oil, vegetables and vinegar.
Add cooked drained wheat berries and as much of remaining oil as needed to coat and moisten berries.

Marinade salad for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.