Wheat Berry Salad

Original Recipe HERE

 

The only time I've ever seen - and thereafter consumed - wheat berries was at the Whole Foods fill-your-container bar thing.  There was a salad that looked good, so I got some.  I liked it, and then I forgot about wheat berries.  Until the next time I was at Whole Foods fill-your-container bar thing.  Repeat, repeat (probably literally...I go to Whole Foods maybe twice a year).  When I came across this recipe in my bookmarks, I thought it might be a good accompaniment to our Christmas dinner since all the other dishes were hot.

 

The kids ate it but didn't ask for more.  Upon pressing him to rate the holiday menu items, Husband hesitated on this one, which is the indicator that he wasn't a big fan.  However, my mom and I thought it was great.  I really like the texture of wheat berries: you actually feel like you're chewing something instead of the mush of similar grain-based dishes like quinoa and bulgur (and couscous, which has flour, which is made from a grain, so I'll include it here).

 

I didn't have all the ingredients, so I substituted with what was in my kitchen.

 

Ingredients

2 cups wheat berries

6 cups water

2 Tablespoons honey

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice [I used lemon]

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons peanut or sesame oil [I used sesame]

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raisins or dried currants or craisins [I used currants]

1/4 cup peanuts, chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen peaches or mangoes, defrosted & chopped small [I used frozen mangoes]

1 small red bell pepper, chopped small

1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped [I did not include]

 

Directions

(1) Put wheat berries in medium saucepan.  Cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer, uncovered, for 60 to 90 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached.  Add more water if needed.

(2) Pour wheat berries into a strainer.  Rinse, drain, and cool.

(3) Whisk honey, garlic, lemon/lime juice, rice vinegar, oil, and salt in a large bowl.

(4) Add wheat berries, raisins/currants/craisins, peanuts, peaches/mangoes, bell pepper, and spinach to the bowl with the dressing.  Stir to coat thoroughly.  Serve chilled or room temperature.

 

Kid Participation: None.

Mango Quinoa Salad

Original Recipe HERE

Not much to say about this other than it was easy and refreshing, and it tasted even better the next day.  A good meal for a hot day, and it can be served as a side dish or as the only thing you're eating for dinner.  I didn't have the quinoa, so I used Trader Joe's Harvest Blend.  I imagine Israeli couscous would work as well.  This made enough for all of us to eat some at dinner, as well as enough leftovers for me to have a hearty lunch

Ingredients
2 cups cooked quinoa (or any similar blend), room temperature or chilled
1 14-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tablespoons lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Directions
(1) Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add mango, red pepper, green onion, and black beans.
(2) In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice. Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad. (3) Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill at least one hour before serving.

Notes: A greater variety of diced vegetables could be added, as could some frozen corn or maybe canned pineapple tidbits.

Kid Participation: Nothing besides mixing everything together, since that's about all you do with this recipe anyway.

Mango & Cucumber Salad

I had another fruit-and-vegetable salad in mind, but our walk to the market around the corner yielded no papayas and unripe avocados.  Knowing I really needed a side dish for dinner, I improvised and bought a mango.  Upon getting home, I decided to use up a lonely cucumber, and the end result was great...the flavors complimented well instead of competed, and it would be a refreshing summer treat.  I didn't have time to let it sit, but it was definitely better the next day.  *N* had one helping, and *J* didn't eat his - but that's no surprise, since he's fickle about mangoes and doesn't like cucumbers.

Ingredients

1 ripe mango

1 large cucumber

2 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons lime juice [lemon could be used]

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

pinch of salt

Directions

(1) Peel mango.  Dice into small, bite-size pieces.

(2) Peel cucumber.  Cut into quaters, length-wise, and then thinly slice.

(3) Whisk lime juice, vinegar, and salt together in metal bowl.  Add mango, cucumber, onion, and garlic; combine thoroughly.

(4) Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Notes: There are plenty of possibilities for additions: black beans, pineapple, red pepper, etc.  It could also be served over spinach to make a traditional salad.

Kid Participation:

* Squeeze mangos at store to determine which one is ripest

* Whisk ingredients