Serve wheat berry salad in lettuce cups

(Wheat berry salad with black beans, yams and dried cranberries sit in "cups" of buttercrunch lettuce)

Whole grain salads can become a meal in one bowl. Hard wheat berries are one of my favorite grains to use in salads. You can add just about anything to the cooked, cooled wheat berries. I still had a couple garnet yams in the kitchen that needed using. I roasted them before tossing them in along with some black beans, dried cranberries and local corn that was in the freezer from last year. I made a dressing with orange juice, a pinch of honey and shallots to tie it together and tossed in lots of fresh herbs.

If you think of wheat berries as you would when using rice, the possibilities are endless.

Wheat berries do not require overnight soaking before cooking. Simply rinse them well and cover with cold water a couple inches above the grains, bring to a boil and let simmer for about an hour and 15 minutes. What you get is a chewy, nutty grain that complements any addition of fresh vegetables or dried fruits and nuts. While you're at it, make more than you need and freeze the rest to use for another salad or as a side dish.

(Buttercrunch lettuce is forming heads in the garden)

With the bounty of salad greens in my garden, I wanted to make a wheat berry salad to serve in lettuce wraps. The buttercrunch and butterworth heads of lettuce are peaking, so there were plenty to use as crunchy vessels for this wholesome salad.



The smooth, flat-leaf spinach I planted in late fall is in full display now. The leaves are as big as hands and the flavor is just divine. They, too, pair well with the wheat berry salad.



Romaine lettuce leaves are also good to use as "wraps" or "cups" for this salad. The Lollo Rosso and Black-Seeded Simpson lettuces also pictured, above, make for a great salad on the side.

Pick up some wheat berries at your local health food store or specialty market. Cook up a batch, freeze some extra and use them hot or cold in a variety of dishes. They are a whole grain packed with vitamins and nutrients. According to Eating Well, a half cup of cooked wheat berries contains 151 calories, 6 g of protein, 2 mg potassium and no cholesterol.

Eat this salad for your continued good health!

Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Yams and Black Beans

For the salad:

1. 1 cup dried hard wheat berries (one cup is perfect for a large salad; I made two cups and froze the second half)
2. 2 medium garnet yams
3. 1 cup corn kernels (if using frozen, let thaw first)
4. 2 cups cooked black beans (canned is fine; rinse and drain well first)
5. 1/2 cup dried cranberries (you can also used dried apricots or currants or a mix of all three)

For the dressing:

1. 1/4 cup orange juice
2. 1/2 cup olive oil
3. 2 shallots, minced
4. 1 teaspoon honey
5. 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
6. 1 teaspoon Tamari
   
7. Fresh coriander, parsley and chives

• Rinse the dried wheat berries and place them in a pot with enough water to cover them about two inches. Bring the pot to a boil and let simmer about 1 hour and 15 minutes until the berries are tender, but not mushy.
• Drain off the excess water and let the wheat berries cool in a colander as you prepare the rest of the salad.
• While the wheat berries are cooking, peel and cut the yams into chunks. Drizzle a little olive oil on them and season with salt and pepper. Place them on a baking sheet and roasted until fork tender, about 15 minutes, but not mushy. Let cool.
• Combine the rest of the salad ingredients with the cooled wheat berries.
• Gently add the yams.
• Toss in about 1/2 cup total of the freshly chopped herbs.
• Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the salad.
• Taste it and see if it needs anything else.

Serve as a salad with greens on the side or scoop some of the salad and serve in fresh lettuce cups.