Salad doesn’t mean it has to be a base of leafy greens. Try this red wheat berry salad with garbanzo beans and tons of other Mediterranean inspired counterparts.
With summer winding down it’s time to reflect. Besides the oodles of fun, one thing I realized over the summer is that despite feeling like I should have more free time post-graduate school the simple truth is, I don’t. I can try to blame it on all the inevitable summer fun but let’s be real, there’s always something taking up our time and I don’t even have children. I don’t know how you parents do it. But I digress. What I am trying to get at here is that back in January when I moved I scaled down my posts to 3 days a week for a short stint. Thankfully, you all are still here so I assume you were not disturbed by this. Actually, after conferring with other food bloggers it seems as though I am in the minority posting 5 days a week.
So this is what I propose: I will be cutting down to 3 recipe posts a week, giving me more time to live my life and also more time to hone in on the best recipes to share with you. Sounds good right? But which days of the week should I post? I played with Google analytics hoping it would tell me which days you all prefer to be on my blog but there was no obvious winner. Apparently you like me 24/7! So how about M/W/F recipes posts? Su/M/Th or M/W/Th to keep up with Thirsty Thursday? Never fear, during football season I will still do PB+Choc Saturdays (which means 4 posts a week during that time unless you want Saturdays year round). Feel free to leave your feedback in the comments section! After checking out the recipe first, of course ;-).
In attempts to recover from a summer full of traveling and eating everything in sight (not that I regret any of it), I have been upping the ante with some meatless options and have been giving my spiralizer
a workout. I haven’t ventured beyond the spiralized recipes others have posted just yet so no, I am not posting a spiralized recipe today. I haven’t been creative enough just yet but maybe one day, you know when the trend dies down and no one cares anymore. But anywho, moving right along! This little salad is a bit different from the usual as it is lacking a green bed. Instead the base consists of cooked wheat berries which will fill you right up and keep you satisfied along with garbanzo beans, cucumber, feta, red onion, pistachios, and a little bit of green provided by parsley and mint. It’s basically a Greek grain and bean salad. I even used some Pomora al limone extra virgin olive oil in the dressing.
One year ago: Turkey and Kale Panini
Two years ago: Gnocchi with Sausage and Kale
Four years ago: “I Can’t Believe It’s Healthier” Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
WHEAT BERRY SALAD
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
7 cups water
2 cups red hard wheat berries, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used Pomora al limone)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 (15 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 large cucumber, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
Directions:
- Place water and wheat berries in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for an hour or until tender. Drain excess water and transfer to a bowl to cool.
- While wheat berries are cooling, in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic powder. Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified (or shake in a jar with a lid). Allow to sit at room temperature.
- Once wheat berries have cooled, toss with garbanzo beans, cucumber, feta, red onion, pistachios, parsley, and mint.
- When ready to serve, pour dressing over the top. Toss well and serve at room temperature.
Source: Inspired by a Hello Giggles post showing some of Jennifer Aniston’s Instagram shots.
Made something from the blog?
Be sure to share it
on Instagram with the
tag #TheSpiffyCookie
7 comments
Erin, I ran the recipe through NutritionData.com, and it doesn’t need chicken. I had to use kamut rather than wheat berries, and I did cut the olive oil in half. The results I came up with were: Total calories 560;Fat calories 195; Total carbs 73g ; Dietary fiber 14g; Protein 23g. It’s significantly higher in calories and carbs than I usually eat, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it as an occasional treat. And I’m certain you will continue to hold my interest with your posts. :-)
Thanks for the info! I’ve never heard of kamut before I will have to look into it. As for the carbs and calories, I may try eat it served over chopped romaine too.
Kamut is another old form of wheat, which as good levels of protein. The flavor is similar to wheat berries. I think most of those wheat-related grains taste the same.
This salad sounds great. I’ve gotten into wheat berries, kamut, farro, & freekeh this year, so finding recipes like this one is great. I have a tendency to add meat into recipes like this, but I’ll check the nutrition and see if this one needs it (I’m thinking it won’t).
As for the days you post and the frequency of your posts, do what works for you. I read all your posts, but am fine with fewer. The days of the week when you post don’t matter to me because I’m retired and all the days are the same… :-)
I am not an expert in nutrition so you’ll have to let me know what you think! The addition of some shredded chicken sounds good though.
And you made me smile this morning by saying you read all my posts! I am very glad to have been able to keep you interested all this time and hope to keep up my end even with fewer posts.
Ooooh yummy, this salad sounds so good! I’ve only used wheatberries once but I really liked them, so I need to try again. I love all the fresh flavors in here!