Wheat Berry Salad (Protein Power Goddess Bowl)
| May 15, 2020
If you are looking for a delicious, hearty salad, then this Wheat Berry Salad is it! This summery light salad is the perfect blend of fresh vegetables and sweet fruit. Definitely give this a try, I know I’m going to be making this a billion more times.
Yield: 6 cups
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE WHEAT BERRY SALAD BOWL:
- 1 cup uncooked French green lentils (2 to 2 3/4 cups cooked)
- 1 cup uncooked spelt berries or wheat berries (2 cups cooked)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium or large red onion, chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or 1 large tomato, chopped
- 3 packed cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 1 batch Lemon-Tahini Dressing
- Fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- Chopped green onion and lemon zest, to garnish (optional)
FOR THE LEMON-TAHINI DRESSING:
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 to 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast, to taste
- 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
- To start, soak the spelt berries in a bowl of water overnight, or for at least 8 to 12 hours. Then, drain and rinse well.
- Add the drained spelt berries into a medium pot and then cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a low boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until tender, but still chewy. Drain excess water.
- Next, rinse and drain the lentils. Add to a medium pot and then cover with a couple inches of water. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes until tender, but still a bit chewy. French lentils will hold their shape beautifully and won’t break down like regular green or brown lentils. Drain well.
- Prepare the Lemon-Tahini Dressing: First, mince the garlic in a mini food processor and then add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Set aside.
- Then in a large skillet or pot, add the oil, onion, and garlic, along with a pinch of salt. Stir. Sauté over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion softens.
- Mix in the chopped red pepper and tomato and then sauté for another 7 to 8 minutes.
- Next add the spinach, cooked spelt berries and lentils, and stir to combine. Then sauté until just wilted and then remove the pot from the heat.
- Stir in all of the Lemon-Tahini Dressing, fresh parsley, and then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Finally, serve with chopped green onion and lemon zest on top, if desired. This salad is lovely served on top of a leafy green salad, or you can serve it with hummus and crackers on the side too.
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[kofi]
