wheat berry salad + roasted veggies

Wheat berries are the whole shebang. They contain the germ, endosperm, and bran, as well as all the nutrients wheat has to offer. You can't get much more of a whole grain than a wheat berry. Plus, they are really good! Just simmered in water until tender, they resemble brown rice, but with a sweet nutty flavor and a chewier texture. I recommend cooking the wheat berries ahead of time because they take almost an hour. If you've never cooked with them before, check out this blog on how to cook wheat berries to chewy perfection. And cook extra to keep in the fridge for a quick salad later in the week!

As for the roasted veggies that partake in this recipe, be creative! I used golden beets, green beans, and sweet onions.

• 3 golden beets
• 1 cup chopped fresh green beans
• 1 small sweet onion (maui onion) 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 cups cooked wheat berries
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil + drizzle on veggies
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash beets and cut into wedges. Drizzle with olive oil and roast by themselves for 30 minutes, stirring/flipping halfway through.

Add the green beens, onion, garlic and rosemary to the beets and cover with foil. Note: cut the veggies the size and shape that you want them in the salad, this way you don't have to cut them again after they are cooked!

Roast for another 30 minutes, or until all veggies are cooked but crunchy. Combine wheat berries, fresh basil, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper, toss to combine. When the veggies are done and still hot, add to the wheat berries, toss to combine. This could be a cold salad, a hot salad (if you just made your wheat berries), or a warm salad (my favorite, the wheat berries were cold but the veggies were hot out of the oven!). It's up to you! Enjoy!