Wheat Berry Salad with Goat Cheese

I hope everyone is enjoying their 3 day weekend.

Happy Labor Day!

I wanted to share a wonderful salad that I made last week.  It was so easy, delicious, light and filling.  The hardest part? Remembering to soak your wheat berries the night before .

If you have never had wheat berries, they are delicious.  They are also known as hard winter wheat.  They have a chewy texture, very simple to prepare and they require very little attention while cooking.  I purchased mine in the bulk section at Whole Foods.

Wheat Berry Salad with Goat Cheese

1 1/4 cups wheat berries (see below how to prepare)
2 1/2 cups chopped English cucumber
2/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 1/2 cups loosely packed chopped arugula
6 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Step 1: 
Place wheat berries in a medium bowl; cover with water to 2 inches above wheat berries.  Cover and let stand 8 hours.  Drain.

Step 2:
Place wheat berries in a medium saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above wheat berries.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook, uncovered, 1 hour or until tender.  Drain and rinse with cold water; drain well.  Place wheat berries in a large bowl; add cucumber and next 4 ingredients.

Step 3:
Combine rind and next 4 ingredients in a bowl; gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Drizzle dressing over salad; toss well to coat.  Stir in cheese.  Let stand at least 30 minutes; serve at room temperature.

Yields: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)

♥♥ ENJOY! ♥♥

Cooking Light Way To Cook Vegetarian

CALORIES 253; FAT 9.7g (sat 3.7g, mono4.4g, poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 9.2g; CARB 35.7g; FIBER 6.8g; CHOL 11mg; IRON 1.2mg; SODIUM 401mg; CALC 79mg