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Sweet Wheat Berry Cranberry Salad

Forget oatmeal, here is one of my favorite cereal dishes made with wheat berries. It’s sweet, tangy and packed with nutrition.

Wheat berries are a pantry must-have and are extremely versatile when it comes to using them in recipes. Although they can be ground to make delicious wheat bread, they can also be added to soups and hearty dishes as well as made into a delicious warm cereal.

Wheat berries are a true whole grain, full of vitamins and fiber and have a sweet, nutty flavor with a delightful chewy texture.

Tips to Cooking Wheat Berries

Soak ‘Em – Wheat berries can take 50 minutes to an hour to cook on the stovetop. A trick to expediting the cooking process as well as making wheat berries tender and chewy is to soak them overnight to speed up the cooking time.

Toast ‘Em – Toasting the berries for a few minutes before cooking encourages their nutty flavor to come out.  Spread them out on a sheet pan and toast in a preheated 375°F oven for about 10 minutes, just until they brown a little.  This is an optional step, but really brings the flavor of the wheat berry out.

 Get Creative – Because of the versatility of this grain, you can use them for virtually anything. Play around the spices, adding fruits and vegetables or adding them to other dishes. Here is one of my favorite cereal dishes I made with wheat berries. I’ve played around with different fruits. I love adding 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, but since we don’t always have this around, I improvise. Enjoy!

Sweet Wheat Berry Cranberry Salad

Makes 8 servings

  • 2 cups wheat berries
  • 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
  • 1/4 cup apples, diced
  • 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

For Dressing:

  • 1 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • salt

Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients for dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss. Refrigerate the dressed salad to allow the flavors to meld before serving.
  3. Serve it cold or heat it up for a breakfast cereal.

This article was originally published at Ready Nutrition™ on May 3rd, 2014