Wheat Berry Salad With Grapes Pistachios And Ginger Honey Dressing Recipes

WHEAT BERRY SALAD WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND GRAPES

Steps:

• Cook the wheat berries in a pot of boiling, salted water until they are cooked but still quite crunchy, about 55 to 60 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, heat 5 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are dark brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir the onions into the drained wheat berries and cool slightly. Stir in the thyme, grapes and arugula.
• For the dressing: Using a chef's knife, mash and chop the garlic on a cutting board with the salt until it becomes a paste. Transfer to a bowl and add the vinegar, pepper and remaining tablespoon of oil. Blend well and pour over the salad. Mix well, sprinkle with feta and serve.

WHEAT BERRY SALAD WITH GRAPES, PISTACHIOS AND GINGER-HONEY DRESSING

Steps:

• Pour 3 cups cold water over wheat berries and refrigerate over night. Pour off water, transfer berries to a medium saucepan, add the salt and water to 2 inches above berries and bring to a boil. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for an hour or until tender. Drain. Mix all dressing ingredients (can be made ahead and refrigerated) in a large bowl and whisk briskly. Add warm (not hot!) wheat berries to bowl and mix with dressing. When berries have reached room temperature, add remaining Salad ingredients except goat cheese and gently toss to mix all ingredients. Sprinkle with goat cheese, serve, and gracefully accept compliments ;)

CRANBERRY-PECAN WHEAT BERRY SALAD

Steps:

• Cook wheat berries according to package directions; drain and cool. Meanwhile, combine the next 5 ingredients; add wheat berries. Whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

FRUIT WITH HONEY-GINGER DRESSING

Steps:

• For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the first five ingredient until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the cantaloupe, grapes, strawberries and blueberries; spoon into serving bowls. Drizzle with dressing.

FRUIT SALAD WITH HONEY GINGER LIME DRESSING

Steps:

• All fruit should be washed and dried before being ready for the salad.
• Cut skin from pineapple, so no brown spots are left. Cut peeled fruit into quarters lengthwise, cut off core, then dice each quarter into approximate one-inch chunks. Place in large bowl.
• Peel and remove seeds from the cantaloupe, then cut into one-inch cubes. Place in bowl with pineapple.
• Halve or quarter strawberries, depending on size, and add to bowl.
• Slice each nectarine into about 10-12 slices, then gently pull each slice away from pit and add them to the bowl.
• Cut the ends off of kiwi fruits, then insert a small spoon just under peel of each, and slide it around the fruit, just under the peel, until the peel is separated from the fruit. Cut each peeled kiwi in half lengthwise, then each half into four or five slices. Add to the rest of fruit.
• Add blueberries and blackberries to the rest of fruit. Prepare dressing (below).
• In a small bowl (I actually prefer a mason jar to shake the ingredients together in), mix together honey, lime juice and zest, ginger (I use a microplane to grate it fine), and poppy seeds. Whisk well, then pour over fruit and toss gently to coat.
• (You can prepare this salad up to a day ahead of time, but keep the different kinds of fruit separated from each other just until serving, or the colors will bleed. It tastes best at room temperature. The dressing actually tastes better made a day in advance anyway).
• TIPS ON FINDING RIPE FRUIT: For pineapple, the skin should be slightly yellow, firm to the touch but not hard--will give a little. And, when a leaf near the top of the fruit is tugged gently, it should easily remove from the fruit. For cantaloupe, it should be firm but give slightly, a bit yellowish on the rind--those "veins" are a good sign--it means they were left long enough on the ground to ripen properly. And, if you poke a fingernail in the top "dime" spot, you should be able to smell the fruit. If you can't smell anything, it's not ripe. Strawberries should be shiny and fragrant. Nectarines should have a slight give and be fragrant. Blueberries and blackberries should be firm and deeply colored. Kiwi fruit should be firm, but not rock hard--must have a very slight "give".

WHEAT BERRY SALAD WITH GRAPES AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Cook the wheat berries in a pot of boiling, salted water until they are cooked but still quite crunchy, about 55 to 60 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, heat 5 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are dark brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir the onions into the drained wheat berries and cool slightly. Stir in the thyme, grapes and arugula. For the dressing: Using a chef's knife, mash and chop the garlic on a cutting board with the salt until it becomes a paste. Transfer to a bowl and add the vinegar, pepper and remaining tablespoon of oil. Blend well and pour over the salad. Mix well, sprinkle with feta and serve.

WHEAT BERRY WALDORF SALAD

Steps:

• In a saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and add wheat berries. Simmer wheat berries, covered, 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Drain wheat berries in a colander and cool to room temperature.
• Cut apples into 1/2-inch chunks and in a large bowl toss with wheat berries and all remaining ingredients except lettuce. Season salad with salt and pepper and serve over lettuce.