Apple Wheat Berry Salad - a simple salad that uses wheat berry, an underrated whole grain. It’s a nutty and delicious salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette.
Have you ever had wheat berries? They are the complete wheat grain before it has undergone any processing. This means they still have all their fiber and nutrients intact. Wheat berries are most often ground into flour, but the kernels themselves can be cooked and are utterly delicious!
Wheat berries look a bit like rice. They’re chewy in texture and have a nutty flavor. They add a delicious heartiness to any dish!
Here are at The Crooked Carrot, we always strive to use whole grains. Whole grains tend to have more fiber and nutrients than their refined counterparts. As repetition can get boring, we like to change up the types of grains we use.
We rotate through grains/seeds like brown/wild rice, quinoa, wheat berries, farro, barley, and the list goes on. Read more about whole grains here (link to our whole grain post).
Now on to this super simple, hearty and satisfying Apple Wheat Berry Salad. It features wheat berries, apples, walnuts, and a simple lemon vinaigrette.
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Ready to learn how to whip up this simple salad? Let’s do it!
1 - Cook wheat berries: Combine the wheat berries and water in a 2-quart pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let the wheat berries simmer until tender, about an hour. To determine tenderness, try a couple of wheat berries, they should be chewy, but tender and shouldn’t have a crunch to them.
2 - While the wheat berries are cooking, chop the apple and walnuts, and slice up the green onions.
3 - Prepare the dressing. Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper in a mason jar or small bowl. Cover if using a mason jar and shake until combined. If mixing in a bowl, use a whisk to combine.
4 - Serve: Once the wheat berries are tender, drain (if needed) and transfer to a large bowl. Add the apples, walnuts, green onions, and dressing. Mix to combine, then garnish with fresh mint.
Apple Wheat Berry Salad: Tips, Tricks, and Tools
This easy Apple Wheat Berry Salad doesn’t require any unusual tools, however, there are a few kitchen essentials that will make whipping up this salad much easier. First, a good set of quality mixing bowls is a necessity when putting together large salads with lots of ingredients.
I also recommend investing in a quality kitchen knife and a quality wood cutting board. If you’ve ever tried cutting an apple (or really anything) with a bad knife and a poor cutting board, then you know why investing in quality tools goes a long way. In fact, as we travel around, we always make sure to pack our knife and cutting board (except when we fly somewhere of course…).
Where to find wheat berries: most natural food grocery stores will carry wheat berries and many regular grocery stores will also have them - try looking in the health foods section. If you can’t find them in bulk, try looking for Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Berries.
High Quality Ingredients: We aim to find locally-sourced, organic apples whenever possible. As a core member of the dirty dozen, apples are better purchased organically to avoid those potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides.
Make it a meal by adding a protein (chickpeas, chicken, etc.), and consider adding avocado for some extra healthy fats.
We hope you love this whole-grain packed Apple Wheat Berry Salad!
It’s a simple and hearty salad that makes for a great side dish.
Love this simple hearty salad recipe? Check out our other delicious grain-based Salads like this Easy Moroccan Quinoa Salad or our Fresh Spring Green Salad.
Did you enjoy this Apple Wheat Berry Salad as much as we do?
Comment below! And rate the recipe to let us know how it turned out! Save this Apple Wheat Berry Salad for later by pinning it to your Salad Board and make sure to tag us at The Crooked Carrot Instagram to show us your Apple Wheat Berry creations!
“Healthy eating isn’t about counting fat grams, dieting, cleanses, and antioxidants; it’s about eating food untouched from the way we find it in nature in a balanced way; whole foods give us all that we need to perfectly nourish ourselves.” – Pooja Motti
Apple Wheat Berry Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup wheat berries
- 2 cups water
- 1 apple chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup walnuts chopped
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon mint chopped, for garnish
Dressing
- 1 lemon juice + zest
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil: Combine wheat berries and water in a 2 quart pot over medium heat, bring to a boil and let simmer until wheat berries are tender, about 1 hour.
- Combine: Drain wheat berries (if needed), then transfer to a medium bowl. Add apple, walnuts and green onions to bowl with wheat berries.
- Prepare dressing: Whisk lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt and pepper until combined.
- Mix: Add dressing and mint just before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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