In a perfect world we would all be eating mostly whole foods, that is foods that came into this world a certain way and stayed that way. ย Whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods are more recognizable by our bodies and better for our health. ย Period. ย I also talk a lot about limiting gluten, that pesky inflammatory protein found in wheat and to a lesser extent spelt, barley, rye and farro. ย One of the problems with our overconsumption of wheat is that 99.9% of the time (I made up that statistic), it is in a processed form such as bread, pasta, baked goods, flour tortillas, pizza, etc. ย And in the US, much of the processed wheat is refined too, which means anything good that was in there has been taken out. ย Ugh. ย I know all those foods are delicious and I am not telling you to never eat them again (although you would be better off), but it’s important to at least acknowledge how much processed wheat you’re eating and try a limit these foods to every once in a while.

So if you buy bread or pasta labeled “whole wheat,” ย they are technicallyย made from whole wheat and not actually whole wheat. ย If you wanted to actually eat whole wheat, you would eat these little babies right here. ย They are called wheat berries which is where wheat flour comes from. ย They are a true whole grain because they’re still intact, as are their B vitamins, fiber, protein, even calcium. ย Wheat berries remind me a lot of spelt, farro and even short-grain brown rice, but more chewy which makes them perfect in a salad. ย My kids love them! ย Truthfully you can use wheat berries in any recipe calling for spelt or farro, none of which, however is gluten free. ย GF folks can sub brown rice or quinoa very successfully in this recipe.

In as much as I love wheat berries, though, this salad wouldn’t be as delicious without the creamy lemon-tahini dressing which I have been putting on everything lately. ย If you have a jar a tahini in the fridge, it is likely because you used it to make hummus, the delicious and popular Middle Eastern chickpea dip. ย Tahini is just ground up sesame seeds, plain and simple with lots of good fats, protein and calcium. ย If you like hummus, you’ll love this dressing since it contains almost all the same ingredients. ย It’s zingy, creamy and a little different from your standard vinaigrette. ย I tend to make it a tad on the spicy side, because I love a little kick, but definitely feel free to leave it out if your family prefers things mild. ย I took these photos after my class yesterday, when I made the recipe with some thinly sliced radishes, green onions and torn red leaf lettuce, but really the sky’s the limit here. ย I have made this salad with blanched asparagus, radishes and spinach — delish! ย I have also used cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, feta and parsley. ย There’s a picture at the bottom of the post of one version I did with roasted eggplant, red peppers, red onion and parsley, although it vaguely reminded me of that fabulous Ina Garten roasted vegetable orzo dish that I made waaaaay too many times about 10 years ago. ย Still great, but in my opinion the richness of the dressing works best with light, fresh vegetables and greens.

If I didn’t just make this salad A LOT this month, I would definitely be including it in the summer entertaining menu rotation. ย For you organized, plan-ahead cooks, the day before or morning of I would cook the wheat berries and allow them to cool, prep the vegetables and make the dressing. ย I would not, however, dress the salad until the day of otherwise the wheat berries will just soak up all the dressing. ย I used wheat berries from Bob’s Red Mill, but I have also seen them in the bulk section of some natural food markets. ย Whatever you make this weekend, have fun and keep it real!

Wheat Berry Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

By Pamela
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

  • 1 ยฝ cups wheat berries -- I used soft white wheat berries, or 1 cup quinoa cooked with 1 ยพ cups water
  • Dressing:
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced or mashed to a paste
  • 2 Tablespoons tahini
  • 4 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil
  • ยพ teaspoon sea salt
  • dash or two of cayenne pepper, I use ยผ teaspoon to make it a little spicy
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Salad:, these are suggestions ~ you can also go with cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, chickpeas, asparagus, peas
  • 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2-3 radishes, sliced thinly or julienned
  • 2 big handfuls of tender greens, such as spinach, watercress, argula, or red leaf lettuce

Instructions 

  • Put the wheat berries in a medium saucepan and fill the pan with cold water (as if you were making pasta.) Add a big pinch of salt (kosher is fine.) Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook wheat berries until they are tender, about 50-60 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl to cool slightly.
  • For the dressing: whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl and season with salt, cayenne and black pepper to taste. Dip a piece of lettuce in the dressing to taste for seasoning.
  • Combine green onions, radishes and greens with the wheat berries in the serving bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat lightly.
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8 Comments

  1. Carla says:

    I just made this for my family for our 4th of July BBQ today. It was so delicious!!

    1. Pamela says:

      I’m so happy to hear that, Carla! I hope you had a great holiday :)!

  2. Kadie says:

    I love this dressing!!! It’s amazing on steamed veggies and we used it for artichoke dip too.

    1. Pamela says:

      Haven’t tried this with artichokes — good idea! Thanks, Kadie!

  3. Dana Kaufman says:

    Hi Pamela, I made this for me and my mom last week and it was great! I thought I’d have a lot of leftovers but of course it was so tasty there wasn’t much left…

    1. Pamela says:

      Hi Dana, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you~

  4. Tina Brutsch says:

    I made this but used quinoa instead of the wheat for my girlfriends and it was a big hit! Everyone wanted the recipe. Thanks for another great meal.

    1. Pamela says:

      That makes me happy, Tina! You’re awesome~