Wheatberry Waldorf Salad

Submitted by Chef #817256

"From The Whole Foods Market Cookbook Wheat berries are the mother grain from which pasta, bread, and flour are derived. Most of us have never tasted the true flavor of wheat. Little wheat berries pack a nutlike flavor and are pleasantly chewy. Use a crunchy, firm, sweet-tart apple (such as a Granny Smith or Gala) for this salad. Lemon juice and vinegar keep chopped apples from darkening so you may make this salad the day before serving. Try substituting dried apples for the fresh ones for another flavor variation."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 cups wheat berries
• 7 cups water
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 medium apples, unpeeled, cored and chopped
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup apple juice
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄8 cup lemon juice

directions

1. Soak the wheat berries at least 6 to 8 hours or overnight in water to cover by a couple of inches. Drain the water, and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, bring the 7 cups water to a boil. Add the soaked wheat berries and turn down to a simmer, uncovered, for about 50 minutes or until they are totally cooked through. Wheat berries retain a firm, chewy texture when cooked. Drain the water and set aside to cool.
3. When cool, transfer the wheat berries to a large mixing bowl and add the walnuts, apples, raisins, parsley, apple cider vinegar, apple juice, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, olive oil and lemon juice. Mix everything together thoroughly. Add more salt if necessary and serve.

Reviews

[MezzoMom10]

LOVED this salad. I would buy it all the time at Stew Leonards here in Connecticut and now I can make my own for a fraction of the cost! The only negative is the apple cider vinegar gives it a bit of an aftertaste. I will try experimenting with lower amounts and see if that solves the problem. It is still a 5 star rating though!

 

[KBoody]

This is a delicious, refreshing salad, but the dressing is rather tart, and there is a little too much of it. Next time I make this I will cut down on the amount of oil, vinegar and lemon juice I use. The salad needs to refrigerate for a few hours before serving to let the flavors meld. Otherwise this is a fantastic recipe and would be great to bring to a picnic or potluck.

 

[GreenMtnGirl]

I can't resist jumping in here. This is one of my favorites! I also found this salad on the Whole Foods website, and make it quite often. I like to play around with the ingredients a bit. Out of lemon? Use a bit of orange juice! Tired of raisins? How about dried cranberries or dried cherries? Dried apples instead of fresh is also yummy. Mix it up! I love to bring this salad to work for lunch.