Wheat Berry Salad with Dried Cranberries, Apples, Arugula, and Goat Cheese
Knowing that wheat berries are good for you is only part of the reason I love cooking and eating them…
Wheat berries are whole wheat kernels…a true whole grain, loaded with nutrition. Their chewy bite, and subtle nutty, earthy flavor, add a wonderful dimension to all kinds of salads, soups, and pilafs, whether sweet or savory. They are sturdy enough to hold up to salad dressing, and subtle enough to be served with cinnamon and honey as a breakfast dish.
It used to be that wheat berries were found only in health food stores, but thanks to a growing awareness of healthy eating, most grocery stores have added natural foods sections, which is where you will find them. Wheat berries are cooked in the same fashion as rice, it’s what you add to them that really make them something special.
I like to mix the wheat berries with a blend of other grains, such as brown and wild rice, as I have done here. Wheat Berry Salad with Dried Cranberries, Apples, Arugula, and Goat Cheese is substantial enough to hold its own as an entree, or may be served as a side salad. You may even want to change it up a bit this year and bring this salad to your Thanksgiving table, as the flavors pair really well with turkey, and work as an alternative to traditional stuffing.
Wheat Berry Salad with Dried Cranberries, Apples, Arugula, and Goat Cheese
Dressing:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons raspberry balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Zest from one orange
3/4 cup olive oil
Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl until well blended.
Salad:
3/4 cup wheat berries, rinsed
1 cup wild rice blend
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 medium apples, quartered, cored, and sliced into 1-inch-pieces
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
1 cup baby arugula, cut into ciffinade
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
Place wheat berries in a large saucepan filled with enough salted water to cover them by several inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, covered, for 35 minutes. Add the wild rice blend; bring to a boil again, lower the heat then simmer and cook, covered, for an additional 45-50 minutes, or until brown rice is tender. Drain well; cool, and transfer to large bowl. Add all remaining salad ingredients to bowl along with the dressing. Toss well, thoroughly combining ingredients. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
2 -3 entree servings
6-8 side servings
Wow, we must be on a similar wavelength. I just made a quinoa arugula goat cheese side dish! Not exactly the same thing, but pretty close!
This sounds great. I’m a big fan of quinoa. I can’t wait to try this!
looks delicious
yum, this looks so delicious and would be scarfed up before i had a chance to think about how good it is for me.
This sounds so good and so perfect for the season–
Looks great! Love these healthy dishes
Oh wow this sounds amazing!!! If I were at a party and this was on the table I’d steer right towards it and try and guard it a bit so I can take seconds
Lovely salad, the combination of wheat berry, cranberries & goat cheese sounds amazing!
It’s pretty, it’s healthy… I’m betting it’s tasty, too. I’m with Brie, I’d down it immediately, then realize I can be proud of myself for how healthy I’m eating later.
Honestly, I’ve never had wheat berry salad… I really should get on the boat and make some! Yours looks delicious!
Congrats on being Top 9
Looks wonderful! I’m not very familiar with wheat berries but I being inspired here!
Such a pretty dish, and I love that you added the sharp contrast of arugula to the sweeter ingredients.
Your wheatberry salad looks fantastic! I can imagine how it tastes, with all the flavors suggested by goat cheese, cranberries, apple and the arugula. I bought some wheatberries after seeing other recipes but yours would be a great recipe to start with!
Yum! And congrats on being number 1 in FoodBuzz’s Top 9!! Really lovely salad, and with all the perfect seasonal ingredients. Everyone’s craving these flavors now, and for good reason!
Sounds and looks beautiful! I am saving this for future use!
This sounds delicious, and it is so pretty too. Congrats on #1 — well deserved!
Oooh, I have a bag of wheat berries I bought to put into bread, might have to make this salad with some and bring it to the in-law’s house for Thanksgiving and shake things up!
this looks so healthy, yet delicious!
[...] Wheat berry salad with dried cranberries [...]
Love heat berries and enjoy all the goodies in your salad.I am now ready and even have my fork.
Love wheat berries and enjoy all the goodies in your salad.I am now ready and even have my fork.
Always looking for great salads using wheat berries! I can’t wait to give this one a try. Thanks for sharing.
[...] tonight we had Wheat berries with Dried Cherries, Apples, Arugula & Goat Cheese. I think I’m getting slightly obsessed with wheat berries. This was another flavor [...]