Wheat Berry Cran Salad. Vegan.

Wheat berry cran salad.

This salad is a staple on my Thanksgiving menu.  The orange flavored cranberries are such a fun twist on a classic seasonal berry.  Wheat berries are not gluten free so please note that for any of your gf guests.  As many grain types – the wheat berry is packed with carbs, fiber and protein.  If you’ve never had a wheat berry, they are a very sturdy grain that holds up nicely in salads.  This dish can be made several days ahead of time, allowing the vinaigrette to develop with the wheat berry.  Serve cold or at room temperature.  This salad is perfect to take to your host’s home or to place on your Thanksgiving buffet.  This salad is also perfect for lunch or during the week or as a side dish.

Is anyone ready for Thanksgiving?  I feel like we went from September to Thanksgiving in a hot second.  Crazy to think I’ll have a Christmas tree in my house next Friday.  Time to babysit the dogs/tree for hours on end… lol.

I also wanted to let you all know that the winner for the tempeh will be posted on Instagram!

Ingredients:

2 cup of hard wheat berries, cooked according to package
1 cup of pistachios, roughly chopped or walnuts would also
3/4 cup of dried cranberries (I used orange flavored cranberries) work perfectly
3 celery stalks, washed and diced
3 scallions, trimmed and sliced
3.5 tablespoons of olive oil (I used 1 tbl smoked olive oil and 3 cold pressed but you can use all olive oil)
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard (I prefer Maille)
1 lemon, juiced
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Cook your wheat berries on the stove top according to instructions. I cooked them on the stovetop with about 3 inches of water above the wheat berries for 1 hour. Drained.

In a large mixing bowl, add cranberries, celery, scallions, olive oil, Dijon and lemon juice.  I add the nuts just prior to serving.  Stir to combine. Add cooled wheat berries and toss to coat.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.   Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
  

A quick recap.  Last week I did my furthest run yet – 15 miles.  My overall week total was 31 miles. I was pretty pleased overall.  This week I do plan to take 2 rest days again as I felt much better overall doing that last week.  Plus taking a rest day prior to my long run day, I believe, helped me a lot.

Sunday:  9 outdoor miles
Monday: 65 elliptical, 30 treadmill walking with an incline of 10, weightlifting shoulders and legs

That’s a wrap. Back to cooking 🙂

— Knead to Cook