This may surprise you, but sometimes I can be really lazy and want to make something quick. Though this dish may be easy to prepare, it is still filled with lots of goodness. And the bright colours will make you forget all about the gray skies outside.
If you’ve never had wheat berries before, they are a grain similar to barley but are a little chewier. They are high in fibre, filled with vitamins and minerals, a moderate amount of protein, and are low in calories. In about 1 cup of wheat berries there are around 222 calories, 8.6g of fibre and 7g of protein. Awesome, so let’s make something out of them.
In the picture above you will notice my dried oregano from last years harvest, it’s almost done (tear). Thankfully, it’ll start growing out in the garden again very soon.
Since we love our cheese, we ended up sprinkling some feta cheese on top – delish! Of course if you leave it out, this is vegan friendly, as pictured above.
Makes 2-3 servings
I used a couple celery stalks, though I think next time I would omit them. We found it a bit too crunchy for our liking.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dry red wheat berries (should make about 2 1/2 cups cooked)
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 cucumber, washed, peeled (optional) & cut in chunks
- 1 red pepper, washed & diced
- 2 tomatoes, washed & diced
- 2 celery stalks, washed well & cut (optional)
- 1 large carrot, peeled, washed and grated or cut into small pieces
- 1/2 red onion, washed, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp (or more) apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
- sprinkle of oregano (I used dried)
- salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
- feta cheese (optional)
Directions:
- In a medium pot, add the water and wheat berries. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Let simmer for about 45 minutes until berries are tender.
- In the meantime, wash and cut up all your veggies. Feel free to mix in other favourite veggies for the ones above.
- Once the wheat berries are cooked, place in a large bowl.
- Add the chopped vegetables, olive oil, vinegar, garlic and spices. Mix together thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Sprinkle with feta and enjoy!
