Kale and wheat berry salad

It’s time for a summer version of the DIY grain bowl!

I posted my spring adaptation here. That version had brown rice, which is a great GF option, but lately I’ve been in the mood for wheat berries instead.

And as long as I have access to these freshly shucked grains, I am keeping this salad on repeat. My body doesn’t seem to have any issues with wheat berries and I absolutely LOVE the chewy plump texture of the grains.

Which is why I am so happy that our student farm CSA has been giving us enough to keep this on heavy rotation.

And I really do mean HEAVY rotation. I have had it for lunch every day we’ve been home this week and last.

I typically add the cheese and candied pecans to my individual bowl right before serving, but otherwise I make a huge bowl of it at once, which lasts about three servings.

I can’t decide which I like more – the Mt Vikos feta or the Meredith Dairy sheep and goat cheese.

The Mt Vikos isn’t as sharply tangy as most feta, but it’s got a lovely crumble that evenly disperses throughout the salad. The Meredith Dairy, on the other hand, is creamy and thick and rich with much more oomph. A little goes a long way! I usually only have two big chunks per bowl (sometimes three).

Oh man, this salad is so good.

Once again, the lemon miso dressing is the super star feature holding everything together.

Click back to this post for my first take on this wheat berry version of the DIY grain salad.

This one is very similar with a few minor changes.

Kale and wheat berry salad [based on the DIY grain salad from RFCFES]

Ingredients:

2 heads of kale, stems removed, chopped (I used one curly & one dino)
1 cup wheat berries, cooked
1/2 cup feta (or ~6 oz)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup candied pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 recipe for lemon miso dressing (below)

1 ⁄ 2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 ⁄ 3 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp mellow white miso paste
1 ⁄ 2 tsp sea salt
1 ⁄ 4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Cook the wheat berries using a 2:1 ratio of water to grains.

While that’s cooking, make the dressing by combining the oil, lemon juice, garlic, miso, salt, and pepper in a glass jar with a lid. Use a fork to stir in the miso, then shake well to emulsify.

To assemble the salad, toss the kale with three-quarters of the dressing in a large salad bowl. With clean hands, gently massage the kale with the dressing to soften the leaves.

When it’s done, add the grains, almonds, dried cranberries, and half of the feta along with the rest of the dressing. Toss well, breaking up the cheese if needed and coating all the wheat berries with dressing.

Before serving crumble in the rest of the feta and top with candied pecans.