Wheat Berry Salad with Beets and Feta

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Wheat Berry Salad with Beets and Feta ~ this delicious whole grain salad is healthy, protein rich, and full of fiber ~ a perfect side dish for the holidays.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch golden beets (small or medium sized)
• 1 bunch red beets (small or medium sized)
• 1 cup wheat or rye berries
• 1 stalk celery (minced)
• ⅓ cup minced red onion (about 1/4 of a medium onion)
• 1 bunch fresh dill (chopped)
• 1 bunch fresh parsley (chopped)
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• garnish
• ½ cup feta cheese
• dressing
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp of your favorite vinegar, ( I used O Olive Oil Honey White Balsamic )
• of salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Trim the tops off the beets and put them in a single layer in a casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake until the beets are just tender, but not soft. Check with the tip of a sharp knife. I like them to be tender but still firm. The exact time will vary greatly depending on the size of your beets. Check small beets after 30 minutes, large beets after an hour. Let cool and then remove the skins. Chop the beets into bite sized chunks or wedges.
3. Meanwhile cook the wheat berries according to the package directions, but check them for tenderness 10-15 minuted before the time allotted. I cook mine in 4 cups of water for about 40 minutes. You want them to be firm and chewy. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well and put into a large salad bowl.
4. Whisk the oil and vinegar together with a pinch of salt. Start with 4 tablespoons of vinegar and taste it, you may want to add more.
5. Toss the red beets with a little bit of the dressing to retard the color bleed.
6. Add the rest of the beets, onions, celery, and herbs to the bowl and toss with the dressing. You can either add the red beets in now, or reserve them to tuck in just before serving, your choice. They will bleed their color into the salad the longer they sit.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least several hours.
8. Garnish with crumbled feta cheese just before serving.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island