Wheat Berry, Kale, and Cranberry Salad

Tamara Stimpson

With the weather getting much cooler, I must admit that a salad sounds far less appealing than a bowl of warm soup, however this one was too good to pass up! The chewiness of the wheat berries is nice with the crisp kale and sweet cranberries. If you don't want to use wheat berries, substitute 2 1/2 cups of quinoa, green lentils or brown rice!

Ingredients:

1 cup dried wheat berries

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup EVOO

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

5 cups chopped kale

1/2 cup diced red or white onion

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

• Rinse the wheat berries. Combine with 8 cups water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium-high. Cook, covered, until wheat berries are tender (approx. 30 to 35 mins). Stir in cranberries during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

• Whisk olive oil with vinegar and salt in a large bowl. Season with black pepper. Stir in wheat berry mixture, kale, onion and bell peppers. Serve immediately. Keeps really well refrigerated for up to 1 day!