Mixed Wholegrain and Berry Salad

I love when I set out to make something healthy and it ends up tasting super yummy! For this one I headed to the bulk isle at Whole Foods to find the various grains. It was fun for me because I haven't ever tried most of these before so I didn't know what to expect. These grains are so good! Chewy and nutty. I did make a few changes... not sure what dinosaur kale is so I used regular kale. And I already had some dried cranberries so I used those instead of trying to find dried blueberries - but I bet the dried blueberries would be really great.

I ate this as a meal itself (and packed a few containers to take for lunch), but there is a note in the cookbook that "this makes an amazing side dish for roasted poultry during the autumn or holidays". The author also suggested substituting cracked wheat for the wheat berries or brown rice instead of kamut.

Mixed Wholegrain and Berry Salad Serves 4 1 cup wheat berries ½ cup kamut grains ¼ cup millet grains ¼ cup farro grains 1 head dinosaur kale (black cabbage), coarsely shredded ½ cup toasted sliced almonds 2 Tbsp. chopped candied ginger 4 Tbsp. dried blueberries or cranberries 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar ½ tsp. ground cinnamon Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the wheat berries and all the brains in a pan of boiling water until just tender but still nutty, 15-20 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Tip into a large salad bowl.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to boil, add the dinosaur kale, and blanch for 1 minute. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Add to the grains with the almonds, ginger, and berries.

Whisk the oil, vinegar, and cinnamon together. Pour over the salad and toss gently. Season to taste and toss again. Serve at room temperature.