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.

Sweet Breakfast Tabouli

Couscous made with apple juice? Mint for breakfast? These two things sent me straight to the store last night so that I could make Sweet Breakfast Tabouli with Dried Plums this morning.

Unfortunately, the whole thing turned out a bit TOO sweet for me! It was interesting to make, but I think my use of really high quality, fresh, organic ingredients maybe added too much flavor . . . The plums are sweet enough. Tasting the mix of the couscous, mint and diced plums it was pretty good. But the african honey I used is really intense and I think it over-killed the flavors. I will try to make this again but this time I will really only drizzle a little bit of the sauce on top . . . I poured the entire thing on there this morning!

Sweet Breakfast Tabouli with Dried Plums 1/2 cup dried plums or other dried fruit 2 Tbsp dried mint flakes or 1/2 cup fresh mint 1 cup apple juice 1/2 cup bulgur or whole wheat couscous 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp. honey 1 tsp. flax oil or rice bran oil

Chop the dried plums (or other fruit and the fresh mint, if using). In a storage tub or small casserole with a tight-fitting lid, mix the chopped plums and dried mint.

In a small saucepan, bring the apple juice to boil and add the bulgur. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover tightly. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the juice is absorbed and the bulgur is tender. (If using couscous, pour the couscous into the boiling juice, stir, and take off the heat.) Let stand to steam for 10 minutes. Scrape the bulgur into the tub with the plums and mint. Stir, and cover to steam the fruit. Chill for later use, or serve warm.

To serve, in a small cup, stir together the lemon juice, honey, and oil. Drizzle over the bulgur and fluff to mix.