Wheat Berry Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

This wheat berry salad is a really light and nutrient packed summer salad that would be great to bring to a picnic. It would travel well and is also even better the next day. You can substitute water or vegetable broth when cooking the wheat berries.

Serves 6 

Ingredients for the salad:

• 1 cup hard wheat berries
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup seeded and diced cucumber
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 cups arugula
• 1 cup mint, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Ingredients for the dressing:

• Juice and zest of 1 orange
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp anchovy paste
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste

Method: 

Boil wheat berries and chicken broth for 1 hour or until the wheat berries are cooked but still slightly chewy. You may need to add a little more water or chicken broth as the wheat berries cook. Meanwhile chop your cucumber, zucchini, shallot, mint and parsley and place in a large mixing bowl with the arugula. In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the salad dressing and set aside. When the wheat berries have cooked, drain them and add them to the vegetables and pour over the dressing while they are still hot. Toss to combine, season to taste and serve.

Chilled Cauliflower Soup

I love chilled soups and I created the recipe for this chilled cauliflower soup yesterday. It is refreshing and deceivingly healthy, as I used greek yogurt instead of cream. 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp anchovy paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• a pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 quart low sodium chicken stock 
• 1 1/2 cups plain greek yogurt
• ground white pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste

Method:

In a soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add in the onion and celery and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, for about 15 minutes until the onions are transparent and a little bit browned. Add in the cauliflower, cover and reduce heat to low. Let the cauliflower cook for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is completely cooked through, stirring occasionally. Mix in the garlic, anchovy paste, bay leaves, oregano, nutmeg and smoked paprika. Let this mixture cook, stirring constantly, for a minute or until the garlic and spices are fragrant. Pour in the chicken stock and stir well. Increase the heat to medium. Let the soup simmer for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, turn the heat off and let the soup cool completely with the lid on. Pour the cooled soup into a food processor or blender and  blend until smooth. Add the greek yogurt and blend for just a few seconds. Season to taste with white pepper and salt. Place the soup into the refrigerator for a few hours to chill. Serve in bowls garnished with an extra dollop of yogurt, a little white pepper and a few drops of good quality extra virgin olive oil if you would like.