Wheat Berry Salad

Quite some time back, I stopped at Valley Natural Foods in Burnsville, on my way to pick up Sara from daycare and I happened upon a delish little salad.  The salad had wheat berries in it, along with some other fun stuff like craisins and onions and other veggies.  I have been trying for a while to find a recipe that would come close to that salad and I think I have found it!

Ingredients:

4 cups of H2O
1/2 cup of dry wheat berries (you can find them in the natural foods section of your grocery store, I found mine at Cub)
1 cup of frozen shelled edamame, thawed (I found this in the frozen section where they keep natural foods)
1 cup of chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup of finely diced onion
1/2 cup of craisins
3 Tbsp of Olive Oil
2 Tbsp of Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine the water and wheat berries in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 55-60 minutes or until tender.  Place them in a fine mesh strainer and run under cold water to cool quickly.  Combine the what berries with the remaining ingredients, up to the olive oil.  Combine the oil and vinegar and add your salt and pepper, whisk or stir to combine and the pour it over your salad.


You really could modify this recipe to your liking and add in other veggies, such as any kind of bean (black, cannelini etc), shredded carrots, green onions instead of red... you could also use different vinegars or seasonings or herbs, just make it whatever flavor you like!


This recipe serves 6 people at 3/4 of a cup per serving.  For those of us doing Weight Watchers, the Point Plus value is 5+.


I hope you enjoy this salad!

Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Frico Chips

In my house, one of the TV channels that I frequent is the Food Network Channel.  I LOVE watching the Food Network, I have even gotten my 6 year old to watch with me!  I also frequent their website looking for recipes...www.foodnetwork.com


One Saturday morning, as I sat downstairs with Sara playing PrincessOpoly, I decided to see what was on Food Network.  Ironically, it was a show about Giada De Laurentiis and how she was chosen to prepare the food for the polo match when Prince William and Princess Kate were in the U.S. earlier this year and how she loved pretending to be a princess when she was a little girl.  


One of the menu items was a marinated shrimp dish that looked divine!  I knew I had to make it.

The dish may look like a lot of work, but it wasn't at all.


The Ingredients ~

Frico Chips:

• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese

Zucchini:

• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Shrimp:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (we used about 1/2 bag of the frozen raw shrimp)

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon agave or honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium avocado, peeled seeded and diced into 1/2-inch pieces

Directions

For the frico chips: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Place eight 1-tablespoon mounds of cheese on the mat and gently tap down until flat. Bake until golden and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes. Let the frico chips cool until firm, about 5 minutes.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. (We did ours outside on the grill)

For the zucchini: Brush the zucchini halves with the oil and season with the salt. Grill until tender, 4 to 5 minutes each side. When cool enough to handle, cut the zucchini into 1/2-inch cubes.

For the shrimp: In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, soy sauce, garlic, zest, parsley, chives, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and toss until coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Grill until pink and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes each side. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, agave, mustard, salt and pepper until smooth.

In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, shrimp, dressing and avocado. Gently toss until all the ingredients are coated.

We served our salad on top of a bed of shredded lettuce.  Put about 1 cup of shredded lettuce in each bowl or plate, top with the shrimp salad mixture and then place a Frico chip on top.

This was sooo good!  I will definitely make this again.