Have you ever made a recipe that was SO GOOD that you just couldn’t wait to shout it from the rooftops and tell all of your friends? Well, I have. (Often.) And this is one of those recipes.
This past weekend, I was struggling with my menu plan. Nothing on it sounded interesting to me. I needed to change it up. So I did what I always do when I can’t think of what to make: I turned to my dear friend Pinterest. She gets me. She solves all of my [food-related] problems.
While I was browsing Pinterest, I came across this older recipe from Angela – Heat Wave Summer Salad. I wouldn’t say we were having a heat wave that day, but we certainly were experiencing a really hot summer’s day, so I checked out the recipe.
And…. I’m not gonna lie, I almost went back to searching Pinterest. Wheatberries with peaches and berries? Plus chickpeas and sauteed greens? What? How does that even work?! And the dressing has mustard and CINNAMON.
Everything just sounded so… weird. Like, there’s no way that combination of food would actually work.
And then I remembered that it was Angela sharing the recipe, not some random person that just started a food blog 2 weeks ago. Angela is a well-respected vegan food blogger, and has been for years – there’s no way she would post a recipe that tasted weird!
So, I decided to give it a go.
And all I can say is – YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS RECIPE. Holy wow is it ever good. The ingredients combine so well, and it’s like a flavour explosion in your mouth with every bite. The dressing, as weird as it sounded to me in the beginning, really helps pull everything together and make it a well-rounded, satisfying dish.
This recipe makes a lot, but I don’t suggest cutting it in half, unless you’re just making the recipe for one person. Because, hello – LEFTOVERS!
I had leftovers of this yummy meal for lunch yesterday and it was marvelous. Just as good as when I’d made it the day before.
So don’t be weirded out by the ingredients in this dish. Just trust me (and Angela) when I say that this recipe is AMAZZZZZING.
- 1 cups wheatberries
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 cups chopped peaches, skins removed
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 4 cups chopped raw kale or spinach (I used kale)
- ½ cup almonds, chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1½ tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp hemp oil
- 1 tsp flax oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- Cook your wheatberries by combining 1 cup wheatberries and 3 cups water to a large pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for about 1 hour.
- Sautee your kale in a pan of water (just a bit of water is fine), until wilted. Set aside.
- Chop your almonds and add to a large bowl with peaches, blueberries, strawberries, chickpeas, sauteed kale and cooked wheatberries. Add in the dressing (all of it), and mix well, being careful not to smash the fresh fruit.
- Serve cold or at room temperature (I think it tastes best at room temperature).
- Add all ingredients to a small mason jar (or small bowl) and shake/whisk until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
*For a nut-free dish, omit the almonds. Replace with sunflower seeds.
*If you don't have hemp or flax oil, replace either with extra virgin olive oil.
Leave a Reply