I really have no intentions of turning my blog into a cooking/recipe/food blog (I will strive to keep it as random and themeless as it currently is ;p), however, we have had some tasty treats lately and hoarding these delightful delicacies would just be wrong of me. So for now, I will embrace the Julia Childs deep within me (and trust me...it's way on in there) and blog about food if I'm feelin' it.
While flipping through an Eating Well magazine (great website as well, fyi) in an office yesterday, I found this recipe and decided it was a great choice for dinner last night. After we both licked our plates clean, it was officially decided that the meal was...(all you former middle school cheerleaders, chant it with me now): a-w-e-so-me! I mean it, this dish was dang gooood and it passed my 4 major recipe 'must-haves:'
1) Healthy
2) EASY/not requiring I purchase a lot of non-frequntly used & expensive ingredients
3) Scrumptious, duh!
4) Filling. Satisfying a 26 year old, growin' boy's tummy is a challenge!
Let me tell you that our dinner last night gets a huge CHECK next to #'s 1-4 above and it was delicious.
Let me tell you that our dinner last night gets a huge CHECK next to #'s 1-4 above and it was delicious.
"What is the recipe you speak of, Courtni??" Well, I am glad you asked, anonymous blogger. The super-foods recipe I am excited to share is (drumroll please)...."Black Bean, Edamame and Wheat Berry Salad!!!" Wait. Your mouth isn't watering? What's wrong?! Ok, I will be real honest with you - the title did not sound appealing to me, either. In fact, this was my immediate, Joey-from- Friends eating Rachel's trifle thought process: "What's not to like? Black beans...good. Edamame...goooood. Wheat berries....what tha!?!"
I honestly had never heard of wheat berries and even more honestly, they did not sound good to me. If you are feeling the same way, keep reading because there is hope. While I am sure the recipe is wonderful as-is, I lied to you a smidgen. The Gresham house actually ate "Black Bean, Edamame and Pasta Salad" last night, as wheat berries were not to be found on my grocery trip in the arctic cold (this is true! I really did want to try them but after de-frosting in my car, I lost my will to venture to another store to find some).
I honestly had never heard of wheat berries and even more honestly, they did not sound good to me. If you are feeling the same way, keep reading because there is hope. While I am sure the recipe is wonderful as-is, I lied to you a smidgen. The Gresham house actually ate "Black Bean, Edamame and Pasta Salad" last night, as wheat berries were not to be found on my grocery trip in the arctic cold (this is true! I really did want to try them but after de-frosting in my car, I lost my will to venture to another store to find some).
So, on the fly, I decided to sub Dreamfields "Rotini" pasta in for the wheat berries. I know, I know... wheat berries are one of the main ingredients...don't hate me for being a rule-breaker. Sometimes you gotta improvise and I think Dreamfields was a great choice - check out the nutritional facts on this amazing pasta :) I was very pleased with this switch-a-roo and Justin and I LOVED the meal. Also, I think the pasta version satisfied requirement #4 listed above more than the called-for wheat berries would have. So in this case, full tummies = happy tummies! =)
Without further adieu, below is the recipe and it can also be found here.
Black Bean, Edamame, and Wheat Berry (or PASTA) Salad
4 cups water
1/2 cup dry wheat berries (or your choice pasta)
1/2 of a 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained (low-sodium kind)
1 cup frozen, shelled, edamame, thawed
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. pompeian red wine vinegar
3 tbsp pompeian olivextra plus
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups water
1/2 cup dry wheat berries (or your choice pasta)
1/2 of a 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained (low-sodium kind)
1 cup frozen, shelled, edamame, thawed
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. pompeian red wine vinegar
3 tbsp pompeian olivextra plus
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
1. Combine water and wheat berries in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 55 minutes or until wheat berries are just tender.
2. Place in a fine mesh strainer and run under cold water to cool quickly, drain well.
3. Combine the wheat berries with the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 8 hours in advance.
2. Place in a fine mesh strainer and run under cold water to cool quickly, drain well.
3. Combine the wheat berries with the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 8 hours in advance.
Remarks
Wheat berries are unprocessed wheat kernels and are sold in major supermarkets and health food stores.
Some additional notes:
-Obviously, if you sub in pasta for wheat berries, cook the pasta according to package and combine with ingredients above.
-I used slightly less water than called for - about 2 1/2 cups.
-I grilled 2 chicken breasts and sliced up to serve alongside pasta = YUM and ups the protein count!
-We enjoyed fresh broccoli with this meal, as well, and it was delicious! If you need a little flavor, sprinkle some cheese on top of your broccoli.
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