FIRST KITCHEN BLOGS

 Wait, it’s October??? OMG! Where has the summer…gone? School is in session, leaves are turning and pumpkins are a-plenty. We are almost fully fledged into the fall season and soon we’ll be seeing the Christmas decorations lining the isles at Target...meanwhile I’m still wearing flip flops! 

For now, it is a comfortably warm fall day here and I made a delicious cold Greek wheat berry salad (aka: Greekberry Salad..get it?!!).  Wheat berries, say whaaat? Yes, wheat berries are a wholegrain alternative if you are getting sick of the staples such as brown rice.

What is a wheat berry you ask? Wheat berries are essentially whole wheat kernels, the oval pellet-looking grain that yields flour when processed. It has all three components of a whole grain: The BRAN is the hard outer covering of the wheat kernel, high in fiber & nutrients. The GERM is the nutrient-rich embryo that will sprout and grow into a new wheat plant. The ENDOSPERM is the biggest part, the "insides" of the kernel - mostly starch and the part of the grain that is processed into white flour.

So, now that you have received your nutrition lesson (don’t worry, no quizzes), lets get cookin!  Wheat berries have a nice earthy/nutty flavor. They also have a unique texture, kind of chewy but very mild. They are a good grain to add flavor to.

Since wheat berries take a while to cook, make sure to plan ahead. You can even pre-cook and then mix the ingredients together when you are ready to use.

Greek-berry Salad

Serves: 4-8 (depending on if used for main dish or side dish)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hrs (wheat berries)

You will need:

3 cups cooked wheat berries (follow package instructions) (1 cup raw makes about 3 cups cooked)

1 cup garbanzo beans

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 cucumber, cubed

1 can artichokes, quartered

½-1 cup kalamata (purple greek) olives

½ cup olive oil

½ cup white wine vinegar or similar

4 oz goat or feta cheese, crumbled

1 tsp oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

 

 

Directions:

 

Blend all ingredients. Serve immediately if desired or chill in refrigerator for later. Makes a great side dish or a high protein meal/snack.

Well this was an interesting  year! Looking back to January 2008, do you think we could have predicted some of things that have happened this year?  Probably not.   But now let's look forward to 2009.  We will  be making some lifestyle changes.  For example, trying to be more green and to be a bit more frugal. 
One of the ways we are planning to do this, is to eat at home more. We know that eating at home saves money so we will be looking for  easy ways to cook more economically  and have fun doing it.  And you know what - it will probably be healthier too.
We'd love to hear from you with your ideas for living smart and having fun in 2009.