Strawberry-Avocado Wheatberry Salad

A couple of weeks ago we were in the midst of a heatwave here in Boston. Turning the oven on to cook dinner was out of the question. Enter the cold salad. I’ve made many cold salads with quinoa and was interested in trying the wheatberries that I’ve had in the pantry for awhile. This salad came together pretty quickly using things I had in the refrigerator and was as refreshing as it was delicious.

{Strawberry-Avocado Wheatberry Salad}

Ingredients

• 2 c uncooked wheatberries
• 1 c fresh strawberries, chopped
• 1 avocado, peeled and cubed
• 1/4 c crumbled feta
• 1/4 pecans, chopped and toasted
• 1/2 c chopped fresh basil
• 2 T sugar
• 2 T olive oil
• 4 t honey
• 1 t lemon juice
• 1 T cider vinegar

Start by putting wheatberries and 4 c of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer 30-40 minutes or until the wheatberries are cooked to your liking (I like them a bit chewy).

In a bowl, whisk together sugar, olive oil, honey, lemon juice and cider vinegar. Put aside.

In a small pan toast pecans over medium heat. This doesn’t take very long. Once they start to become fragrant give them another few minutes then remove from heat.

Once wheatberries are cooked, let cool for about 10 minutes. Add dressing to wheatberries then strawberries, avocado, pecans, basil and finally the feta.

Put entire salad in the refrigerator to cool for about 30 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Enjoy!