LuAnn's Wheatberry Waldorf Salad

This tasty Waldorf salad is part of the Thanksgiving menu in volume 2 of my cookbook, Amazing Meals: Dinners and Celebration Meals.

Yield: 6 cups; 12 (1/2 cup) servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup wheat berries
• 3 cups water

Dressing

• 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Dash pepper (optional)

Other Salad Ingredients

• 1 unpeeled red delicious (or other red-skinned) apple, cored and diced in 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 unpeeled yellow delicious apple, cored and diced in 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 unpeeled pear, preferably with green skin, cored and diced in 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, halved crosswise
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or tart cherries (or a combination of both)
• 1 cup sliced celery

Garnish

• 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the wheat berries and water, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the grain is chewy but not hard.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. In a mixing bowl large enough to hold the finished salad, whisk all the dressing ingredients until blended.
3. Prepare the fruits and celery for the salad, then carefully stir into the dressing. The orange and lemon juices will prevent the apples from turning dark.
4. Rinse the cooked wheat berries in cold water until chilled, drain thoroughly, then stir into the dressing and fruit mixture.
5. Cover and refrigerate.
6. Just before serving, sprinkle with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Attribution

Recipe by LuAnn Bermeo, author of Amazing Meals I and II, a two-volume collection of family-approved, plant-based recipes.