Wheat berries

[Cindyloo]

I like wheat berries in bread so I bought some by themselves and now I don't know what to do with them! I have googled and searched here but can't find any good recipes or just what to do with them in general. Any suggestions?

[DebW]

You could boil them and eat them like rice.

You could sprout them and use the sprouts in bread or other things.

[Eden]

They can be really nice in a thick soup - kind of like barley.

[OakLeaf]

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showp...9&postcount=19

[mkidd]

I used to make a healthy waldorf salad-inspired grain dish in summer. I am not one to use a recipe so the measurements are approximate, but with this you can play around with the ratios I would think:

--I would cook and cool the wheatberries
--add a chopped up firm, crisp, tart apple
--add a cup of dried cranberries
--about 2 tbsp minced fresh mint leaves
--a couple tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (I bet hazelnut oil or walnit oil would be really good too)
--add some fresh firm seedless red grapes cut in half

This was great and had a hearty chewy texture of the wheatberries with the crisp sweetness of the fruit.

I bet some slivered almonds would be good in it too for some protein.

[Cindyloo]

I guess you are supposed to boil them for a really long time, like 1 and a half hours. Sounds like a good food for the crock pot!

mkidd, that sounds good!

[mkidd]

It was really good. I should make it again. A little squueze of lemon on the apples lets you make a fair-sized bowl and keep it in the fridge for a few days w/o browning.

[withm]

When I cook grains, I cook the whole box/bag - whatever, and I cook them in bouillon (beef, chicken, or vegie).

THen I measure out 1 cup servings, put in a baggie, and then put all the baggies in a big freezer bag.

This method works well for wheatberries, quinoa, wild rice, anything that takes a long time to cook

I always add 1-2 cups of cooked wheatberries to chile. Often add them to soups, even a couple of spoonfulls sprinkled on a salad is good. I have also kneaded them into homemade whole wheat bread.

[anakiwa]

http://eatingwell.com/
They had an article on wheat berries last year- if you search on their website you should come up with cooking instructions and recipes.

[Cindyloo]

From that website I'm making this tonight! Thanks for the link!


WHEAT BERRY CHILI

Makes 6 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 25 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
2 14-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 cups Cooked Wheat Berries
Juice of 1 lime
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, chipotle to taste, broth and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
2. Stir in cooked wheat berries and heat through, about 5 minutes more. (If using frozen wheat berries, cook until thoroughly heated.) Remove from the heat. Stir in lime juice. Garnish each bowl with avocado and cilantro.