Wheat Berry Salad

This here is a wheat berry salad.  A wheat berry is an entire wheat kernel, largely unprocessed.  It’s a true whole grain, full of fiber and nutrients.  I made something with them once–I can’t remember what–but saw this salad in last month’s Cooking Light and thought I’d try it with some modifications.  It’s not bad and the texture’s nice, but the dressing is a bit too tangy for my tastebuds.

You begin with 1 1/4 c of wheat berries.  I found mine in the bulk bin at whole foods.  These go into a pot of salted water to simmer for at least 45 minutes to an hour.  Then you drain and rinse them until cool.  Put in a bowl with 1 1/2 c packed lettuce/arugula, about 1/4 c chopped parsley, some chopped zucchini (maybe half a cup, small dice?), though the recipe originally called for cucumber.  Add a chopped tomato (a big one) and 3 oz crumbled goat cheese.  Toss.  Make your dressing:  zest of one lemon, about 3 T of juice (two would be enough), 2 T olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little sugar (half a teaspoon).  Toss with salad.  I think we had too much dressing, plus I didn’t dry the lettuce enough, which left us with a pool at the bottom of the bowl.  No matter–we ate it anyway.  Serves six.