Blue Dog Bakery & Café-Inspired Wheat Berry Salad

Serves 8-10

Husband-Tested Recipe from Alice’s Kitchen

My husband and I recently had a very pleasant lunch at the Blue Dog Bakery & Café in Louisville, KY.  It was a lovely day, so we sat outside on the walk and watched the trains go by.  The meal was fabulous, sharing an incredibly delicious tuna salad, a soup featuring sweet corn and poblano peppers and a fancy summer berry cream tart, but the star of the lunch was the wheat berry salad.  As I ate it, I wrote down all the ingredients I could see and taste.  The waitress did say that it had walnut oil in it.  She also said that they vary the dried fruit.  Ours that day had raisins.  Friends of ours said they’ve had it with currants.  I love dried cranberries, so I used those.  Later on, I made a quick trip to Lost River Market & Deli for some winter wheat berries (from their bulk section) and made what I think is a very close version of Blue Dog’s salad.  It takes a bit of time to make because wheat berries take over an hour to cook, but once the berries are cooked, the salad comes together quickly.  Make this a day before you plan to serve it because it will taste even better the next day.  Perfect for a party or a picnic.

3 cups cooked wheat berries* (About 1 cup raw.)

2 cups (10 ounces) frozen lima beans, cooked per package directions

1/8 cup walnut oil

6 Tablespoons sunflower or canola oil

1/8 cup raspberry wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or currants (Plump the dried fruit in very hot water for about 15 minutes.)

1 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

2 cups diced celery

1 shallot, minced or 1 cup sliced scallions

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place the warm, cooked and drained wheat berries in a large bowl. The wheat berries should be soft, but slightly chewy. After draining the lima beans, add them to the wheat berries and toss to combine. Combine walnut oil, sunflower oil and vinegar. Add to the winter berry/lima bean mixture. Toss. When bean mixture has cooled a bit, add the dried fruit, walnuts, celery and shallots. Toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

*Cooking Winter Wheat Berries using the Rice Cooker:  Place 1 cup of raw wheat berries in a dry skillet over medium-high heat.  Toast, stirring constantly, until the grains pop and deepen in color, about 4 minutes.  (This step is optional, but I think it adds a nice toasty flavor.)  Place the wheat berries in the rice cooker bowl and cover with hot water; let soak in the machine for 1 hour.  Drain the wheat berries and return them to the rice cooker bowl.  Add 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt; swirl to combine.  Close the cover and set for the regular/Brown Rice cycle.  When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the wheat berries steam for 15 minutes. Fluff with a wooden spoon or rice paddle. (Recipe from The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook, also Husband-Tested)  

*Cooking Winter Wheat Berries using the Stovetop:  Add 1 cup of winter wheat berries to a large saucepan filled with enough salted water to cover them by a few inches.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, partially cover and cook the wheat berries until they are plump and tender, about 75 to 90 minutes.  Test as you cook; cooked wheat berries are still somewhat chewy.  Drain. (Also Husband-Tested)  

Lentil and Brown Rice Salad

Serves 8

Recipe from The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I love my rice cooker and use it almost every day.  I keep cooked brown rice and French lentils in the fridge all the time so that we can make quick healthy salads or wraps anytime.  If you do the same, this meatless salad will be a cinch to make.  Perfect for a Meatless Monday lunch!

Vinaigrette:

¾ cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar.  Cover the jar with a lid and shake until the vinaigrette is well blended. Set aside.

Salad

1 cup dried French lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh thyme

In a small saucepan, cover lentils with water by 1 inch. Add the thyme.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender but still holding their shape, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain well.  Place in a large salad bowl and add the following ingredients:

2 cups cooked brown jasmine rice, room temperature *

3 scallions, chopped or ¼ cup minced fresh chives

½ cup finely chopped celery

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

3 Tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

3 Tablespoons chopped golden raisins

3 Tablespoons chopped walnuts

5 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (to be tossed in just before serving)

Toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to coat lightly.  (You will have some vinaigrette left to use for something else.) Let the salad stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving or cover tightly and chill overnight in the fridge.  Serve the salad at room temperature, adding the goat cheese right before serving.

*To make the brown jasmine rice in the rice cooker:

1 cup brown jasmine rice (rinse well and drain)

2 cups water

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Spray the rice cooker bowl with oil or lightly coat the bowl with oil.  Add the above ingredients.  Set the cooker to the brown rice setting, press start and there you are!

Indian Yellow Rice

Recipe from The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook

Husband-Tested In Alice's Kitchen

Serves 6 to 8

Here’s a tasty and pretty rice to make as a side dish or to serve with stir-fried vegetables. You can get the rice in the bulk section at Lost River Market & Deli. The turmeric can be found in the bulk spice section of the store.  Make a big batch of this rice to store in your fridge for when you wish to make a wrap.  (My husband loves this rice in a wrap with black beans, a little pesto, some goat cheese and fresh spinach.)  Use this rice to pretty up Black Bean, Broccoli and Rice Casserole (recipe to be posted this coming Meatless Monday) or as a bed for Balsamic-Honey Marinated Chicken.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups white basmati rice

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 ½ cups vegetable broth

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle.  Please the oil and butter in the rice bowl.  When melted, add the rice and turmeric.  Cook, stirring a few times, until the rice is shiny and hot, about 10 minutes. 

Add the broth and salt; stir just to combine.  Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.

When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes.  Fluff with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon.  The pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours.

Note:  If you don't own a rice cooker, you could just heat the oil and butter  in a saucepan, add the rice and turmeric and cook until the rice is shiny (about 10 minutes)  Add the veggie broth and cook, covered, until the rice is done (according to the package directions.)  Fluff with a fork.