WHEAT BERRIES

I would never call myself a vegetarian (I love pulled pork too much), but eating meat is something I do only on occasion.  It’s not that I have strong feelings one way or another…I just hate cooking meat.  It takes a long time to make, and it costs a lot of money.  These are two things I have little of right now, so I’ve been experimenting with various (cheap) alternatives.   One being the wheat berry. 

I hadn’t heard of wheat berries until about a year ago, so don’t worry if you have a confused look on your face and are thinking, “what the hell is that”?  Wheat berries are not incredibly popular (yet) and, consequently, are hard to locate in many grocery stores.  But they are delicious and make a mean dish. 

The berries remind me of tiny popcorn kernels that come dark tan or red.  One cup dry yields about 3 cups cooked, so they go a long way.  2 cups dry at a whole foods market cost me under $1.50.  One serving (1/4 c. dry) has a decent 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber…and they’re my favorite kind of whole grain!  Once prepared, they are delectably chewy and pair well with some feta, pecans, and dried cranberries.   I love this “salad” plain or thrown over some spinach for a decent lunch.  But what am I saying, I’d eat this any time of day. 

Wheat berries take about 40-50 minutes to fully cook (Just simmer 1 c. berries with 3 c. water until all water is absorbed), but you can make a big batch and store them in the fridge for days.  I am currently living in a town that has no whole foods store (but every fast food franchise you can think of), so I completely understand if you might have a hard time finding wheat berries near you.  Check out a co-op or whole/health food store if you are able, otherwise do what I do and substitute with pearl barley.  Both have similar textures and can be paired with much of the same foods, (pearl barley has only 5 grams of protein, but 7.5 grams fiber).