Just because it’s winter and heading into the chilly side of spring, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy salads! This Meatless Monday, I’m sharing a wonderful plant-based Wheat Berry Salad that can be enjoyed warm or chilled for tomorrow’s lunch.
This wonderful wheat berry salad is nutritionally well-balanced for a light meal or hearty side with nutrient-dense mushrooms and grains. Mushrooms contain vitamin D at various levels, B vitamins in notable amounts, and a good little dose of natural protein. Plus wheat berries are relatively high in protein and fiber. Kasha, the gluten-free option for this recipe, is just a little bit lower in protein and has about a third of the fiber.
Nonetheless, if you want a heartier wheat berry salad, you can add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas or diced baked tofu. Both will meld wonderfully with the flavors in this recipe while adding a good dose of plant-based protein.
This wheat berry salad recipe with photo was shared with us by the Mushroom Council.
Special Diet Notes: Orange-Curry Wheat Berry Salad
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
For a gluten-free warm salad, I recommend swapping in kasha, or buckwheat groats, for the wheat berries. Despite it’s name, buckwheat is actually wheat-free and gluten-free.
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms, halved
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked wheat berries, warm
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
- Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully stir the mushrooms and bake for 5 more minutes, or until tender.
- Transfer the mushrooms to a medium bowl. Stir in the cooked wheat berries, green onions and cranberries.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss to mix all of the ingredients, and serve warm. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
More Meatless Mushroom Meal Recipes
Mushroom Pasta Bake with White Wine Cream Sauce (vegan, optionally gluten-free & nut-free)
Marinated Mushroom Bowls with Lentils and Wild Rice (vegan, gluten-free & optionally allergy-friendly)
BBQ Portobello Mushroom Burgers (vegan, optionally gluten-free & nut-free)
1 Comment
I love all the flavors you have packed in this salad and it looks so filling and satisfying! I could see making a big batch of this and adding and tweaking it and enjoying it all week long.