Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Vinegar and Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette (VIDEO)

Today I just wanted a simple salad. Simple and full of flavor and nutrients. Nutrient-dense ingredients are the key to this salad, and it can be a side dish or a meal!

Also, this is a salad that I can share with my friend who is on a plant-based diet.

Fall colors, crunchy texture and complicity of flavor that comes through in every bite.

I'm pro-healthy choice and always stand up for the OLD WAY of eating, the way our ancestors ate and prepared their food. No processed food! THIS IS the only TRUE WAY to eat in my opinion. If God gave us something, whole, pure and unprocessed then you should eat it, and not run away because that's not what your KETO protocol tells you.

MORE OF HEALTHY SALADS

Arugula Salad with crunchy Chickpeas and roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans and Chipotle Dressing

Summer Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing

WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE SALAD WITH APPLE CIDER VINEGAR & ROASTED GARLIC VINAIGRETTE?

Wheat berries cooked - any kind will do in this recipe. Here are a few kinds that I use in my kitchen: Kamut, spelt, red hard wheat, white soft wheat.

Kale - any kind you like, I used curly kale in the video. Spinach would be another great choice too.

Pumpkin - I love pumpkin season and enjoy using numerous types in many different recipes. In the video, I used one of my favorite pumpkins called kabocha.

I like to safe seeds, roast them and then grind into the flour. Using pumpkin seeds flour in a bake goods is an easy way to consume them.

Walnuts - toasted will definitely offer more crunch and flavor.

Apple - green or red, you choose, thinly sliced.

Red onion - thinly sliced.

Red grapes - really any grapes will do.

Apple cider vinegar - with "the mother". Make sure you shake it before using.

Raw honey - local honey is the only one I use in my kitchen.

Dijon mustard

Extra virgin olive oil - the best quality you can find, for years I've been using

this brand.

Garlic - the whole bulb, don't worry it's not too much, after roasting the garlic, it is very sweet and has a mellow flavor.

Sage - fresh or dried. I think it's a nice touch to the fall flavor.

WHAT IT IS WHEAT BERRIES?

For our ancestors of 100 years ago, whole grains and real bread were the staples of their diet. They did not suffer from cancer, heart disease, or diabetes as we do today. In fact, in 1900, America was the healthiest of 93 countries surveyed. By 1920 it had dropped to 2nd and thereafter America’s health continued to rapidly decline. Today, America is the world's leader in chronic sickness and disease as well as obesity. What happened to cause such drastic changes in America’s health?

If you never make any other changes in your family’s diet other than providing real WHOLE GRAINS, and REAL bread, you will still experience many health improvements.

Hearty, chewy and fiber-rich boiled wheat berries are the perfect base for any breakfast, lunch or dinner dish. They are slightly chewy and so delicious.

Wheat berries are full of various nutrients like vitamin B and fiber. The germ is a nutrient-rich core packed with vitamin E and essential fatty acids. The endosperm is an energy-rich middle layer with proteins and carbohydrates. They are packed with all sorts of nutrients, and I think very unappreciated in the culinary world. They aren't well known. for example, as quinoa nor are they considered a superfood. However, recent studies are showing us what this old grain can offer. Please check for yourself by reading this study.

WHAT DO I LIKE ABOUT THIS SALAD?

Beside it being a healthy salad, every ingredient is a superfood. Seasonal, delicious, and eye appealing, will have you making it again and again.

This salad is a favorite due in part to its versatility. Ingredients can easily be changed to suit your family’s likes and dislikes. The Vinaigrette dressing elevates all flavors in this salad. Roasted garlic gives it an extra boost of umami flavor.

WHYIS IT IMPORTANT TO SOAK WHEAT BERRIES?

For the best health benefits for some grains, they need to be soaked. Grains, beans, nuts and seeds are loaded with phytic acid, which not only grabs onto important minerals, but it also inhibits enzymes that we need to digest our food. This includes pepsin (needed for the breakdown of proteins in the stomach) and amylase (needed for the breakdown of starch into sugar). Trypsin (needed for protein digestion in the small intestine) is also inhibited by phytates.

Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption.

To all my friends, who stick with a plant-based diet, remember this!

HOW DO YOU COOK WHEAT BERRIES?

When I am making boiled grains (previously soaked of course) it’s always a good idea to make more than you need for the recipe because you can refrigerate the rest and have them on hand to put in future dishes. Boiled wheat berries or really any whole grains make a perfect base for a quick meal, salad, and grain bowl or they can be added to a hearty soup or stew.

Soaking the grain in water 6-12 hours before cooking can decrease cooking time and make for a softer, plumper cooked grain.

Using a pressure cooker to cook whole grains cuts the cooking time by at least ½. It is my preferred method. But I have given directions for both pressure and conventional methods of cooking.

• 2 cups uncooked wheat berries

• Water for soaking with a pinch of Celtic salt

• 3 cups of water or broth of choice

• ½ teaspoon of salt

Place wheat berries in a bowl with enough water to completely cover. Let soak for 6-12 hours or overnight. Drain.

Pressure cooker method:

On high heat, in a pressure cooker, combine soaked wheat berries, 3 cups of water or broth and ½ teaspoon of salt. Lock the lid into place and bring up to the 2nd ring of pressure. Reduce heat to maintain pressure. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let pressure naturally release. Open the lid. The wheat should be tender, and the liquid should be mostly absorbed. Drain any excess liquid.

Regular Cooking Method:

In a saucepan, combine soaked wheat berries, 3 cups of water or broth and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook on high heat and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook until it is tender, about 35-45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit covered for about 15 minutes. Drain any excess liquid.

Makes about 4 cups of cooked wheat.

Each cup of whole grain makes about 2 cups of cooked grain.

SHOPPING FOR CURLY KALE

When shopping for curly kale, you are likely to see bunches that look leggier and more like a bouquet with leaves limited to the upper half of the stems as well as fuller bunches with greens running the entire length of the stem. Because the stems are too tough to eat, be sure to maximize the usable leaf portions by looking for the fuller bunches.

And what about bagged pre-cut kale? You might be tempted by the opportunity to skip some prep work, but I found that bagged kale contains various sized pieces, and some of them have very thick stems. It took me too much time to sort through and get rid of the uneatable pieces. Therefore, in my opinion, it doesn't save you time or money.

Let's make this salad...

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Author: Inna of innichkachef.com

Servings: 3 salads as a meal or 6 salads as a side dish

Ingredients for the Salad

1 bunch of kale, chopped

11/2 cups wheat berries, cooked (see notes above)

2 cups chopped half-inch cubes of pumpkin (I used kabocha pumpkin)

2 cups red grapes

1/2 apple, thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

3/4 cup walnuts

1/2 cup goat cheese (for topping optional, I didn't add in the video)

1/2 teaspoon paprika (for the pumpkin)

2 Tablespoons olive oil (for the roasting pumpkin and grapes)

Salt, freshly ground black pepper (for the roasting pumpkin and grapes)

Ingredients for the Vinaigrette

2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 head of garlic

2-3 fresh sage leaves (optional, but it gives a nice touch to the dressing)

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

2 teaspoons raw honey

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. To the bowl with chopped pumpkin add salt, freshly ground black pepper, a pinch of paprika and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Mix all together and pour onto a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.

3. Repeat the same procedure with the grapes. To season the grapes, I use only salt, black pepper and olive oil.

4. For the dressing, roast garlic by taking a garlic bulb and cut it in half and place the two halves on a foil sheet. Add salt (optional), drizzle with olive oil and put the two halves together. Wrap tight with foil and place in the oven for about 20 minutes.

5. To make the dressing, add roasted garlic (squeeze meat out of each garlic clove), and the rest of the ingredients to the blender cup. Don't forget to shake the vinegar before pouring it into the blender cup. Puree all together. Give it a taste and if needed adjust the flavor with honey or vinegar.

6. Prep your kale and pile it on the serving platter. In a bowl, add the cooled roasted pumpkin, grapes, cooked wheat berries, sliced apple, onion, and walnuts (leave a few pieces for the garnish). Pour your dressing all over and mix all together using salad tongs. Arrange nicely over the kale bedding and pour some dressing on top and sprinkle on the remaining nuts. You can top with cheese if you wish, but I didn't do that in the video.

7. Serve immediately. This salad is even great the next day too.

Enjoy!

I hope you'll make this recipe soon. If you do, please tag me #innichka_chef on Instagram, Facebook, Patreon or Pinterest.