Wheat berries add texture to summer salad

Wheat berries are great little nuggets — a whole grain, containing the germ, endosperm and bran. They have a nice dose of fibre and protein, as well as B vitamins and several minerals.

They take at least an hour to cook, though you want to make sure they have a bit of chew to them and don’t get too soft. The basic ratio is 1 3/4 cups water or broth to 1 cup dried grain.

If you make a batch early in the week, you can throw them into all kinds of side dishes and salads for extra texture.

Tomato Wheat Berry Salad

Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours Makes: Eight servings

3 cups cooked wheat berries 3 cups quartered cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup roughly chopped olives 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp Dijon mustard, preferably coarse • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Place the wheat berries in a large mixing bowl, and add the tomatoes, onion, olives, scallions, parsley and mint. Toss to combine.

In a small bowl or container, place the olive oil, thyme, lemon juice, rice vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Stir or shake to combine well, then pour dressing over salad. Toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition information per serving: 212 calories; 70 calories from fat; 8 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 313 mg sodium; 31 g carbohydrate; 6 g fibre; 2 g sugar; 6 g protein.