Wheat Berry Salad with Faken Bacon

 

This recipe came to me from a friend and blog follower, when I got the recipe it did call for regular bacon of course I just swapped it for vegan bacon. I made this salad about 3 weeks ago and I took it for lunch for a few days and since then I have made another batch to take for lunches. It is so filling with the wheat berry's and I love the fresh lemon and parsley flavor. This is a great make ahead and keep it on hand I would say its good for a few days in the fridge, if it lasts that long! I also think it would be a great dish to take to your next Sunday football potluck. I am sure at some point this season I will bring this dish and its sure to be a hit! Give this one a try, if you are not sure about the vegan bacon you can leave it out or use what ever you want. If you try this one let me know how it goes I love to know you all are trying the recipe's I post! Also a big thank you to Tricia for the recipe!

this is the fake bacon - it is yummy!

Dressing

 

cherries and toasted pecans

I am so bad at taking pictures! Sorry!


Ingredients

• 1 cup wheat berries
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1 package Organic Smoky Tempeh Strips - http://www.lightlife.com/product_detail.jsp?p=tempeh_smokystrips
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1Tablespoon Grape Seed Oil

Directions

1. In a large pot, combine the wheat berries, 4 quarts water, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Cook until tender but still slightly chewy, 50 to 60 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350° F. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then roughly chop.

3. Meanwhile, cook the Tempeh in a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of Grape Seed Oil over medium-high heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.  When cool, crumble and add to the wheat berries, along with the pecans, cherries, parsley, shallots, oil, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine.