“What Is She Eating?” Wednesday

Some days, I catch myself thinking “Le sigh, another day, another salad.” Don’t get me wrong, I love my leafy greens – love, love, love! I don’t think I ever turned up my nose at “green stuff” as a kid, and I have quite a few memories of sneaking out to my grandfather’s garden in the summertime to snatch a few leaves of Boston or Red Leaf lettuce. But there are only so many times you can sit down to the same assortment of greens without feeling the need to shake things up.

Enter my late Sunday afternoon cooking sprees. I might whip up a batch of vegetarian chili in the slow cooker while also sautéing some carrots and green beans. If I sense that The Man feels like grilling, asparagus and potatoes will get a quick toss in balsamic vinegar and spices before heading outside with the burgers or chicken breasts. On sweltering summer days, I might forgo all forms of cooking and just slip a can of tuna and some jarred marinated artichoke hearts into my bag. Best of all, now that our garden is starting to produce more than leaves and vines, I sometimes have a fresh tomato or two to help liven things up.

For this edition of “What Is She Eating?” Wednesday, I wanted to share one of my favorite ways to un-boring a salad – adding a cup of cooked whole grains right on top. On top of what? On top of everything! Inspired by our Grain of the Month for July, my whole grain “toppers” were plump and flavorful wheat berries. Wheat berries are ridiculously easy to make, and they have a great nutty flavor and chewy-yet-tender texture that I can’t seem to get enough of. Wheat berries are also full of fiber and protein, both of which help me skip right by the mid-afternoon urge to graze and carry me straight through to my pre-gym snack in the late afternoon.

When I make wheat berries, I typically freeze most of them in half-cup containers, which makes it even easier to add them into whatever I’m making for lunch or dinner. Seriously, you don’t get much simpler than pulling a little container of wheat berries out of your freezer, carting it to the office, and letting it defrost on its own in the work fridge. In the *ahem* unlikely event that the air conditioning cuts out on your train during a nearly-90-degree morning commute, your container of frozen wheat berries can be used as an emergency cold compress to keep you from passing out.

In detail, today’s “What Is She Eating?” Wednesday featured sautéed Romanesco, rainbow carrots, and baby green beans topped with wheat berries, served over a bed of peppery arugula. Trust me, there was nothing boring about it!  (Kara)