Wheat Berry Southwest Salad (Vegan, Oil-Free)

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This Wheat Berry Southwest Salad is bursting with citrusy chili-lime flavors, and makes an excellent side dish or compliment to any potluck. It’s also oil-free!

Wheat berries come in different varieties…hard, soft, red or white. My preference by far is the organic hard white wheat berries, as they are chewier, and not mushy as all. For bread making or pastries, soft wheat berries are common, but for this dish, I highly recommend hard white wheat berries. It’s a nice texture to bite into, and they keep their shape well.

Please note that wheat berries are literally made of wheat so if you are gluten-free, you’ll have to skip them. Keep in mind though, this dish can also work with other grains, such as quinoa or brown rice.

Cook the wheat berries.

You have 2 options to make the wheat berries in this recipe, either Instant Pot or Stovetop. Note: they both take roughly the same amount of time. Sometimes I will make the wheat berries in the Instant Pot in advance (and especially if I’m doing something else so I don’t have to watch the stove), and I’ll chop the veggies the next day.

• Instant Pot Instructions: To the Instant Pot, add 3 cups of water and 1 cup dried wheat berries. Set to Manual for 30 minutes. Seal and cook until done. When finished, release pressure. Drain and rinse the wheat berries with cold water. Set aside.
• Stovetop Instructions: In a saucepan, add 3 cups of water and 1 cup dried wheat berries. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Test for doneness; they should be chewy but not tough. Remove from the pan, drain any water if necessary, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Prepare veggies.

While you are waiting for the wheat berries to cook, you can chop all the veggies and add to a large bowl.

Next sprinkle/drizzle the following over the veggies evenly: chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, lime zest, lime juice, maple syrup and white wine vinegar. Stir immediately.

Next, add the cooled wheat berries to the large bowl and stir again until combined. Taste and add lime juice, or additional spices as desired. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

If you try this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag the photo with #veggie__chick on Instagram. I just love to see my recipes being made in YOUR kitchen!

Wheat Berry Southwest Salad (Vegan, Oil-Free)

This Wheat Berry Southwest Salad is bursting with citrusy chili-lime flavors, and makes an excellent side dish or compliment to any potluck. It’s also oil-free!

• Cook Time: 35
• Total Time: 35
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried white wheat berries (red also works but is a different consistency, thus not recommended for this dish)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, finely diced
• 3/4 cup chopped red cabbage
• 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1 medium jalapeño, seeded and diced very fine
• 1 medium mango, diced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• dash cayenne pepper, optional
• zest and juice from 1 lime (tip: zest lime before cutting for juice)
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Instructions

1. First, make the wheat berries. You can make them in the Instant Pot or Stovetop:

Instant Pot Instructions: To the Instant Pot, add 3 cups of water and 1 cup dried wheat berries. Set to Manual for 30 minutes. Seal and cook until done. When finished, release pressure. Drain and rinse the wheat berries with cold water. Set aside.

Stovetop Instructions: In a saucepan, add 3 cups of water and 1 cup dried wheat berries. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Test for doneness; they should be chewy but not tough. Remove from the pan, drain any water as necessary, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, chop all the veggies and add to a large bowl. Sprinkle/drizzle the following ingredients over the veggies evenly: chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper, lime zest, lime juice, maple syrup, and white wine vinegar. Stir immediately.

3. Lastly, add the cooled wheat berries to the large bowl and stir again until combined. Taste and add lime juice, or additional spices as desired. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Notes

Wheat berries are literally made of wheat so if you are gluten-free, you’ll have to skip them. Keep in mind though, this dish can also work with other grains, such as quinoa or brown rice.

This dish makes about 4 cups total, or 4 (1-cup) servings. 

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