Saskatoon Wheat Berry Salad – Whole Grain Salad
Want to try a saskatoon wheat berry salad? It’s super tasty and really, does it get any more prairie than wheat and saskatoons?
You may have guessed by now that I love fruit, especially our amazing assortment of prairie fruit. Saskatoons are one of those fruits. If you have not had saskatoons, they are about the size, shape and color of blueberries, but the similarities stop there. Saskatoons are actually members of the rose family, making them more closely related to apples than to any berries. They have have a stem and blossom end with seeds and seed chambers like an apple.
They are not quite as juicy as blueberries, but according to PrairieBerries they have two times more fiber, potassium and iron and four times more magnesium than blueberries. Saskatoons taste like a combination of apple, blueberry and almond in one bite. They go really well with citrus or almond extract and are fantastic in this salad.
A wonderful thing about saskatoons, also known as serviceberries or juneberries in the US and other parts of Canada, is that they retain their shape and do not bleed like blueberries – even after being frozen. That means a recipe like this saskatoon wheatberry salad can be made using frozen berries and still look great!
The wheat berries in this salad make it a satisfying whole grain salad that will keep you satisfied all day. They also add great texture to this salad. For more information about the benefits of wheat berries and how to cook them check out this post All About Wheat Berries.
Want to Add More Protein
The whole grains in this salad provide some protein, but if you want to add even more, top up this salad with:
- nuts & seeds (try walnuts & hemp seeds)
- beans (try chickpeas)
- meat (sliced grilled chicken, pork or beef would all work)
- fish/seafood (add salmon or white fish)
Saskatoon Wheat Berry Salad
Saskatoon Wheat Berry Salad
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw or 1 cup cooked wheat berries
- 4-5 cups salad greens
- 1/2 carrot shredded
- 1/2 small zucchini diced
- 1/2 red pepper diced
- 1/2 yellow pepper diced
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 cup saskatoons fresh or frozen thawed
Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice juice of 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and drain wheatberries. Place in medium saucepan and cover with 1 to 2 inches of water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 50-60 minutes until tender. Drain any remaining water and cool.
- Wash and dry salad greens.
- On a large platter or on individual plates, arrange salad greens.
- Layer wheat berries and remaining ingredients on top of greens in any way you wish.
Vinaigrette
- In a screw top jar, combine oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper. Shake vigorously until well mixed. Serve next to salad to allow each person to dress their own salad.
Notes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
This salad is a variation of this wheat berry salad, which just goes to show that you can change it up however you’d like. Change the veggies based on what you have on hand. Choose whether or not you want to add the salad greens. Or swap the wheat berries for hulless oats, hulless barley, quinoa, buckwheat or farro. You could also try adding lentils or other pulses to make this a protein rich vegetarian meal in one. In other words, like most of my recipes, use it as inspiration only – make this salad your way.
Are you a fan of fruit and whole grains in salad? Do you have any favorite combos?
Sign up to get articles by Getty delivered to your inbox. You’ll get recipes, practical tips and great food information like this. Getty is a Professional Home Economist, speaker and writer putting good food on tables and agendas. She is the author of Manitoba’s best-selling Prairie Fruit Cookbook, Founder of Fruit Share, a mom and veggie gardener.