Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash and Halloumi

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4

I was introduced to wheatgrass when I was 23, on a trip to New York with friends. After riding our bikes from a train station in New Jersey and arriving at Penn Station by train, we inadvertently ended up sleeping in a hostel in Williamsburg that turned out to be something else entirely and is a story for another day. We demanded a refund and were pointed in the direction of a small cafe down the street. We went in to regroup and explained our lodging plight to the owner and he made us a round of wheatgrass shots. Years later when I moved near a smoothie place in Atlanta I started taking a shot of wheatgrass pretty regularly. Wheatgrass is grown from wheat berries, a whole wheat kernel that you can cook and add to salads, soups, bread, and other recipes. They’re slightly chewy and add a nutty, earthy flavor to this dish. They’re also loaded with fiber, protein, iron, and vitamin E. I love a good grain as a filler to a dish and I am so glad I was introduced to this one in such a roundabout way.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup wheat berries

• 1 butternut squash, seeds removed, cut into cubes

• 3 large carrots, diced

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons

• 3 tablespoons harissa powder

• 5 garlic cloves

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 3 thyme sprigs

• coarse kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 3 lemons

• ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

• ⅓ cup raisins

• ½ cup of parsley, chopped

• ¼ celery salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• 3 green onions, trimmed, and chopped, use both green and white parts

• 8-10 ounces Halloumi

• sumac, for serving

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425° degrees F.

2. Pour wheat berries into a saucepan and add cold water about 2 inches above the wheat berries. Bring to a boil uncovered for roughly one hour until the wheat berries are soft. When finished, drain and set aside to cool.

3. Slice the squash into 1 1/2-inch pieces.

4. Peel and chop carrots.

5. Toss the squash and carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the harissa, garlic, honey, thyme sprigs, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

6. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until golden brown and tender, about 40 minutes, stirring everything around at about the 20-minute mark.

7. Transfer to a large serving bowl and add red pepper flakes and squeeze the juice of one lemon over the top.

8. Toast walnuts in a skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes or so until they become fragrant.

9. Combine wheat berries in a bowl with walnuts, raisins, parsley, celery salt, black pepper, onions and 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and juice from 2 lemons.

10. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, place halloumi directly into the pan and cook until slightly golden in places, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

To Serve

Divide wheat berry mix between plates, top with carrot and butternut squash mixture.

Add sliced halloumi and a squeeze of lemon juice. Garnish with sumac.

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