Plump little wheat berries mixed with tonnes of veggies, herbs and a creamy garlic, mustard and tahini dressing in this healthy summer salad!

Perfect for BBQ’s, picnics or livening up your lunch box this vibrant and fresh summer salad is an assembly of so many wonderful ingredients!

Front and centre star of the show for this summer salad recipe is the wheat berries – which are, quite literally, the berries from wheat plants.  They’re the least processed form of wheat and contain all three parts of the grain.  Since the wheat kernel is left intact, virtually none of the nutrients are stripped away.  They’re high in fibre and protein but low in calories and carbohydrates.  If you’ve followed us for a while you’ll have probably noticed we’re fans of Hodmedods.  Amazing ingredients (some of which were completely new to me!) and all UK grown.  I’d never used wheat berries before, but I absolutely LOVE experimenting in the kitchen.  A dash of this, a sprinkle of that.  How long to cook something for, making notes.

Baking (vegan or otherwise) is much more of an exact science though.  Things have to be measured, not guesstimated.  And I knew a lot of chefs that didn’t enjoy working in the pastry kitchen because of this.  It’s less forgiving and there’s less room for error.  Salad doesn’t have any of those kind of restrictions.  It can be whatever YOU want it to be.  Recipes are more of a guideline than a rigid set of instructions.

Take this summer salad recipe.  I have a list of ingredients and amounts but add/takeaway according to YOUR taste.  We’ve got:

Leeks and tomatoes – roasted with herbs and lemon.

Pine nuts – creamy and rich and full of heart healthy monounsaturated fatty acids.

Broccoli – for it’s beautiful bright green colour as well as its Vitamin C, K and folate content.

Lemon Tahini Dressing – nutty macadamia oil (or use your preferred oil) jazzed up with garlic, mustard, vinegar and tahini for a thick and dreamy cream dressing that I could slather over everything right now!

I roasted about half the tomatoes and kept the other half as just tomatoes.  Roasting brings out their wonderfully rich flavour but I wanted the bright freshness of raw tomatoes too.

Love salad?

We’ve got plenty more ideas for you:

Spring Greens Salad – packed with green veggies and tonnes of crunchy flavour this bright spring greens salad is an easy vegan recipe showcasing the season’s best produce!

Pasta Salad – an all time classic, this one is BIG on flavour with a roasted vegetable sauce.

Herb and Lemon Tomato Salad – fresh herbs, zingy lemon, crusty bread and just 5 minutes to whip up

Thai Quinoa Salad with Almond Butter Dressing – this is a lunchbox favourite for us, so many wonderful healthy ingredients and a divine salad dressing.

Roast Carrot and Smoked Quinoa Salad with Cauliflower Steaks – more herbs, garlic and fresh lemon pack flavour into the veggies, contrasting superbly with the smoked quinoa.

Warm Peach and Sweet Potato Salad with Balsamic Dressing – peppery rocket topped with warm summer fruit and salty pecans.  Summery heaven.

Like all these salads this bright vegetable salad also keeps really well for a few days in the fridge.  Just keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to eat!  Serve it with marinated baked tofu or hunks of crusty bread for an impressive summer feast!

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