Harvest Wheatberry Salad

Recipe by Steven Petusevsky

Mark Boughton/styling: Teresa Blackburn

Ingredients

Salad:: 2cups uncooked wheat berries; 1cup pumpkin seed kernels; 1cup chopped apples; 1/2cup chopped dried apricots; 1/2cup dried cranberries; 1cup finely chopped parsely
Ginger Ale Vinaigrette:: 1/2cup ginger ale; 3tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1/2teaspoon salt; 1/2teaspoon black pepper; 1/2teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2tablespoons lemon juice

To prepare salad, put wheatberries into a large bowl, cover with at least 2 inches of water and set aside to soak at least 1 hour. Drain well.
Put 7 cups water into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add wheatberries, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until thoroughly cooked about 40 minutes. (Wheatberries retain a firm, chewy texture when cooked.) Drain and let cool.
Transfer wheatberries to a large bowl. Add pumpkin seeds, apples, apricots, cranberries and parsley.
To prepare dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk well. Add to salad ingredients and mix well.

Recipe by Chef Steve Petusevsky.