EWO Winter Salad

Last December we ran a contest to give a way a Holiday Meal Kit, and as part of it we wanted to include a salad that really showcased the delicious vegetables and grains that are typically available locally. In the dead of winter, that isn't a very large selection, but with the right treatment this simple salad can really sing. This salad is best served warm, and the caramelized vegetable sugars (and the added brown sugar) make us feel like we're being hugged from the inside. The EWO Winter Salad is filling, hardy, and a meal on its own but it also plays well with other items like roasted meats.

The unspoken star of this recipe is wheat berry. What is a wheat berry, you ask? A wheat berry, or wheatberry, is a whole wheat kernel, composed of the bran, germ, and endosperm, without the husk. That means all of the nutritional value is left intact. 

Ingredients:

• Butternut Squash
• Beets
• Sprouts
• Wheatberries
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Brown sugar
• Olive oil

Instructions:

1. Bring wheat berries to boil in a sauce pan with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 50 minutes, till the berries are soft. While these simmer you can prep the vegetables. When they are finished, drain and keep warm.
2. Preheat over to 400 degrees
3. Chop squash into 1 inch cubes and toss in 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp black pepper.
4. Chop Beets into 1 inch cubes and toss in 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp black pepper.
5. Transfer squash to a baking dish and roast for 20 mins till the squash is soft but not mushy.
6. Transfer beets to a baking dish, cover and roast for 30 minutes till soft.
7. In a large salad bowl, spread the wheat berries and drizzle some olive oil. Layer with roasted squash and beets and top with the sprouts.
8. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and drizzle with some olive oil. Serve warm.

If you're as talented as Julia from @imagelicious then your presentation may look a little something like this:

Julia is a very talented food photographer who was gracious enough to let us use her photo of our salad! We highly recommend following her Instagram account if you enjoy getting hungry every few minutes.