Christmas Baking with the Pro's

A few week ago I was honored to be part of a charity New York City Blogger event called 'Cookies for Kids' Cancer'.  It was such a delight to be with some really creative bakers, cookbook authors and other talented foodie bloggers. 

It was great to watch a room full of proud bakers carefully and creatively plate their cookie works of art, and share it with others in their community.  We all had to make a batch of cookies and make a place card with our cookie name, our names and our bakery and/or blog we represent.  They had so many wonderful cookies, sweet and savory, and provided us with a killer bar-b-que lunch.  Amazing!

And wait there are more cookies.....

So fast forward to this past weekend, and I hosted my own cookie swap.  It was so much fun.  Lots of food, friends and yes more cookies!!

hey there....Rudolph!

 

So how do you balance out all that sugar? eat more sugar Why a healthy salad of course, for the party I made my wheat berry and sweet potato salad, that went over really well.  It was very satisfying, a perfect combination of sweet potato and crunchy toasted walnuts. 

It got me thinking about other combinations of salads using wheat berries.  So here's today's recipe....

Winter Wheat Berry Edamame Salad

makes: 6-8    prep time: 20 minutes    cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups of water or vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry wheat berries
1/2 or 1 can of black bean, rinsed and drained
1 cup of frozen edamame, shelled and thawed
1 cup of tomatoes, diced ( I used cherry tomatoes)
1/2 cup of red onion, finely chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 cup of assorted colored peppers, diced, (whatever colors you have on hand)
2 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

1.  In a medium size saucepan, combine water/stock with the wheat berries.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes.  (*most recipes call to cook them much longer, I prefer mine on the chewier side, but feel free to cook to your liking)

2.  After cooking, drain in a fine mesh strainer, and run under cold water to cool quickly. 

3.  Combine wheat berries with all other ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste. 

I know since it's winter, I should be posting more warm, comfort foods, but these are the types of salads and lunches I need to grab during this busy holiday season.  If you have it prepared in the fridge, lunch/dinner can be served in minutes, and the colorful plate and zesty flavors make it a delicious meal.  Happy Holidays everyone.  Enjoy!