Wheat berry salad starts with a stop at the salad bar
Someone had to do some cooking for this recipe, but you don’t.
Head to a salad bar that’s well stocked with whole grains. Cooked wheat berries will be there; chewy and protein-packed, they provide the terrain for all kinds of add-ins. Here, we went with scallions and roasted pumpkin seeds for crunch; pomegranate arils (seeds) and roasted red peppers for color; pomegranate molasses for a tangy sweetness; and an herbed goat cheese for texture and flavor.
Because it just seemed to work, I tossed in a bit of leftover Chinese food: thin slices of roast pork, to be specific, although rotisserie chicken or strips of roast turkey breast or cooked shrimp would do.
When you want to riff on this salad again, go the less-expensive route and cook the wheat berries yourself. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to a month.