Sunday, January 27, 2008

Wheat Berry and Edamame Salad...

I mentioned yesterday that we spent some time in St. Paul. We decided to go over and check out the winter carnival - not quite what I was expecting, but we did think the ice carvings were pretty impressive! And yes, it may not be quite "Minnesotan" of us, but we skipped the traditional "hot dish" that many enjoy (and my stomach thanks me!).

Here are some snowmen...

Notice the poor little guy in front who got a little to close to the "ice" fire and melted!

Here are some characters from the Wizard of Oz...

The back of the display was just as neat!

Tonight's dinner is one that could easily be served as a side, but we ended up just having a bit more of it, along with some of that cornbread that was in the freezer from a couple weeks ago, and called it a meal.

This Wheat Berry Salad with Edamame is not a necessarily a speedy recipe per se, but the majority of the time needed is just spent waiting on the wheat berries - they require about an hour of simmering to soften. When the wheat berries are ready, a couple cups of edamame are tossed in and allowed to cook along with them until they become tender. I was just about to bring another pot of water to a boil to cook the green soybeans, but stopped myself when I realized I should just add them to the wheat berries and save a pot to clean!

For some contrasting texture, crisp celery, sweet chewy currants and chopped sun-dried tomatoes are added to the cooked wheat berries and edamame. We used oil-packed tomatoes, but if all you have is dry, just soak them in some hot water for a few minutes to plump them up. To dress the salad, a garlicky balsamic dressing is created by combining balsamic vinegar, extravirgin olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Light and refreshing, you could also toss in some cooked shrimp or chicken to make it a little more filling.


11 comments:

  1. Those sculptures are beautiful. Haven't been in a Carnival in a while. Supper looks great.

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  2. The wheat berry salad looks pretty good! The colors look like christmas all over again :)

    The ice sculptures are soooo cool... n_n

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  3. Helene - There was suppose to be snow sculptures too, but we didn't have time to drive over and see them.

    Jamezu - Thank you!

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  4. Have you run into any Vulcans yet?? I have several Vulcan charms that were given to me when I lived in St. Paul. I loved the winter carnival.
    As usual, the food looks great. I made your M&M Bars again last night but this time I used Reese's Pieces- awesome!!!

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  5. Joe, you were right by my house this weekend! :)

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  6. Hey, I grew up eating lots of hot dish in North Dakota. I survived it, you can too! I have to admit the hot dish recipe you linked to looks a little fancy (that's Nodak talk for "Gosh, look at all those exotic ingredients, Mom never had to use all that stuff to make US happy. (tsk, tsk, shakes head)").

    My sister and I visited my dozens of relatives in Minneapolis a couple years ago (in August!). While standing around in a crowded kitchen, sis and I were making potato salad. I asked her if it needed some mustard or green onions, she said no. This short exchange started a conversation among my cousins as they listed all the ingredients they'd NEVER add to potato salad. Inside my head I shrieked "Get a grip, the world is full of new and wondrous potato salads", but I stayed silent.

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  7. Josie - No thankfully! Hmm... PB sounds like a good addition to those bars!

    Elisabeth - !! I see!

    Seth - I never ate it growing up (picky picky!), but it was made quite often!

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  8. If you can't take the hot dish join the revolution!

    http://tobemrsmarv.com/2007/04/22/hotdish-revolution-try-try-again/

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  9. Oh, winter in St. Paul - I miss it!

    This salad is right up my alley - I'm going to try it with farro since I don't have any wheat berries today.

    thanks...

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  10. There are some Hot Dish's that are good( and can be made healthy). I make one with tater tots and ground turkey that my neice loves. My ex's mom( they were all from Shakopee) made it with greasy hamburger. Btw, the last time I was in St. Paul, I went to a lunch place that was full of different cakes. I've never forgotten that place.

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  11. MrsMarv - I'll check it out!

    Karen - I wish I had easier access to Farro. I've only seen it once and can't remember where that was!

    Randi - Do you remember what it was called? Was it the Turtle Bread Co.?

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