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The power of positive thinking.

I’m crossing my fingers that that’s a real thing because while I would like to say, “Hey guys! If you are seeing this it means I survived a weekend of boxes, bubble wrap, or the consequences of a lack thereof” the truth is that I am (covertly) writing this on Friday afternoon in lab because who knows what the internet situation will be come Monday morning.

And god forbid I go without a Monday post.

No, seriously, The.Boy suggested it and if my eyes could shoot fireballs at him, they would have in that moment.

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I mean, not only does he expect me and my xenophobic self to uproot my life for a weekend and restart it in some kind of brave new living together world, but then he also wants me to skip.a.Monday.post?!?!?!?

Truth – I might not survive.

So here I am. Monday posting on Friday afternoon.  For my sanity.

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Plus I’m predicting that I will stress-eat my way through a jar of Nutella and a pint of Haagen Dazs Caramel Cone Crunch ice cream before the weekend is up and will need some healthy sustenance for the week ahead.

And if you’re scratching your head wondering why I decided to buy a PINT of ICE CREAM two days before I moved…well yes, so am I.  Sometimes, I think I don’t even like my skinny jeans.

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Anyways, this is another new Ottolenghi favorite of mine.  Bright fresh flavors, sultry roasted red peppers, and a hearty background of beans and wheat berries.  And you should know that it was so good that The.Boy ate it TWICE even though he doesn’t like olives OR feta, both of which are fairly prominent in here.

See? That whole compromise thing…we’re already working on it.

Power of positive thinking, right there.

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One year ago…S’mores Cupcakes
Two years ago…Triple Vanilla Mango Curd Cake Pops, Jamie Oliver’s Vegetable Jalfrezi
Three years ago…Roasted Plantain and Peanut Butter Sandwich, Spiced Red Lentil Pancakes with Pomegranate and Blue Cheese Couscous
Four years ago…Sultan’s Delight (Hunkar Begendi), Jicama Salad

Wheat Berry and Roasted Pepper Salad
Serves 4, adapted from Plenty

Ingredients
Dressing

  • juice of 1 medium lemon
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 glove garlic, crushed
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Salad

  • 1 cup dried wheat berries, soaked overnight
  • 8 oz dried tepary beans, soaked overnight
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 1 can black olives, quartered lengthwise
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 oz feta, crumbled

Instructions

  1. To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Bring two large pots of water to a boil. Add the wheat berries to one pot and the beans to another. Add a large pinch of salt to each. Simmer, covered, until just tender, about 1 hour. Drain and toss wheat berries and beans together. Set aside.
  3. Preheat the broiler. Cut peppers into quarters, discarding seeds and membranes. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until completely blistered and blackened. Cover tightly with foil and let sit for 10 minutes. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Tear peppers into thin slices.
  4. Toss the wheat berries and beans with the peppers, olives, oregano, spring onions, and feta. Pour over the dressing and gently mix together. Add salt to taste.

I am submitting this to I Heart Cooking Clubs as well as Souper Sunday hosted at Kahakai Kitchen!
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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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73 Responses to Wheat Berry and Roasted Pepper Salad with a Smoked Paprika Dressing

  1. I’m a very change-resistant person by nature and I’m embarrassed to say that is one reason why so much goes unpainted and renovated in my house. I can’t stand the chaos that is needed to fix things up. I can imagine how stressful moving might be, but at least it is a rented property and if it really sucked, it isn’t permanent!

  2. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm,looks like another winning salad from Ottolenghi. I would love to try wheat berries, but I’ve never come across them anywhere here. No doubt this would still be great with another grain – maybe quinoa or brown rice.

  3. I’m so glad you survived the move… well, I’m hoping you did at least 😉 Congrats on plunging into cohabitation. You’re going to love it! Speaking of love… I think this is a big bowl of love right here.

  4. Simply Life says:

    Hope you survived the move! I know I appreciate you not skipping a post! 🙂

  5. Pre-scheduled posts keep me sane, Joanne… and I know you survived the move. I guess we get to hear all about it on Wednesday!! 🙂

  6. Pam says:

    Well, I hope you survived!

  7. I think Monday posts are so important, too. I need them before I can go to work. I need the escape!

  8. Can’t for your next post so we know if you really did survive!

  9. I love the bite of wheat berries – and this sounds like a great recipe to use them!

  10. LOL, you crack me up! I predict you’ll love living together 🙂 And it seems there’s hope for me yet, like The Boy I am also not an olive fan, but this dish sounds amazing!

  11. Amy says:

    I like predictable! Keeps me sane and not filled with worst case scenarios. Also, if you can survive moving in together (and I mean the moving part, not the living part), you’re set for life. Exciting!

  12. My dad loves wheat berries but I didn’t really know how to make them… excited to have a recipe I can make for him 🙂

  13. Awesome job still writing your Monday post! I’m so glad you did – this looks terrific!
    Hope the move went well 🙂

  14. Monica says:

    I don’t think I’ve ever had wheat berry, and would love to try it. Your salad looks delicious. And much happiness in your new living arrangement! : )

  15. To be fair, moving is hard, active work. I’m sure the ice cream helped provide you the energy you needed to get through. 🙂

  16. I hope you had a smooth move and yay for surviving it…for now I’m totally focused on this salad. … roasted red peppers contribute crunch, beans add robust earthy fire and toothsome wheat berries provide a welcome chew. But it’s the unexpected addition of feta and olives that makes the dish pop. love it!!

  17. Hotly Spiced says:

    It’s amazing how the internet has been around for so little time (when you consider all of history) and yet we panic so much if we don’t have it – even if it’s going to be down for an hour or two. I was away last week trying to relax but it was so hard with the internet connection being so iffy. Well done you on getting your posts scheduled ahead of time – I didn’t manage it! xx

  18. Johanna GGG says:

    Oh I now need an update from you to check that you have an internet connection at home – my sister hasn’t had an internet connection at home for a while and I don’t know how she does it!

    But glad to see you are eating well – that salad sounds delicious – must try the dressing even if I never get around to buying wheat berries (good intentions and all that)

  19. Hope you get settled in quickly and painlessly!

  20. marie says:

    Haha, I AM skipping a Monday post, it’s been a busy weekend. Okay, probably not as busy as yours but it just wasn’t going to happen. I am the type when I go on vacation my fridge is EMPTY! (moving, haven’t done that in 10 years) The last couple of days of meals are pretty strange but you better believe nothing goes to waste. That’s one thing I just can’t stand, even if the food is super cheap.

    Thanks as always for your kind comments. Have a great week!

  21. Buying a pint of ice cream right before you move is the perfect time to buy it. Inhale and then burn it off lifting and moving everything haha.

  22. Another Ottolenghi recipe that’s got me drooling! 🙂 Going to have to try it soon. Hope you’re getting settled in without too much stress!

  23. Sarah says:

    hope the move went well! this salad would be great for an easy meal. yum!

  24. Velva says:

    Good luck on your move. I know it is both exciting and stressful.

    Velva

  25. Congratulations on the big move! Very exciting! And I totally get it. When my husband suggests I skip my Monday or Thursday posts because we’ve had a busy week/weekend, it’s like, do you even know me at all? This salad looks absolutely delicious, thank you for sharing!

  26. Beth says:

    Wheat berry salads are awesome! I hope everything went well with your move.

  27. Karen says:

    Smoked paprika is one of my best flavors ever… love it!

  28. Jessie says:

    Ooh, I hope your move went well over the weekend, Joanne! And that your Internet is hooked up soon, because seriously, how can a gal live without that? This wheat berry and pepper salad looks incredible, and the perfect fuel for moving day 🙂

  29. Pam says:

    Skip a post? Silly boy!

    I hope the move went smoothly. It’s so nice once you get unpacked & settled in to your new home.

    The salad looks hearty, flavorful, and super delicious.

  30. Emily says:

    Gosh, I really need to get the Ottolenghi cookbook(s) ASAP!! Seeing your recipes in my gmail Monday morning is totally my routine…Mondays mornings are rough but food blogs always makes them better ;p
    Hope the big move went well!!

  31. I hope the merging of belongings goes well Joanne – moving is crazy no matter what but moving in amd merging stuff can be a challenge! I can see why you bought the ice cream lol

  32. Ashley Bee says:

    Good luck on the move! I’m sure you’ll be cooking again in no time 😉

  33. Good luck with the move! Nothing wrong with the occasional pre-scheduled post (or bowl of ice cream either!)

  34. Ashley says:

    Ooh this looks great! Dino doesn’t really care for olives, either, so maybe this one will win him over!

  35. That smoked paprika dressing sounds amazing! Hope the move went smoothly!!

  36. Ooooo! Bubble wrap is a great moving tool…I probably should have used that instead of nothing. Opening a bunch of boxes with broken glass in them is soooo not cool. Live and learn. This looks great! Happy you didn’t skip a Monday post 🙂

  37. teresa says:

    oh man, moving is such a pain! but based on your instagram shots, it’s making good progress!!

    i am SO giving this a try! my skinny jeans and i haven’t been speaking for a while, and it’s time to change that!

  38. Eileen says:

    I hope your move went well! This salad sounds like an excellent way to clean out some of those lingering pantry bits. 🙂

  39. I do not think that I have ever tried wheat berries, but this sounds and looks amazing! Thanks for sharing :).

  40. I adore smoked paprika and sometimes revolve an entire dish around it..considering that I do enjoy wheat berry I will have to give this a go sometime!

  41. For some reason, my husband goes ga-ga over wheat berries. If I make this salad for him, I think I could present another honey-do list and he’d do it. You got me on tepari beans? Never heard of ’em, so I need to google and find out.

  42. Juliana says:

    Nice salad Joanne…I would love to have this salad as my lunch…looks very tasty and somehow comforting.
    Have a great week 🙂

  43. G’day I have never used wheat berries before and loved smoked paprika! A very healthy salad indeed! Would the wheat berries be like quinoa in flavor?
    Cheers! Joanne
    What’s On The List?
    http://www.whatsonthelist.net

  44. I’m feeling your stress as you face the HUGE task of shifting your life and melding it with another. Wishing you both heaps of happiness and patience and love. XO

  45. see now these are the kind of salads that I would love to see in the cases of whole foods.
    this is how I would eat more beans and lawn clippings err salads

  46. Monet says:

    Smile. Sending happy thoughts your way. I know I’m eager to hear how the weekend went. And I love this salad. Wheat berries are so good, and I only recently started cooking with them. Thank you for sharing!

  47. Lynn says:

    Hope it all went well! This salad looks divine!

  48. Kevin Lynch says:

    Now this is my kind of salad! It is just packed with flavour!

  49. You know somehow I’ve gone all these years and NEVER have tried wheat berries! Gotta get on this, girl! Thanks for the inspiration.

  50. Reeni Pisano says:

    You’ll have him loving everything that is good in the world soon enough! This is easy to love with all those great flavors! Caramel cone crunch? Gah. I need that. ASAP. Hope the movings going good!

  51. Mira says:

    This looks delicious, perfect fuel for moving and a good way to ensure your survival for long enough to post this. I hope the move went well and that unpacking goes smoothly! Thanks for sharing this wonderful dish! 🙂

  52. Dining Alone says:

    I have that bowl, love it 🙂 I hope the move went well and you are all unpacked and relaxing!

  53. Sara says:

    This looks amazing…I love grain salads, so so good! And, anything with smoked paprika floats my boat. 🙂

  54. That Girl says:

    Here’s hoping you survived! Although I didn’t read anything in the paper about a New Yorker being consumed by boxes…

  55. Kim says:

    I’m so glad you wrote this post on Friday and scheduled it for today! I was right in the middle of writing my grocery list when I read your post. I had been about 90% sure I was going to make this recipe and then I read that you added beans and I was all in;) I used up some farro that I had hanging out in the pantry and I added cannellini beans and it was fantastic! It’s probably my favorite Ottolenghi recipe so far. I loved everything about it. Thanks for pointing it out!

  56. Kari says:

    I’m hoping you’re moved, you have some of this left as reward sustenance, and you’re delightfully settled in with positive thinking as a bonus rather than necessity!

  57. Katerina says:

    Well, moving together is a big step in a relationship, I hope everything goes well for you my friend. And just a bit of advice from someone who has lived with boyfriends, fiances and husbands for many, many years, when there are moments of tension try to have a space of your own. Go there, relax, evaluate objectively your and his behavior and then decide on what to do. I love the salad but even more I love the dressing!

  58. Debbie says:

    Hope you survived the weekend! Moving is exhausting!!! Love this salad…..it looks delicious!

  59. Do hope it went well – how you find the time to post is beyond me!! this salad looks incredible – I could live on it – in fact I will have it for lunch!
    Mary x

  60. Lora says:

    omg so many good things here but you had me at Smoked Paprika Dressing

  61. Good luck on moving in together! Its fun but its surprising how much you found out about each other when you share a space. This salad looks super healthy and tasty, exactly what i am craving after a vacation food binge.

  62. Hope the move (and unpacking – worst part) went well! I would never be able to convince my boyfriend to eat something he didn’t like so if you’re already able to do that, you guys are doing well! 🙂

  63. I could eat a lot of this. Glad the move is done and dusted 🙂

  64. Tessa says:

    This looks awesome. Sounds like the move went well. Congrats on the new place!

  65. MadSCAR says:

    Iiii this looks amazing! I love it thanks 🙂

  66. glad you’ve turned the.boy. onto feta 🙂 and olives! i’m still coming around to those 😉

  67. Michelle says:

    Probably shocking, but I love wheat berries and wheat berry salads. I also love the sound of this smoked paprika dressing.

  68. I have never tried wheat berries before. And I am not sure what tepary beans are! Will have to google for info! Your salad looks really good! I love olives and bell peppers!
    Have a great week!

  69. Congrats on the moving in together. 😉 I love that you used wheat berries in place of the farro in this salad–an excellent swap out. Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays!

  70. Chris says:

    I have a Jerry Seinfeld bit going through my head right now. “What’s up with wheatberry? Is it wheat? Or is it a berry?”

  71. Nutmeg Nanny says:

    Oh delicious! This looks so satisfying 🙂

  72. love that dressing and I think wheat berries are entirely under utilized

  73. Laura says:

    First of all, you always make me laugh. Secnd I have spent this entire post convincing myself that I woud like this even though I hate olives. It looks seriously delish.

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