Nutty, chewy spelt berries are paired with kale, eggplant, pickled carrots and chile peppers in this grain salad that is bursting with flavor!
fried spelt berries with pickled carrots

I’m having a bad blog week.

You know. One of those weeks where someone hacks into your site through one of your ads leaving affiliate links all over ALL THE POSTS (don’t click them!). And then the company you’ve “hired” to sort all this out suggests you do some sort of technical thing that you have no idea how to do to fix it.

Oh yes, I’ll just go into my “ad manager” (??) and block out a certain link. No problem. If I knew what this “ad manager” was.

And then your server crashes. Or is on the verge of crashing. Or is doing both simultaneously.

When I have pulled all my hair out by the end of the day. You’ll know why.

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And then it always helps when your boyfriend takes one look at the fried spelt berry bowl you put in front of him for dinner and says, “I don’t think I like this”.

Forget the hair pulling. I’m just going to be all gray.

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In my all-encompassing, always-right opinion, there is nothing not to like about these grain salad bowls.

Chewy, nutty spelt berries paired with eggplant and kale that soak up all those pickling juices you season the salad with. And pickled carrots and chiles, which are kind of like the cherries on top.

Nothing not to like. And everything to love.

Now if only all these tech problems would just resolve themselves as easily, I’d be one thick haired, gray-free happy well-fed girl.

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One year ago…Curried Carrot Soup with Roasted Pepitas

Four years ago…Linguine with Arugula, Roasted Peppers and Bacon

Fried Spelt Berries with Pickled Carrots, Kale and Eggplant
 
Nutty, chewy spelt berries are paired with kale, eggplant, pickled carrots and chile peppers in this bursting with flavor grain salad!
Yield: 5-6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 1 red chile, seeded and chopped
  • ½ cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 1½ cups spelt berries, soaked overnight
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 eggplant, chopped into ½-inch dice
  • 2 bunches lacinato kale, center ribs and stems removed, torn into strips
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup dried white beans, cooked until tender
  • ½ cup parsley, minced
Instructions
  1. Put the carrots and the chile pepper in a small bowl. Bring the vinegar, sugar, salt, and ½ cup water to a boil. Give it a good stir and then pour the pickling liquid over the carrots and chile. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Drain, reserving ¼ cup pickling liquid.
  2. Put spelt berries in a pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until tender, about an hour. Drain.
  3. In the meantime, heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the eggplant and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently to ensure that the eggplant doesn't stick, until eggplant is cooked through - 5-7 minutes.Transfer eggplant to a separate plate.
  4. Clean out the pan and heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add in the cooked spelt berries and saute for 4 minutes. Stir in the kale and cook, tossing often, until kale is wilted. Stir in the soy sauce, eggplant, beans, freshly ground black pepper, reserved pickling juice and parsley. Cook until heated through.
Notes
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ⅙th of recipe

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66 Responses to Fried Spelt Berries with Pickled Carrots, Kale and Eggplant

  1. Oh Joanne I feel with you! So sorry to hear that you are facing these problems and I hope it gets sorted out soon. My husband would be good friends with your bf…. Boys can be so difficult no? Don’t mind them, your spelt berries with carrot kale and eggplant looks super inviting. I would love to have this for dinner!

  2. Sorry to hear that your blog has been hacked, Joanne. I understand how frustrating this can be. Hopefully it will be soon fixed. I can tell that your serve is having problem because it took so much longer than usual to reload the page and the comment couldn’t be sent out…it kept telling me the server problem.
    Spelt is my favourite grain! This looks wholesome!

  3. ugghhh! I hate computer problems! Hope it’s all fixed now!

  4. ugghhh! I hate computer problems!

  5. Amy says:

    After 2 years of constant “technical difficulties” with my old host, and them responding to me in Greek, I finally switched providers. Costs me way more, but life is blissful (for now.) I know that’s not your particular problem, but I feel ya. This is the UN-fun side of blogging.

  6. Another beautiful vegetable dish! Loving these! Hoping you get the website figured out, whip them into shape!

  7. Kate says:

    I haven’t had spelt in far too long!

  8. Sometimes boys are stupid. Especially when we are right and they are wrong… this looks awesome.

  9. Sorry to hear about your technical difficulties! what a pain in the butt….Nothing improves a bad week like a good meal though and this definitely fits the bill. Tell your BF eat it or starve ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Gah! I was just talking about site troubles- mine crashed at the beginning of the month and I totally lost the plot over it; I can’t even imagine how freaked out I would be by a hacker! Wrongful affiliate links be damned! Don’t people have better things to do, for the love of pete?
    But you FRIED spelt berries, and then you added eggplant and kale, I love you for it- what a great way to dress up a salad! Don’t listen to that crazy boyfriend of yours ๐Ÿ™‚

  11. Eileen says:

    Grain and greens, together at last! I really love the idea of adding pickled carrots here too.

  12. Chris says:

    I would scream if I was going through that. Good luck with getting that all sorted out.

  13. gloria says:

    dear sorry you have problems with blog! hope all be better.
    Here the old boy dont like some things too lol
    This look delicious! Love the pictures!
    xo

  14. Sorry to hear about your problems… technical stuff is terrible to deal with and so boring :(( I hope you get everything to work fine soon!
    At least you have these salad bowls which definitely look awesome… I think I’d love fried spelt berries, yum ๐Ÿ˜€

  15. debbie says:

    I think that dish looks great……why are men so difficult. How about “let’s give this a try.” My husband is like that about tofu. Won’t even try it. Computers can be a pain just like men!

  16. I feel like I should know what spelt berries are…googling them now. Sorry about the bad blog week! I’m just having a bad week in general so we can wallow in our sorrows together!

  17. Hey Joanne, I know how you feel. It happened to us back in April and it was a mess to deal with. And BTW we have picky eaters in the family too! So I hear ya! The recipe sounds interesting enough to try it myself – thanks for posting it! ๐Ÿ™‚

  18. Bummer dude! I hate those weeks!! But at least you have this gorgeous dish to keep you distracted:)

  19. CCU says:

    Technical difficulties are the worst, actually so annoying!
    Making recipes like this are so much more delicious ๐Ÿ˜€

    Cheers
    CCU

  20. Hotly Spiced says:

    I’m having similar issues trying to move my site to another host. I’m told (by a no-reply email) to go to the ‘store’ on my ‘dashboard’ and just click on this and that and all will be good. Well there is no ‘store’ on my ‘dashboard’ so I can’t do what has to be done to move my site. I’ve abandoned the mission for the two-week school holidays as I don’t want to be throwing tantrums in front of my son. I don’t think I’ve ever had spelt berries. Must add them to my list of things to try xx

  21. Tara says:

    Yikes, my worst fear is tech problems for the blog! I have it perfect right now but if one little line in the coding gets messed up, I seriously wouldn’t know what to do! I’m praying for you and hope you get it sorted soon. ๐Ÿ™‚

  22. Nessa says:

    This looks fabulous!

  23. Amanda says:

    Oh! I’m so sorry to hear that. I wasn’t even aware that websites could be hacked via ads!

  24. I’ve never tried fried spelt berries, who would’ve thought. Sounds interesting and I have to try it now! =)

  25. Joanne, I hate it when everything seems to go wrong all at the same time.
    I love this dish it looks healthy and yummy!!

  26. Monet says:

    Oh girl, I’m sorry. Those bad blog weeks are the worst. I hope it only gets better and better from here! As for this dish? Healthy, flavorful and so unique. Thank you for sharing!

  27. Tahnycooks says:

    I would totally chow this down in 3 seconds flat!! BOOOO, to hackers!!!

  28. G’day Joanne! Hope you get your technical difficulties sorted, true!
    KNOW first hand HOW stressful computers can be too!
    Never heard of spelt berries before, so thank you for allowing me to learn something new today!
    Your photo was beautiful and brightened my day!
    Cheers! Joanne

  29. Sorry to hear about all the blog issues that I would also have no idea what to do with and I can imagine how frustrating it must be! If it makes you feel better, I haven’t noticed anything wrong on this end, and I also would be very happy if you put that meal in front of me!

  30. LOL, love this post Joanne. You’re making me giggle. Regardless, I’m sorry to hear you’re having a bad blog week! My biggest fear of blogging is getting hacked… ack! And bummer about the boyfriend giving you a hard time about the food. I, on the other hand, love all things veggies. Never had spelt berries before but I’m willing to try anything once. xo!

  31. Oh no, I have no idea how to fix a hacked website!!! On the other hand, I agree with you, grain salad bowls are the best!

  32. Monica says:

    I totally want to eat this today!!

  33. So sorry about all the blog problems – ugh!!!!! Hang in there.
    And I totally want this dish for dinner tonight! ๐Ÿ™‚

  34. Can you please come over and cook that for me? I love how none of your food is predictable vegetarian, it’s so creative!

  35. sandra says:

    Nice kale picture!

    I am so sorry about your technological woes.

    I hope The.Boy tasted your dish before he made his final declaration.

  36. Yum! I love a good bowl of veggies. Especially if one is pickled! ๐Ÿ™‚

  37. Pam says:

    Technical difficulties on my blog can really stress me out so I can imagine how you are feeling. Glad to see everything is working again.

    The grain salad bowl has me drooling. So many great flavors and textures in it.

  38. So sorry about your blog problems! I didn’t know those problems were even possible, let alone how to fix them. Blogging is a new adventure every day.

    I have also never heard a spelt berries, but I am very intrigued.

  39. This is my first time hearing and seeing spelt berries – today i learned about opal apples and spelt berries – thank you ๐Ÿ™‚
    The kale/carrot/eggplant combo sounds so good!
    I am hoping your blog problems are resolved quickly and painlessly

  40. Lynn says:

    A lovely looking salad, and I’ll bet it tastes good, too.

    I hope someone comes along to help you with that technical problem – I hate things like that.

  41. Christine says:

    This looks so delicious! The.Boy should just reserve his opinions and be glad you’re such a great cook. I feel for you tech-wise. Just hate when WordPress support says to “go here” and do such and such with no hints where “here” is or how to find it. Hours lost hunting for “here”. Computers are wonderful when they work but hellacious when they don’t.

  42. ooh, I’ve never had a spelt berry but it looks like a wheatberry, which I love! This looks awesome especially cuz I love all things pickled.
    Ugh, that sucks about your tech problems. Tech stuff on my blog totally stresses me out. I hope you resolved it!

  43. Sorry you’re having a crappy blog stuff week, my love! I’ll bring you cookies if you need some cheering up ๐Ÿ˜‰ xo

  44. im glad your blog is back up because I was not able to comment yesterday..Boys do have some sort of whole grain and green veggie-phobia.

  45. 1. boys are stupid most of the time
    2. this bowl looks super amazing, and I’l going to make it for dinner tonight.
    Also, yes, bad blog weeks are the worst, and the people who are supposed to be helping you never seem to know what they’re doing. Don’t they get paid to help? Strange.

  46. That’s so scary. I get weird emails from these folks all the time. And then I email them asking more details and they never write back. I don’t work with anyone for this simple reason.. except Google. Really sucks!
    This looks so good though!

  47. Yikes!! It sounds like an awful week.
    This dish looks SO good, no matter what The Boy says :p

  48. Gah those days are the worst but on the bright side, you get to have this bowl all to yourself!

  49. Jessie says:

    Oh man, I’m sorry to hear about your blog issues ๐Ÿ™ I tried to visit yesterday and couldn’t get your full post to load, so I’m glad it’s working today! I know if I sat down at your table and you put this spelt dish in front of me, I would eat it all! Isn’t kale such a gorgeous veggie?

    Have a great rest of your week, Joanne!

  50. Tracey says:

    Technical issues are the worst – I keep telling Shane I need him to get more tech savvy so he can just deal with these issues for me ๐Ÿ™‚ I hope everything is a-ok with the blog now, and stays that way for a good long time!!

  51. I’ve been known to shed a tear or two about the ‘behind the scenes’ blog stuff, which is so NOT my forte. i feel your pain!!!

  52. Velva says:

    Technology is a love/hate relationship. Hope the bad links get corrected.

    This salad on the other hand rocks…Over the top healthy! Beautiful.

    Velva

  53. What a nightmare Joanne!!! I hope it is all fixed ASAP.

  54. Sorry to hear you got hacked! Hope it’s all sorted out now ๐Ÿ™‚

  55. Johanna GGG says:

    I want to make more yummy bowls of dinner like this – just simple veg and beans and grains with yumminess all over. I would have been tempted to throw it over the boy when he protested though it would have been a waste of good food

    Sorry to hear about your blog problems – sounds very frustrating – I had spam constantly on one post so I worked out I could block it but I think it just means they go elsewhere. Hope those spammers can leave you alone so those of us who really appreciate your blog can have more space

  56. this is so original! I wish we had Kale in Paris but apparently we have a Kale Project to bring it over here – it must be a very important dark leaf.

  57. tigerfish says:

    I really love a bowl of greens and beans like this but I must confess I hardly have this combination in my bowl ๐Ÿ™ I need to plan better and soak my beans the night before.

  58. Nutmeg Nanny says:

    Wow this is a bowl full of flavor ๐Ÿ™‚ I can’t wait to get a mouthful of this!

  59. Oh, that sounds awful ๐Ÿ™ I hope it’s all resolved now. If it helps, I think this looks divine!

  60. Ashley says:

    I love the flavor of pickling liquid, and this combination looks great! I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with spelt berries before. YUM!

  61. What a fresh light take on using these chewy and nutty spelt berries! I’ve been craving for kale salad recipes during the fall (unfortunately there isn’t kale here in buenos aires!) but i cannot say no to these yummy white beans!

  62. Reeni says:

    I’m sorry about your blog issues! I sometimes wish I was back on blogger – things were much easier that’s for sure. I’d love for you to plunk this down in front of me! Nothing but good things and interesting flavors going on!

  63. Geni says:

    This looks scrumptious Joanne. Hopefully, The Boy came to his senses. And good luck with the ad problems. Sounds like a nightmare! ๐Ÿ™

  64. Bea Long "The Bayou Lady" says:

    OMG, I feel your pain! I have had that happen to me from Amazon one time? Go figure…like you said sure just do this..lol..easy for them to say.

  65. Shannon says:

    oh man, not cool blog issues ๐Ÿ™ this bowl of yumminess must help all your worries go away!

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