Power Salad

     We had a sweet potluck the friday night before the MS ride and I figured why not make my power salad. With a combination of super hearty wheat berries and heart and brain healthy almonds and kale, this salad can only lead you to kick ass. The first time I made this salad was for my friends in Julia Massey and the Five Fingered Discount when they were recording their second album. I knew they were working to all hours of the night getting this album finished and had little time to spend on anything but the music. A special delivery of power salad was necessary. Later I was told that it saved their life. This salad does the trick!

                                             Power Salad

• 1 1/2 cups dry wheat berries
• 1 medium sized bunch of dark green crinkly “dinosaur” or “lacinato” kale, (inner stalks removed, cut in half length wise, then into little strips width wise)
• 1 small shallot, (diced into fine pieces)
• 1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds (how to toast below)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• salt and pepper

                                                         How

1.) Bring a medium sized frying pan to medium heat. Add in sliced almonds in an even layer and slowly move them around the pan every minute or so. Its going to take about 10 to 15 minutes and you should not leave the room, they are easy to accidentally burn. After you can smell the almonds and they have turned a light brown color, remove from pan to cool on a plate. Set aside.

2.) Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add in wheat berries, bring back to a boil, then turn heat down to a medium and simmer the berries for about 45- 55 minutes or until they are softly chewy and semi-squeaky. When cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. 

3.) Add wheat berries, chopped kale, diced shallot, almonds, cranberries, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and few good cracks of pepper and a pinch or two of salt to a large bowl. 

4.) Fold together all the ingredients and let sit in fridge for at least an hour before serving. Know that this salad gets better the longer it sits, so it can easily be made in advance for even better taste. 

5.) Go work out or do some homework...this salad is great brain and body food!

Substitutions: 

-You can switch the kale with swiss chard or even another variety of kale, just know, the heartier the green, the longer its going to need to marinate in the salad. 

-This salad is also wonderful with goat cheese if you want a bit of creaminess in there.