Wheat Berry Salad with Zucchini and Mozzarella

There was a time when I used to try to take better photos for my blog. I had a white piece of poster board that I would always get out. Not that my photos are amazing, but I did try to make them decent. However now it's just taking a photo as quick as I can. I thought it might be interesting to take a photo on my dining table. At the time it was covered with cookbooks to protect the puzzle underneath from Abby's curious paws. There's a laptop in the corner, our house phone (how many people even have one anymore?), and a recipe I printed out in the top left corner. A little piece of my world.

While I made this salad in the summer, I think it'd be great this time of year too. You can have everything warm and then put it on top of the lettuce. My favourite things about this salad are the radishes (which I never think to buy or add to salads but add such a nice crunch and flavour) and the wheat berries (oh how I love the chewiness). The salad also has walnuts (originally pine nuts but holy those are expensive), zucchini of course, roasted bell peppers, lettuce, garlic, dill, mozzarella cubes (yum) and vinegar. It was best on the first day - probably because I didn't keep the lettuce out, which I would highly recommend you do if you aren't going to finish the whole thing in one day.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
High Protein Quinoa Almond Fruit Salad
Warm Roasted Pumpkin & Shallot Salad
Know Your Roots Salad
Back On Track Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad

Wheat Berry Salad with Zucchini and Mozzarella
Adapted from Eats Well With Others who adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

Serves 4-5

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 lb zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 cup raw wheat berries
3 roasted red bell peppers, cut into strips
6 radishes, sliced thinly
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped (I would add more next time)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup cubed mozzarella

1. Add 2 1/2 cups water to a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the wheat berries. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until tender but still a bit chewy. Drain any excess water and set aside. This step can be done in advance and the wheat berries can be refrigerated.

2. Turn on the broiler. The heat should be medium-high and the rack about 4 inches from the fire. Brush the zucchini with the 1 tbsp oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and broil, turning as needed, until lightly charred on both sides and beginning to soften, 5 minutes or more. When they're cool enough to handle, cut the zucchini into chunks or slices.

3. Toss together the zucchini, wheat berries, roasted red peppers, radishes, lettuce, and dill in a large salad bowl. Add the vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Toss with mozzarella. If you don't plan on finishing the salad the day you make it, keep the lettuce out and add it just before serving.