Wheat Berry Salad with Sprouts, Asparagus, and Grilled Tofu

In the original, this salad is served with quinoa and Swiss chard. Unfortunately I had neither one at home, and I had a huge craving for this spring marvel, so I decided to change the recipe a bit. The colors alone are inviting and say “eat me.” On top of that, it has asparagus, which I adore, plus lamb's lettuce (also called corn salad or mâche) and wheat berries, which give the whole thing a great flavor. Grilled smoked tofu completes it. Oh, I almost forgot the wonderful, healthy sprouts and the delicious dressing… Try it, and you won't regret it (forgive the rhyme, but I just had to :D).

wheat berry salad with asparagus and grilled tofu

Recipe inspired by Bea's recipe for a quinoa and Swiss chard salad

Ingredients:

(serves about 2)

• 150 g wheat berries or quinoa
• 400 g lamb's lettuce (or baby spinach, or a mix of young salad greens, or Swiss chard)
• 6-8 asparagus spears (green and white)
• 2 scallions
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp honey or agave syrup
• 2 tbsp sesame oil or olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• zest and juice of a lemon or lime
• a handful or two of sprouts
• a handful of cashews
• 4 slices tofu (I used smoked)

Prepare the wheat berries according to the package directions (mine came in cooking bags), or, if using quinoa, rinse it thoroughly under running water, then bring it to a boil in twice the amount of water, add salt, and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Leave it covered for a few minutes to swell*.*
Wash the salad greens or spinach thoroughly (spinach can be torn into smaller pieces). Wash the asparagus, peel the white ones and cut off the woody ends, then steam until al dente. Cut into 3 cm pieces.
Mix the soy sauce with the honey and grated lemon zest. Heat the oil in a skillet, add the chopped garlic and scallions (without the green tops) and sweat them gently, but don't let them brown. Add the asparagus. If using spinach, add it along with the soy sauce and cook the vegetables, stirring regularly, for about 1-2 minutes*.* Finally, season to taste with lemon juice.
Wash and thinly slice the scallion greens. Coarsely chop the cashews and toast them in a dry skillet. Wash the sprouts.
Toss the vegetables with the cooled wheat berries, sprouts, nuts and scallion greens, and season to taste if needed.

Pan-fry the tofu in a grill pan, place it on top of the salad, and serve right away.

Enjoy!

Wheat Berry Salad with Sprouts, Asparagus, and Grilled Tofu

Additional notes:

You can use feta instead of tofu. To make the salad even heartier, you can add smoked salmon or pieces of chicken breast.

I'm sending this recipe to the “Time for Asparagus” event