Blueberry & Kale Grain Salad

Yield: Makes 8 servings (or 4/5 meals)
Hands-on: 20 Minutes
Total: 2 Hours, 5 Minutes

Salad Ingredients:
1 cup wheat berries (which takes an hour to make. A quicker substitute is Farro)
1 teaspoon table salt
1 (8-oz.) package sugar snap peas
4 cups coarsely chopped kale
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette
2 cups fresh blueberries (awesome addition are purple grapes)
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation: 
1. Bring wheat berries, salt, and 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, cook peas in boiling salted water to cover 2 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water; drain and pat dry. Slice in half. Drain wheat berries; rinse under cold water until cool.

3. Toss together kale, wheat berries, and 1/4 cup vinaigrette in a large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Stir in blueberries, pecans, and sugar snap peas. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with remaining vinaigrette.



Red Wine Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 large shallot, minced
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons coarse-grained Dijon mustard

Preparation:
Stir together red wine vinegar and minced shallot; let stand 10 minutes. Whisk in olive oil and remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Notes: 
Recipe from Southern Living's july-2014-recipe-list.

Roasted Broccoli, Asparagus and Grape Quinoa Salad

Makes 3 to 4 servings * Ready in 30 minutes

Original recipe posted on Dish Up Delights. Modified version below.

INGREDIENTS

• 2lb broccoli, (1lb cut) washed, dried and cut into florets
• 8 ounces large seedless grapes, washed and dried
• 1 asparagus bunch, cut into 1 or 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 dry quinoa
• 3 handfuls baby arugula
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped roasted and salted pistachios (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Boil 1 cup water and throw in quinoa. Boil per directions on the packaging (approximately 15 minutes).
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Toss the broccoli, grapes, and asparagus with enough olive oil to lightly coat them. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until the grapes are blistered and the broccoli and asparagus are slightly charred.
• In a large bowl, toss the the broccoli, grapes, and asparagus with the quinoa and arugula. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the balsamic, and Dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Toss the dressing with the salad and combine well. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Garnish with pistachios. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Rice Pilaf With Grapes, Cranberries and Pecans

Ready in 25 Minutes. Serves 4 - 6.

I tried this at my friends house over the weekend and had to ask for the recipe. The recipe itself originally published in Southern Living's March 2010 issue. See it here.

Ingredients
1 cup diced red onion
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups halved seedless red grapes
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
2 tablespoons white or regular balsamic vinegar
2 (8.5-oz.) pouches ready-to-serve basmati rice*
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
Sauté onion in melted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until tender; stir in grapes, dried cranberries, and balsamic vinegar. Stir in rice, pecans, parsley, and salt; cook, stirring often, until thoroughly heated.
*2 (8.8-oz.) pouches ready-to-serve whole grain brown-and-wild rice may be substituted; omit salt.