Vegan Wheat Berry and Grilled Vegetables Salad -- holding on to summer

It is labor day. Some may argue that it signifies the start of the fall season. I am not ready to let go of summer yet. Call it wishful thinking if you will, but I can feel the summer air around me, especially after a 90-minute hot yoga full of sweats. Yes, summer is still around.

How else does summer seep through? Take a look at our dinner tonight and you will find out.

Grilled corn, eggplant, and summer squash, with warm wheat berries and crispy italian bread cubes, in a light lemon-olive dressing. What could be a louder shout for summer?

Vegan Wheat Berry and Grilled Vegetables Salad 

serves 4

• 2 cups diced eggplant
• 1 cup diced summer squash
• 1 ear of corn
• 1 cup chopped onions

• 1/2 cup wheat berries
• 1/4 cup italian bread, cubed
• 1/4 cup diced celery stick

• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp chopped basil
• 1 tsp chopped cilantro

1. Grill the diced eggplant, summer squash, and chopped onions in a grill pan over medium-high heat, with drizzles of olive oil until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Grill the corn with hush on and harvest the kernels.
2. Boil 1/2 cup of water, add in the wheat berries and cook over low heat until tender, for about 50-60 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the grilled vegetables and wheat berries. Add in the Italian bread cubes and diced celery.
4. To make the dressing, mix together the salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, basil and cilantro. Mix well.
5. Toss the salad with the dressing. Serve immediately or chilled. 

Nutrition:

At 150 calories per serving, this is the perfect side dish. It is very low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and a good source of dietary fiber, Selenium and Manganese. More details can be found here.

Cost:

$1.25/serving. Benefiting from summer's market, we were able to get eggplant, summer squash, and onions for less than 2 bucks total. I start to grow my own basil (fingers crossed-- it is still alive), and the cilantro from the Asian grocery store was more than reasonable ($1/bundle). The wheat berries came from the bulk bin at the co-op, and everything else came from the pantry. 

I had it with roast chicken, but it should go well with just any kind of protein. Grilling the vegetables really brings out the best and brightest taste of the dish. It is so tasty that I almost forgot it's actually vegan!