Pomegranate, Lentil, and Wheat Berry Salad

I hope everyone is having a great week!  I have been spending quite a bit of time in the kitchen lately.  A few days ago I attempted making my first nutritarian apple pie, a recipe I made up.  I made a few initial mistakes, such as trying to bake the crust before baking the entire pie, making the crust too tough, and I also put raisins on the sprinkled top, which turned out burnt and shriveled up.  Needless to say, I need to give this one another try before featuring it on the blog.

This morning I made a salad that took. for. EVER!  But it was so worth it!  It is probably one of my favorite salads I've made in a long time.  I'd suggest making only a half batch of the salad and the dressing, as it ended up making quite a lot.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Salad:
• 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped into small bite-sized pieces, about 3-4 cups
• 1 cup uncooked lentils
• 1 cup uncooked wheat berries
• 1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped celery, 2-3 stalks halved and sliced 
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• Pistachio Dressing:

• 1-2 cups filtered water
• 1 cup pistachios
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup dried fruit (dates, raisins, craisins, figs)
• 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried basil

Directions:

1. Cook the lentils on the stovetop until tender, but not mushy.
1. Rinse the lentils in a strainer and place into a pot with 2 cups of water.
2. On a stovetop bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20-30 minutes until desired softness, adding water as needed to cover the lentils throughout cooking.
4. Strain in a strainer and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it down for the salad.
5. Allow all of the water to drain out.
2. Cook the wheat berries on the stovetop until they are tender and pop in your mouth when you bite into them.
1. Rinse the wheat berries in a strainer and place into a pot with 3 cups of water.
2. On a stovetop, over high heat bring the water to a heavy simmer.
3. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour, or up to 1.5 hours until the wheat berries are tender and pop in your mouth.
4. Strain in a strainer and rinse under cold water to cool it down for the salad.
5. Allow all of the water to drain out.
3. Prepare a small pot of boiling water and boil the kale for 2 minutes.  Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.  Allow all of the water to drain out.
4. In a large bowl combine the cooked lentils, wheat berries, and kale with the pomegranate seeds, celery, and green onion.
5. In a high powered blender, blend all of the dressing ingredients together starting with 1 cup of water and adding in 1/4 cup increments until you reach the desired consistency.
6. In the large salad bowl, drizzle on 1/4 cup of the dressing at a time and mix thoroughly until the salad is well coated.
7. Grind black pepper and mix in to taste.  Enjoy cold by itself or on top of some greens.

Amy's Notes:

• Like I said above, this recipe does take some time because of the cooking times of the lentils, wheat berries, and kale.  I did all of them at once and while there was down time I prepared the dressing and did some dishes.
• This recipe makes quite a bit, so I would suggest cutting it in half unless you are taking it for a party (which would be a great idea!).
• For me, about 1/2 cup of the dressing was left after I poured it onto the salad.