Wheat Berry and Puy Lentil Summertime Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pepper Confetti

I've got that summertime, summertime salad...

I just wanted to try out my recent purchase of hard red wheat berries- I also wanted to make something that looked really pretty, because although many of the best dishes are incredibly homely, sometimes you just want a dish that's prettier than you. And has an insanely long name.

So, I made a salad. One of those very nutritious, colourful ones that sells for exorbitant amounts in tiny clamshell packages at your local chain health food store. But this is far from a difficult or expensive dish to make, consisting of mostly wheat berries and puy lentils with a bit of help from red onion, dried fruit and nuts, cilantro and arugula. Oh, and the roasted sweet potatoes and bell pepper confetti. But this is a summertime salad, so most of the ingredients are at the cheapest they'll be all year.

I made a simple vinaigrette with a little lemon-infused olive oil and apple cider vinegar to give some more fruity notes, along with dried oregano, powdered coriander (one of my favourite spices) and grainy mustard. The sweet potatoes and peppers are given a kick with the addition of spicy peanut sauce, which I had an almost finished bottle of in the fridge, but you can also skip the sauce entirely and add a bit of sesame oil and salt to finish them off. I think that next time I make this recipe, I'll try a chipotle-lime seasoning... or maybe something barbequey. The options are endless.

I really thought I'd be the only one to eat this thing, but it was surprisingly popular with my whole family. Even the non-salad people, and my lentil-hating kin, loved it. My sister even told me she wished I'd made more so we could eat it for days to come- not bad for something so nutritious. It really wouldn't hurt to make a big batch- you've got a lot of vitamins, protein, healthy fats and fibre going on along with the looks and taste.

So, summertime salad. I just wanted you to know, Baby, you're the best.

Enough Lana del Rey, then. Onto the recipe!

Wheat Berry and Puy Lentil Summertime Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pepper Confetti

For the Sweet Potatoes and Peppers:
2 Small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2 cm cubes
1/4 Of a red bell pepper, diced finely
1/4 Of a yellow bell pepper, diced finely
1/4 C. Peanut satay sauce, or spicy Szechuan peanut sauce
1/2 Tsp. salt
1 Tsp. Oil
1 Tsp. Sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 200℃. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil, or use a baking dish. cover the bottom with the oil and add the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until almost cooked through.

Add the pepper bits and pour on the satay sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake another 5-10 minutes, until completely tender and the peppers are a tiny bit charred.

Let cool before adding to the salad.

For the Vinaigrette:
1 TBSP. Apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP Lemon-infused olive oil (or, 1 TBSP regular olive oil plus 1 Tsp. lemon zest)
1 Tsp. German-style grainy mustard, or dijon mustard
1 Tsp. Dried oregano
1/2 Tsp. Powdered coriander
1/4 Tsp. Ground black pepper

Mix all in a small bowl.

To Finish:
1/2 C. Wheat berries
1/3 C. Puy lentils 
1/3 C. Dried cranberries
1/4 C. Golden raisins
1/4 C. Pecan pieces
2 TBSP. Roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 Of a large red onion, finely diced
2 Small sprigs of cilantro, roughly chopped (optional- parsley works too)
2 C. Arugula, preferably baby arugula (otherwise, cut it up into smaller pieces)

Cook the wheat berries in lightly salted water until tender, but still with a bit of bite. Drain and rinse with cold water. Do the same for the puy lentils- it should take them 15-20 minutes each to cook.

Let the wheat berries and lentils dry as much as possible, then pour into a bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients, except for the cilantro and arugula. Add the vinaigrette, sweet potatoes and peppers. Add the cilantro and arugula just before serving to prevent sogginess (oil destroys the internal structure of raw leaves if you let them sit in it).