Advertisement

Food & Drink

Secret Ingredient

Rating: NNNNN


Avocados, with their luxurious, buttery flavour, are one of the few good-tasting foods that are also good for you. They’ve got lots of nutrient fibre as well as vitamins B6, C and antioxidant E. They’re also sodium-free, low in saturated fat and high in mono-unsaturated fat, the “good” fat that reduces cholesterol. Here’s a recipe for an avocado and wheat berry salad developed for the American Diabetes Association that maximizes the avocado’s health properties. Wash 2 cups of dry wheat berries and soak them overnight in 4 cups water. The next day, to the drained wheat berries in a large pot, add 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme, dried basil and salt, as well as 2 sun-dried tomatoes. Fill with fresh water so the wheat berries are covered by about half an inch of water on top. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, or until tender. Drain, put the berries in a bowl and set aside to cool. Remove the sun-dried tomatoes, finely chop them, then add back to the wheat berries. Stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, 2 cloves minced garlic and mix well. (At this point, the salad can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.) Add 1 diced red pepper, 1/2 cup chopped red onion and 1 lb halved cherry tomatoes. Toss in 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley, chives or basil. Top with 1 peeled, pitted and thinly sliced avocado and the juice of a lemon. Makes 8 servings.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted