Dr. Grandpa (official taste tester) said three times while eating this recipe, “This is really special.” The flavors will excite your taste buds! At this time of the year the perennial herbs in our garden are calling to get into our recipes; I feel successful in making that happen. This recipe is about as Mediterranean as it gets; hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Salad ingredients:

2 cups cooked wheat berries
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese cut into ½ inch cubes

Grilled vegetable ingredients:

1 White zucchini, cut lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
1 Yellow squash, cut lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
1Green zucchini, cut lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
1 Eggplant, cut into ½ inch slices
1 Red or yellow onion, cut into ¼ inch slices
1 Red bell pepper, cut into quarters
1 Green bell pepper, cut into quarters
A little extra virgin olive oil for the eggplant
Salt, if desired
Black pepper, if desired

Directions:

If you have cooked frozen wheat berries, remove 2 cups from the freezer. Defrost in the microwave for a minute or two. If you don’t have cooked wheat berries, cook 1 and ¼ cup raw wheat berries in 3 cups water for about an hour to 1 ¼ hour, until desired tenderness.

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients; set aside at room temperature.

Put a little oil, salt and pepper on the eggplant slices; start them first; they take about 8 minutes. Put the other vegetables on the grill – cook until tender.

Cut the grilled vegetables into ½ to ¾ inch pieces.

Stir all the ingredients together. Serve as a side or main dish. If you want to add fish, shrimp or chicken, there is enough vinaigrette to flavor it. I served with fresh sliced tomatoes.

Perennial herbs from my garden.

Basil is an annual in the Mountain West.

Slice the eggplant.

Grill the veggies.

Cube the cheese.

Cut the grilled eggplant slices into bite-sized pieces.

Cut all the remaining vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

The result - a very large bowl of delicious salad.

A delicious and colorful presentation.