Chicken Wheat Berry Soup

We've been sick, so that meant it was time to make some chicken noodle soup, but we decided to put a spin on it instead and make Chicken Wheat Berry Soup.  It did not disappoint!

It was soothing for the throat, warming for the aches and with a few drops of siracha or tapitio sauce thrown in, it'll definitely clear those sinuses!

Chicken Wheat Berry Soup

by Joseph's Grainery

PRINT    EMAIL    TEXT   PREP: 15 MIN COOK: 30 MIN Keywords: soup/stew hard red wheat

perfect for when you're feeling under the weather

Ingredients

• 1 c Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat, cooked
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 lb chicken breast, cooked
• 32 oz chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a large pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan and a few drops of siracha or tapitio sauce for some kick!

How To Make A Neck Warmer with Wheat Berries

Whether the cool weather has you looking for a way to warm up or you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, this simple neck warmer, filled with wheat berries will warm you right up.

We thought it would be fun to share a different kind of recipe today.  This "recipe" is a very simple sewing project that will have you warm and relaxed in no time.

Supplies:
1/4 yard of fabric
thread in a coordinating color
5-7 c Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat
lavender essential oil (optional)

You can make this any size you want, but to make a neck warmer similar to the one pictured you will want to cut 2 pieces of fabric 32 inches long by 4 inches wide.

Place the two pieces of fabric right sides (printed sides) together.  Pin if needed.  Sew around the rectangle with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving a small hole on one of the short ends.

Turn the fabric right sides out.  If you want, top stitch around the rectangle with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, again leaving a small opening on one side for filling the warmer.

If you want bring a little aromatherapy into your life, you can add 10-20 drops of lavender essential oil to the wheat berries.

Using a funnel, fill the warmer with the wheat berries, making sure not to fill it so full that it won't bend easily to rest around your neck.

Once the neck warmer is filled with the wheat berries you can stitch the hole closed.

Microwave for 1-3 minutes (depending on your microwave).  Use caution when removing the neck warmer from the microwave, as it could be very hot.  Wait until it is cool enough to touch and then place around your neck and relax!


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Our Favorite Whole Grain Thanksgiving Recipes

It's always the fourth Thursday in November, but somehow menu planning for Thanksgiving always sneaks up on us.  Are you planning to add some whole grain recipes into your holiday menu?  Here are some of our most favorite Thanksgiving recipes that call for whole grains or whole grain flour...

Did you know there was such a thing as Thanksgiving Cookies?

These 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls will remind you of the ones your Grandma used to make...

Don't like pumpkin pie, but love pumpkin?  Try this Whole Grain Pumpkin Cake.

A fun twist on a classic salad...Wheatberry Waldorf Salad.

Wheatberry Waldorf Salad made with Joseph's Grainery Soft White Wheatberries

We hope that each of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving, celebrating all the blessings in your life with the ones you love....whatever might be on the menu.

Slow Cooker Wild Rice, Wheat Berry & Chicken Soup

Yes, we might just be infatuated with slow cookers (aka crockpots) around these parts.  So anytime we see a recipe that looks as mouthwatering as this Wheat Berry, Wild Rice & Chicken Soup and it's a slow cooker recipe, you better bet we'll be trying it soon.

We added Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat Berries to the recipe to make it a little more hearty and give it a little more texture.  We think you'll love it, so pull our your crockpot and get a cookin'.

You'll notice the recipe calls for something called mirepoix.  What?  We'd never heard of it, so we thought you might like to know too...it's just a fancy way of saying a mix of chopped carrots, celery and onion.  We just chopped up equal parts of the three and added 2 cups worth to the soup.

Slow Cooker Wild Rice, Wheat Berry & Chicken Soup

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adapted from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:

1 c wild rice, uncooked

1/2 c Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat, uncooked
1 lb chicken

2 c mirepoix (what in the world is mirepoix??? see definition above)

6 c chicken broth

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1/2 c butter

3/4 c Joseph's Grainery Soft White Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

2 c whole milk

up to 2 c additional milk or water

Directions:  Rinse the wild rice and wheat berries.  Place the uncooked wild rice, wheat berries, mirepoix, chicken, chicken broth and poultry seasoning in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove it from the slow cooker and allow to cool.  Once it's not too hot to touch, shred the chicken and then return to the crockpot.

In a saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the flour and let bubble for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the whole milk until a thick creamy mixture forms.  Add this to the contents in the crockpot and stir to combine.  Add additional milk or water to achieve the desired constancy for the soup.

Wheat Berry Recipes

Our Favorite Hard Red Wheat Berry Recipes

While they may not be a part of your regular menu, Hard Red Wheat Berries should be!  They add a great, nutty crunch to many entrees, salads and even baked goods - not to mention they are a great source of protein and dietary fiber.  Here are a few of our favorite Wheat Berry Recipes...

Wheat and Veggie Tacos - Need a quick and easy dinner idea, then these tacos with wheat berries are for you.

Wheat Berry Granola - Wheat Berries add a wonderful nutty crunch to your morning breakfast granola.

Wheat Berry Pasta - this salad makes a great side or entree.

How To Cook Wheat Berries - We thought you might like to have a "how to", since all the above recipes call for "cooked" Hard Red Wheat Berries.

Roasted Veggie & Wheat Berry Salad

Roasted Veggie and Wheat Berry Salad with Radicchio

Roasted Veggie and Wheat Berry Salad is the perfect side salad!  Do you have a late summer potluck coming up?  Or maybe going to dinner with some friends?  MaMa says that this salad is a safe bet.  Remember that cooler full of radicchio that we got from the nice folks at Royal Rose?  MaMa incorporated some of the radicchio into the salad to give it a flavorful boost.

Ingredients for Roasted Veggie & Wheat Berry Salad:

3/4 c Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat, cooked
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 head Royal Rose Radicchio, chopped
2 ears corn, corn removed from the cob
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Place all of the veggies on a baking sheet.  Coat the veggies in olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Roast the veggies for 15-20 minutes, flipping them once at about the 10 minute mark.

Remove oven and transfer to a large bowl, stir in the wheat berries.  Add additional salt and pepper if needed to suit your taste.

This recipe was inspired by Fake Food Free's Roasted Corn and Pepper Wheat Berry Salad.

Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos

Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos awaiting a dose of Lemon-Garlic Yogurt Sauce.

This is one good way to get your family to eat their vegetables - with Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos drizzled with a Garlic-Lemon Yogurt.  MaMa's friend Michelle was raving about this recipe, found in Appetite for Reduction, in fact she served it for lunch one day when MaMa and I were visiting.  MaMa knew it would be delicious with Wheat Berries added to the mix.

Ingredients for Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos:

1 tsp olive oil
2 zucchini, diced small (about 1 lb)
1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 c Hard Red Wheat, cooked
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 (6 oz) can salsa verde (we used regular salsa, because MaMa forgot to get Salsa Verde)
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 corn tortillas

Directions:  Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the zucchini, wheat berries and onion to the oil and sprinkle with salt.  Saute for about 7 minutes, until the zuchinni is lightly browned.  Add the garlic and spices and saute for another 2 minutes.

Add the salsa verde and black beans.  Cook for 5 more minutes.

Place tortillas in a moist paper towel and heat in a microwave for 1 minute on high.  Serve with the Garlic-Lemon Yogurt (below).

Garlic-Lemon Yogurt:

1 c greek yogurt
3 cloves garlic
zest from 1/2 lemon
juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tbs)
1/2 tsp honey

Scoop the yogurt into a small bowl.  Use a microwplace to grate the garlic and lemon zest.  Add the lemon juice and agave.  Using a fork, mix well.  Spoon over your tacos and enjoy!

Dinner time!  Enjoy your Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos.

This recipe was adapted from one found in Appetite for Reduction.  Yes, MaMa took a vegan recipe and made it non-vegan by using honey...just replacethe honey with agave nectar to make it vegan again.  And yes, I'm a smart 2 year old!

Wheat Berry Pasta Salad

This is one of MaMa's favorite things to make for lunch or a quick dinner.  She usually makes it with miniature bow-tie pasta, but she was all of out it when she made it for this photo.  It's a great blend of flavors and tastes pretty gourmet consider how quickly she can throw it together.

Wheat Berry Pasta Salad

by Joseph's Grainery

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A quick, easy and delicious way to incorporate Hard Red Wheat Berries into your diet.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb of a small pasta - miniature bow ties, macaroni, etc
• 1 c walnuts, chopped
• 2/3 c craisins
• 1 Tbsp olive oil + 1/4 c olive oil
• 1/2 c Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat, cooked
• 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• feta cheese to sprinkle

Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Strain and set aside.
• In the same pot, pour 1 Tbsp olive oil and saute the walnuts and the wheat berries for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
• Then add back the pasta and the remaining ingredients, tossing to make sure the oil coats.
• Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.

Wheat Berry & Spinach Salad

My friend Kate broke her arm last week and had to have surgery.  I was really worried about her and kept asking to see her, so MaMa fixed her family dinner and we took it over.  MaMa made them one of our favorite meals, Lentil & Brown Rice Burritos (you can find the recipe here).  To round out the meal she put a Wheat Berry and Spinach Salad and completed it with a Chocolate Vinegar cake (we'll post the recipe tomorrow...it's super yummy, even though the name makes you wonder.)

This salad is super easy, especially if you cook up the wheat berries ahead of time.  We like to cook a large batch of the wheat berries and then freeze them for moments just like these.  We always have them ready to throw in a recipe!  Not sure how to cook wheat berries?  Click here.

So for a easy, quick and healthy salad all you need are these 4 ingredients:

4 c spinach, washed
1/3 c Joseph's Grainery Hard Red Wheat Berries
2/3 c feta cheese
2/3 c craisins

Directions:  Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently.  Add salad dressing if you wish.

The wheat berries give you the crunch that croutons would, only they are much healthier for you.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Are you looking for a sweet treat, but don't want to make something complicated that will take hours?  Then you've gotta try these Easy Peanut Butter Cookies.  MaMa can have hot, fresh cookies for me in under 15 minutes, from start to the time it hits my tummy!  With just a few ingredients, it's almost certain you'll have everything you need in your pantry and fridge, so go ahead and give them a try.

Yummmm...don't they look good?

Ingredients:

1 c peanut butter (we like chunky)

1 c sugar

1 egg

1 /4 c Joseph's Graiery Soft White Wheat Berries, cooked (click here for instructions for cooking wheat - we like to cook up a batch and then freeze it, so it's ready when we are).

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a microwave safe bowl, warm the peanut butter on low heat to soften it enough so you can easily stir it.  Add the sugar and egg and mix well.  Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet.  Using a fork press each ball flat.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. 

Now that's almost as simple as it gets.  Even easier than those cookie pouches you buy at the store...not to mention, probably a lot healthier too!

Creamy Baked Chicken with Wheat Berry Crunch

My Grandma and MaMa came up with this recipe the other night while they were chatting on the phone.  It was pretty tastey, but I'll have to say, it definitely isn't photogenic.  So if you aren't going for looks, then this is a simple dinner idea that you can whip up with just about 10 minutes of prep time, you can't beat that.

The wheat berries paired with the bread crumbs make for a nice texture on top of the chicken, while the cream and cheese keep it nice and moist.

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 c Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded

1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 c Joseph's Grainery Soft White Wheat Berries, cooked (don't know how to cook wheat? click here - you can cook up a bunch and freeze it, it makes recipes like this one much quicker)

bread crumbs

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish, then cover with the cream of chicken soup.  Sprinkle the top with the cheeses, then the wheat berries and finally the bread crumbs.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 45-50 minutes.

It doesn't get much simpler than that.  Pair it with a salad and you're ready for dinner.

Wheat Berry Bar Cookies

Here's a fun cookie recipe to try for your holiday baking this year.

Ingredients:

1/2 c cooked Joseph's Grainery Soft White Wheat Berries, cracked in food processor or blender
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c shredded coconut
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together butter, brown sugar, eggs and  vanilla.  Add the flour, baking soda and salt.  Fold in the wheat berries, coconut and walnuts.  Lightly grease a 9x13 pan, fill the pan with the batter.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cut into bars and enjoy!