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Recipe: Freekeh Fruit Salad with Pecans and Cinnamon Vinaigrette

Freekeh is one of the whole grains used in this salad.

This whole-grain and vegetable salad easily layers into a jar, for a single 2-cup serving. You can mix and match with grains, vegetables and dressings that you have on hand. And remember, grating ginger releases more juice and adds more flavor than chopping with a knife.

Ginger root XXXLIngredients for salad

¼ cup freekeh, cooked

¼ cup red quinoa, cooked

¼ cup fresh blueberries

¼ cup fresh pineapple, diced

¼ cup canned mandarin orange sections, drained

1 tablespoon pecan halves, chopped and toasted

2 tablespoons cinnamon cider vinaigrette dressing (see recipe)

 

Fruit: BlueberriesIngredients for dressing

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons fresh gingerroot, grated

 

¼ cup olive-canola blend oil

¼ cup orange juice

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Open can of mandarins in light syrup.Preparation

Cook freekeh and red quinoa according topackage directions, but overcook slightly, so they are tender when cold. Whisk together salad dressing ingredients and set aside. For each salad in a jar, arrange ingredients in the following order: freekeh, quinoa, blueberries, pineapple, oranges and pecans.


Nutritional information per 2-cup serving


400 calories

Nuts: Pecan Nuts8 grams protein

63 grams carbohydrates

15 grams total fat

0 milligrams cholesterol

104 milligrams sodium

10 grams fiber

-- Recipe from Morrison Healthcare, the food service provider for Upstate Medical University

pineapple chunksWhat is freekeh?

Freekeh was created by accident nearly 2,000 years ago when a Middle Eastern village was attacked and its crop of young green wheat was set ablaze. Many folks would sulk over such misfortune, but the crafty villagers rubbed off the chaff, cooked it up and Eureka! Freekeh was created.

summer 2016 upstate healthThis article appears in the summer 2016 issue of Upstate Health magazine.
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