Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad

I cup cooked wheat berries (see blog for recipe). Drained and cooled to room temperature.
2 tsp walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 apples- 1 sweet, 1 tart
1 celery rib, sliced thin
2/3 cup packed fresh mint leaves, washed well, spun dry and chopped
1/2 cup dried sour cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 scallions, chopped (could use a shallot instead)
3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
3 tbsp fresh orange juice
3/4 tsp freshly grated orange zest
lettuce leaves or salad mix

Cut apples into 1/2 inch chunks and in a large bowl toss with wheat berries and all remainig ingredients except lettuce. Season salad with salt and pepper and serve over lettuce.

Spinach and Walnut Pasta

Comfort food from Cooking Outside the Box by Abel & Cole from England. A great read.

Package of whole wheat fusilli
1 1/2 cups walnuts
4 cups of finely chopped fresh spinach or arugula
a glug of olive oil
3/4 cup grated parmesan
a handful of capers (optional)
a handful of sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper

Put pot of water on to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. While this is cooking, blitz the walnits in a blender or food processor to a breadcrumb consistency and put aside in a bowl. Add the spinach to the pasta pot 2 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Take a few spoonfuls of the cooking water from the pasta and mix it with the walnuts to create a paste. Add more water little by little until you have a sauce the thickness you like. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain well and then pop it back in the pot. Stir through the walnut paste, the olive oil, half the parmesan, the capers and tomatoes if using. Season well and serve in hot bowls with the rest of the parmesan sprinkled over the top.