Summer salads

With local Ontario fare on the offer at produce stands right now, who could resist a hearty summer salad?

Here's one I made this weekend that was delicious and satisfying:

- Steamed Ontario asparagus and green beans (do not over-steam..they should still have crunch!
- Cooked wheat berries (more on wheat berries below)
- Roasted beets cut into bite sized pieces (pickled or canned beets would work equally well!!)
- Roasted pecans
- Crumbled or cubed feta
- Vinigarette made with fresh lemon juice and olive oil

This salad is great because nothing will wilt - leftovers will last at least 2 days...but I bet there won't be much leftover! You could also top this with salmon or chicken for added protien.

Background on wheat berries:
Wheat berries are whole, unprocessed wheat kernels that contain all three parts of the grain, including the germ, bran and endosperm (does this make you blush too?).  Only the hull, the inedible outer layer of the grain, has been removed. As a result, wheat berries retain all of the grain's vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. I find them to be a nice alternative to quinoa...they are equally nutty, but bigger and a bit chewy in texture.