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The ultimate fall salad.

I’m an apple-a-day kind of girl: I just can’t get enough of that sweet, crunchy, sometimes tart snack that comes in a myriad of different varieties. Apples are portable, satisfying, pair wonderfully with peanut butter, and travel well (I always have one in my carry-on). But sometimes I’m looking for another way to enjoy my apples, which brought me to create this sweet, savory, chewy and crunchy wheat berry salad.

Ingredients:

5 small apples, diced into bite size pieces, dressed in lemon juice to prevent browning
2 cups wheat berries
1 cup crushed walnuts
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp salt

Dressing:

1/2 cup canola oil
3 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions:

Cook 2 cups wheat berries according to package directions. Meanwhile, lay walnut pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast lightly in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

To make the dressing whisk all ingredients together, or shake them vigorously in a closed glass jar.

Combine wheat berries, apples, walnuts, rosemary, and about ¾ of the dressing in a large bowl and mix until dressing is dispersed throughout the salad. Enjoy at room temperature.

In each forkful, you get a nutty crunch from the walnuts, chewy bite from the wheat berries, and crisp tartness from the apples. The dressing’s barely-there sweetness is just enough to keep this dish from tasting like dessert, and the wheat berries’ impressive fiber and protein content per half cup (six grams of each) make this salad especially satisfying.

Learn more about wheat berries’ nutritional benefits.

Looking for other savory apple dishes to make this fall? How do you like these apples?

• Spinach and Green Apple Salad
• Chopped Apple Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Blue Cheese and Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• Beet and Apple Salad
• Israeli Couscous with Apples, Cranberries, and Herbs (made with vegetable broth)
• 5 Favorite Fall Salads

TELL US: Do you prefer your apples whole, baked into apple desserts, or in savory dishes?

Janel Ovrut Funk, MS RD LDN, loves experimenting with vegetarian and vegan cooking. Read her food blog, Eat Well with Janel, and follow her on Twitter @DietitianJanel.  Catch up on her previous posts here.