a little texture

you know i love it in interiors

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texture added by natural woven shades, knubby throws, velvets mixed with linens mixed with natural fibers, weathered or worn accents, antiques, organic or living accents {i.e. house plants, living or once-living artifacts, "brown" or "green" items}, mixing metals, etc.

mmmm gets me all tingly inside.
;)

well i ALSO love texture when it comes to food.
while my daughter shys away from nearly anything with texture less than solid food, i on the other hand love the play of textures when it comes to edibles.
and in our quest to eat more natural, or whole, or less processed, or whatever you want to call it, i found this recipe that was definitely a reach into the world of food super texture.
stephen has always been a good sport when it comes to trying things...since marrying me he now regularly eats {and enjoys} things like couscous, edamame, sushi, mushrooms, and more recently hes traded in his oreos and lucky charms for things like these

and these

not too shabby, my processed food lover of a husband.
anyway, here is a recipe using an ingredient i have never cooked with before, wheat berries.



Chicken Cranberry Wheat Berry

1 lemon
3.5 cups of water {more if needed}
2 cups wheat berries, rinsed
1/2 cup white wine {i just used organic veggie broth , bc its what i had}
1 bay leaf
2 chicken breasts {ok im being honest here, i used rotisserie chicken which may completely defile my all-natural recipe, but im having an intense aversion to chicken right now and this was all i could deal with. we take what we can get}
exra virgin olive oil
1 ear of corn, cooked and corn removed from cob {i just boiled an ear of corn, frozen corn works too}
2tsp dried rosemary
3/4 cup dried organic cranberries
1/4 cup pistachios, shelled and toasted
2-3 sliced green onions
s&p to taste

extract juice from lemon and set aside.  add water, wine {or broth}, wheat berries, and bay leaf to a pot. peel lemon and add peels to the pot {i just put the juiced lemon skin in the pot}. bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for around 2-3 hours, adding water if/when needed {you will}, until wheat berries have softened and start to split open a bit.
if you dont use rotisserie chicken, coat chicken breasts with olive oil, s&p.  bake at 400 until cooked through. shred chicken.
when wheat berries are done, drain water and discard lemon and bay leaf.
add chicken, corn, rosemary, and cranberries.
stir then add lemon juice.  add pistachios and sprinkle with green onions.

serve immediately warm, or at room temp, or cold!


it was a party of flavors and textures and absolutely delicious.  we had it warm and then i ate it for lunch the next day cold.  tastes great both ways!
note: i cooked half the recipe and it made plenty for two single-dish servings and then lunch the next day plus a little extra.

go and be bold! try something new!
{and three cheers for texture!}