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This hearty, healthy, and delicious grain salad is also versatile; you can eat it on its own or serve it as a side for grilled or roasted fish or meat. And since it keeps well for up to a week, it’s the perfect make-ahead meal to take on picnics, hikes, camping trips, and to potlucks, or to pack for work or school lunches. If you’ve never had rye berries, they’re pleasantly chewy and extremely healthy, and if you haven’t tried kefir, it’s a probiotic powerhouse akin to a thinner, tangier yogurt. Mixed with fresh herbs, it provides a creamy, piquant counterpoint to the nutty rye berries, sweet carrots, and crisp fried onions. You can add other vegetables and herbs to the salad if you wish.
Notes: As long as you wash your carrots well, you can leave them unpeeled; it saves time and boosts nutrition. You’ll only get as much dressing and as many fried onions as you need for this salad, but both components are well worth making on their own to garnish other dishes too. The dressing will keep for up to a month in an airtight container in the fridge. The onions are fried in ghee, which is basically clarified butter that’s been cooked longer until slightly nutty; you can make your own or purchase it ready-made. If making this salad ahead, store the onions separately to keep them crunchy and add just before eating.
Check out the author’s Chilled Avocado, Cucumber, and Kefir Soup recipe too.
An Ancient Healing Superfood for Modern Life, Recipes from My Family Table and Around the World
Chewy and nutty rye berries are the whole grain form of rye, with only the hull removed. They're high in dietary fiber, amino acids, manganese, and more, and make a great basis for healthy whole grain salads.
Buy Now ›To make the Fried Onions:
To make the Rye Berry Salad:
From THE KEFIR COOKBOOK: An Ancient Healing Superfood for Modern Life, Recipes from My Family Table and Around the World. Copyright © 2018 by Julie Smolyansky. Reprinted with permission by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Photograph by Jennifer Davick.
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