Wheat Berry Salad (simple! food storage style)

So with the new calling, we are having people try different food storage recipes. We decided as a committe to have a list of recipes we would like people to cook, and also take suggestions if someone had an awesome recipe they just HAD to share. So, I suggested Wheat Berry Salad. I had seen the recipe, read reviews that it was good, but lets face it I never have feta cheese in the house, or about 6 other ingredients I had seen.

Tonight, I made me some wheat berry salad. Ina Garten style. (Slightly modified).

Ingredients:
1 cup hard winter wheat (I used hard red, and soaked it overnight)
salt (surprise we didn't have any salt in the house! I used 'Krazy salt' its a seasoned salt)
1 cup finely diced red onion
6 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
3 scallions, minced, white and green parts (I didn't have any, and omitted it)
1/2 red bell pepper diced (I used green, and I just now realized I put in the whole pepper, oh well)
1 carrot, diced (didn't have any and used 2 tbs of the cannery dehydrated carrots)
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Bring 3 cups salted (if you are not abnormal and have salt) water to a boil. Add your wheat and reduce heat to low and cook uncovered until wheat is soft. I added my dehydrated carrots after about 15 minutes, and cooked for about 30 more minutes.

In a pan put 2 T olive oil and add the diced red onion. Sweat the onion on med low until translucent. Turn off the burner and add 4 T olive oil and the balsalmic vinegar.

In a bowl put the diced pepper (and scallion if you have it) and add the sauteed onions.

Drain the cooked wheat berries in the pasta strainer. If you have relatively large holes in your strainer you may need to take precautions, but my standard strainer worked and I didn't have a pile of wheat berries in the bottom of the sink.

Mix in the warm wheat and let everything mingle for 30 minutes. Season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

My thoughts:
From the smell of it I was sure it was going to be nasty. I think it was the overpowering smell of onions mixed with vinegar. Not exactly my cup of tea.

But, guess what. It was good. Surprisingly good. Next time I will chop the vegetables smaller since its not like pasta salad. Bigger is not better. Oh, and DANG we need SALT! (Salt was purchased last night after the cooking of dinner. We got 2 extra containers towards our food storage since we didn't have any, obviously.)

Also as a note, I don't know if I will try the fancier kinds. Lets just say that this was the one that had things I eat every day in it. That means its best for promoting at a food storage thingy. Plus I ate some if it for breakfast. I don't think I can handle eating tons of wheat berry salad for the next three weeks until the enrichment activity. I will just pass this recipe on, and call it good. Unless I just decide I want feta and spinach. Don't count on it though cause I don't get cravings.