9 Sexy Whole-Grain Salads For Summer Slideshow

Crisp-tender snap peas, fresh English peas, and pea shoots are dressed with an Asian-inspired dressing made with sambal oelek, an Indonesian chile paste, and tossed together with chewy, nutty barley for a satisfying meal.

Look for hull-less barley instead of pearled, which is more common but not actually a whole grain.

Click here to see the Three Peas with Barley, Chile, and Green Garlic Recipe.

Chewy wheat berries are a pleasant counterpoint to juicy heirloom tomatoes in this easy salad recipe from Vicky Cohen and Ruth Fox, authors of the blog May I Have That Recipe?

Depending on the variety, wheat berries can take anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour to cook. To cut down on cooking time by up to 25 percent, Weinstein and Scarbrough recommend an overnight soak. You may also want to try making cooking a big batch of wheat berries on a Sunday afternoon to use throughout the week.

Click here to see the Heirloom Tomato and Wheat Berry Salad Recipe.

This Mexican-inspired salad, loaded with fresh corn, black beans, and sliced scallions, is a quick and easy side dish that will help liven up your weeknight dinners.

Click here to see the Mexiquinoa Salad Recipe.

Jonathon Sawyer, award-winning executive chef at Cleveland's Greenhouse Tavern, poaches fresh artichokes in white wine and then uses the poaching liquid to cook the farro — something definitely worth trying if you're feeling ambitious. Here, in this version adapted for home cooks, he uses chicken broth and store-bought marinated artichokes to help cut down on prep.

Click here to see the Farro with Artichokes and Herb Salad Recipe.

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad usually made with chopped parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and bulgur wheat, a grain made from ground, parboiled wheat berries. Here, protein-packed quinoa forms the base instead.

If you decide to use bulgur, make sure to look for whole-grain, quick-cooking bulgur instead of standard bulgur — don't get the ones in the numbered packages (indicating the fineness of the grind), which are standard bulgur.

Click here to see the Quinoa Tabbouleh Recipe.

Amie Valpone, author of The Healthy Apple, thought long and hard about the flavor combinations in this salad. She decided to enhance the subtle sweetness of black rice with some balsamic vinegar.

Click here to see the Balsamic Shiitake Rice Salad Recipe.

Kath Younger, author of Kath Eats Real Food, calls for fluffy red quinoa in her easy recipe, but you can use regular white quinoa as well, or experiment with intense black quinoa if you're feeling particularly adventurous.

Click here to see the Quinoa with Swiss Chard and Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette Recipe.

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, authors of Grain Mains, call this a salad, but it's more of a "soup/salad hybrid" as the vegetables release their natural juices over time to make a delicious broth for this simple appetizer recipe.

Click here to see the Gazpacho-Style Wheat Berry Salad Recipe.

This gorgeous salad by Jeanne Kelley, author of the Kitchen Garden cookbook, features some of the most exciting produce of the summer: sweet yellow corn and fresh beans.

Click here to see the Farro, Corn, and Runner Bean Salad with Goat Cheese Recipe.