Wheat Berry Pudding

Recipe from Eating Well

* 1 cup wheat berries

* 2 tablespoons plus 3 cups low-fat milk, divided

* 1 cinnamon stick

* 1 strip orange zest (1/2 by 2 inches)

* Pinch of salt

* 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

* 1/2 cup low-fat maple yogurt (optional)

Sort through wheat berries carefully; discard any stones. Rinse well. Place in a large heavy saucepan and add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, adding more water if necessary, until the wheat berries are tender, about 1 hour. Drain well.

Place the wheat berries and 2 tablespoons milk in a food processor. Pulse, scraping down the sides as necessary, until most of the wheat berries are coarsely chopped (some may remain whole).

Combine the chopped wheat berries, the remaining 3 cups milk, cinnamon stick, orange zest and salt in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often to prevent sticking, until the mixture is very thick, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; discard the cinnamon stick and orange zest. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla.

Serve warm or chilled, sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with a dollop of maple yogurt, if desired. (Stir in more milk if the pudding gets too thick as it stands.) Serves 6.