Have you tried golden berries? A golden berry adds a burst of flavor and color to everything – so why not use more than one golden berry? I added a a whole bunch to this gorgeous golden berry salad. The herbed yogurt dressing creates a rich, creamy dressing that is high in protein and low in fat.

Check out more of my recipes for Bloom Fresh, they’re sure to be crowd pleasers. Need a fun adult beverage? Try my Pomegranate Old Fashioned. Looking for a tasty, simple dessert or homemade gift? My Pomegranate Chocolate Bark is sure to please.

The star of my Golden Berry Salad are indeed the Golden Berries! (You may also see it spelled as “Goldenberries”) They also go by Inca berry, Peruvian groundcherry, cape gooseberry and husk cherry.  They are closely related to tomatillos, which I love making into a salsa. Make sure to try out my recipe for Eggs with Tomatillo Salsa!

My Golden Berry Salad is radiantly orange, bright and bursting with sweet and tart flavor. Golden Berries have a tropical flavor similar to pineapple and mango, mixed with the tartness of a green tomato.  There are tiny edible seeds inside the Golden Berries that add a delightful little crunch.   They have a thin, papery husk around the fruit, similar to tomatillos that must be removed before enjoying.

Golden Berries are native to tropical South America, and now can be found growing anywhere that hot crops like tomatillos and tomatoes can grow! Each plant will produce about 150-300 fruits.   They remain a relatively unknown fruit that are not grown in large-scale commercial production, but lately have been becoming more popular in recent years.

Where to Buy

My Golden Berry recipe uses about 4 pounds of Golden Berries! Sometimes they can be pricey so feel free to use less. During the Summer you may find them at your local farmers market, and they are becoming more common at most larger grocery store chains.

They are often confused for common ground cherries, but are easy to distinguish.  The husk around a Golden Berry is hairy and the husk has 10 “ribs” (looks like veins on a leaf).  The ground cherry is a bit smaller and has a smoother husk with only 5 “ribs.” ¹

Golden Berry Recipe Nutrition

My Golden Berry Salad has about 8 cups of Golden Berries and each 1/2  cup provides about 80 calories, 2 grams of protein, and 15 grams of fiber.  Based on a 2000 calorie diet, my Golden Berries Recipe will provide about 60% of the recommended daily intake of fiber, without even including the other vegetables in the recipe!

This Golden Berry recipe is also rich in vitamins and minerals.  It is a good source of iron (10% daily value), which helps red blood cells carry oxygen and support’s a child’s ability to learn.² It is also a good source of Vitamin C (60% daily value), which plays several key roles in healthy immune system response. ³

My Golden Berry Salad also provides Niacin (4% daily value), which is a B vitamin that helps turn food into energy and also supports the nervous system and digestive system.⁴ My Golden Berry recipe is also a good source of Vitamin K (26% daily value), which is involved in bone metabolism and is an important part of bone and cartilage formation. ⁵  Last, but not least this Golden Berry recipe also has a high content of carotenoids, which may improve vision. ⁶

Creamy Dressing

My Golden Berry Salad is full of tart and sweet flavors that is balanced with a creamy yogurt dressing.  I prefer using whole milk yogurt to give it an extra smooth, full fat taste, but feel free to use the yogurt of your choice.  If the dressing is too thick, try adding a few splashes of water or switch to using plain yogurt, which has a higher water content.

During the Summer, I love to use the abundance of fresh herbs available in my dressings, they give a bright floral taste that makes the whole dish pop! If this is too much, feel free to replace the fresh basil, chives and garlic with their dried counterparts.  The lemon provides an essential acidic bite to the dressing, that should not be skipped! If you want an extra zing, grate the lemon before squeezing to add the zest.  You can also replace the lemon juice with half the amount of vinegar (1 tablespoon).

Grated Cauliflower

Is cauliflower the new kale? It sure seems to be stealing the spotlight lately, especially with my Golden Berries Recipe! Cauliflower in this recipe gives heft, similar to a grain like rice would, and it really ties the whole dish together.

Grated cauliflower, also known as “riced cauliflower” or “cauliflower rice” can be made with a box grater or food processor.  With both methods, cut the head of cauliflower into quarters, and either cut out the fibrous stem or keep it for more fiber!

Next, with a box grater use the medium sized wholes and grate all of the cauliflower­­––that is it! With a food processor, use the grater blade and pulse it until you have rice size pieces. Check out my other cauliflower recipes like Cauliflower Tabbouleh and Turmeric Cauliflower.

Let’s Get Prepping!

My raw Golden Berry Salad is well worth the chopping, grating and mixing! It is perfect for a hot day when you can’t bear the idea of turning on the oven.  Feel free to adjust the ratio of vegetables based on what is available in your area. Enjoy!

Similar Pages

Looking for other fruit forward salads? Try my Spinach Berry Salad, Plum Fruit Avocado Salad, or my Cucumber Melon Salad.

References

1. Goldenberry-Fact-Sheet-042120181.pdf. Accessed May 27, 2020. https://cdn.sare.org/wp-content/uploads/20180422093516/Goldenberry-Fact-Sheet-042120181.pdf
2. Office of Dietary Supplements – Iron. Accessed May 27, 2020. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/
3. Office of Dietary Supplements – Vitamin C. Accessed May 27, 2020. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
4. Office of Dietary Supplements – Niacin. Accessed May 27, 2020. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Niacin-HealthProfessional/
5. Ramadan MF, Mörsel J-T. Oil goldenberry (Physalis peruviana L.). J Agric Food Chem. 2003;51(4):969-974. doi:10.1021/jf020778z
6. Etzbach L, Pfeiffer A, Weber F, Schieber A. Characterization of carotenoid profiles in goldenberry (Physalis peruviana L.) fruits at various ripening stages and in different plant tissues by HPLC-DAD-APCI-MSn. Food Chem. 2018;245:508-517. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.10.120

Golden Berry Salad

4.72 from 7 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Keyword: berries, salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chives minced
• 2 tablespoons basil minced
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad:

• 1 head of cauliflower grated
• 1 hot house cucumber diced small
• 2 bell peppers diced small
• 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
• 4 containers 15.2 ounces Golden Berries, halved

Instructions

• Combine dressing ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well.
• Add salad components to the bowl with dressing and incorporate well.
• Garnish with extra Golden Berries and chives if desired.

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