Cooking whole grains

What kinds of whole grain do you cook?  I'm still exploring all the different ones.  I get small amounts of new ones at Whole Foods bulk department so I can make sure I like them.  So far I haven't found any I don't like!  Here's my list

brown basmati rice
red rice
quinoa
whole wheat (wheat berries)
barley
whole wheat cous cous

Which ones have you tried and what did you think of them?  Any tips for preparation? 

I love this idea I am feeling burned out on mine!

whole wheat tortillas
ww parathas in the frozen foods/Indian section
Kashi cereal
bran buds with yogurt
small red beans
ww couscous
ww pasta shells

 

 

One of my favorites is barley.  I absolutely love it in soups.

I purchased some ww flour and have been making banana bread with it and no one even notices the switch.

I also started buying ww pasta.  Again, no one in my house minds the switch and I feel like I fill up faster then with white pasta.

Whole wheat bread is OK.  I prefer the Cracked wheat or the whole wheat white bread.

I tried the quinoa and the texture was hard to get used to.  I would like to try it again because the health benefits are outstanding.

WW rice is great but alittle drierthan white.  I need to figure out a way to get it moister without adding abunch of soy sauce.

I used to eat Kashi cereal but I have a new love for Multi-grain cheerios.

I love to make an Orzo salad with cherry tomatoes cut in half and **** mushrooms - add a little olive oil and roast the tomatoes with some salt and pepper - throw in a little garlic if you like garlic and toss together with the orzo and some fresh green onions chopped.  Makes a great side dish or if you add some feta it can be a nice vegetarian main dish.  Herbs and spices can be added according to your taste to make it south western, asian or middle eastern!

We also eat couscous often - I like the colorful blends - they make the plate look more interesting - we serve it with fish usually.  

I buy red, black, Basmati and wild rice and blend them together to make dishes more interesting - you need to adjust cooking time a little longer since wild rice takes more cooking to get tender.  I'm making myself hungry - time to get on the treadmill!  Karen

I don't have a "Whole Foods" near my house but I wish we did because I do like that chain. I do have a good Natural Food Co-Op that I am a member of, "Everman's"  about 30 miles away where I also buy in bulk from bins and fresh organic vegetables. I like garbanzo beans, white beans, red beans, pinto beans, oat groats, wild rice and brown rice, buckwheat groats, blackbeans, and I like to sprout mung to about 1/4" long and add it to my soups or on salads. i like to make soups with whole grains, beans, tomatoes and leeks, and kale or collards. sometimes I boil the collards, then take the leaf and fill with brown-wild rice mixture that I precooked and the mung beans and precooked garbonzo beans and roll up. I heat that and serve with a homemade black bean sauce I make. I have been experimenting with rice flour, flax seed meal and oat bran to make facaccia. I use the recipe function on the calorie-count website to see the nutrition values of my recipes and log what eat. I make everything from scratch because I monitor sodium, fiber, sugar, calories. I have lost 20 lbs so far and no longer need my blood pressure medicine. I have also lowered my bad cholestrol. I prepare all bean ahead of time and put in refrigerator to add to soups and other dishes. I cook all basically the same. I wash and cover with water, bring to boil then turn off. Leave set 1 hour and then dump water and rinse again. Then I put the beans in large baking pan with about three times the water and 1-2 tbsp olive oil. I bake at 350 for about 3 hours, stirring about every 30 minutes. Most of the time after the beans have cooked about 1 hour I add fresh sliced leeks, smashed fresh garlic, sliced celery, fresh sweet and hot peppers, and I use a lot of tumeric but not everyone like that taste.

Barley for a whole grain (pearl barley for a processed one- and Israeli couscous). I like how easy it is to cook the barley and it goes well with a lot of different meals- beans, tofu, vegetables. I use it instead of rice when I can- for chili, any Caribbean or Latin inspired meals. The couscous is great cold and warm (just like regular couscous). I've never had whole wheat couscous though.

I had a wild rice mix from Trader Joe's that was really delicious. It had black rice in it- super delicious and nutritious. Its my favorite type of rice.

 

I also enjoy sprouted grain breads- they're in the freezer at Whole Foods. I use rolled oats in baking- I got a tasty recipe from 101 Cookbooks which isn't entirely evil. (Its a C as opposed to an F.)

when cooking quinoa, it tastes good to boil it with chicken broth and water

i also make the "crumble" topping to apple crumble with whole wheat bread crumbs (proccessed slices of w.w. bread)

Steel Cut Oats!   Delicious and hearty breakfast.  Totally different from regular oatmeal.

Original Post by salome190:
WW rice is great but alittle drierthan white.  I need to figure out a way to get it moister without adding abunch of soy sauce.

Somewhere I read the tip to add a little bit of vinegar to the rice to make it more fluffy. That probably won't make it more moist, but maybe you like the rice better. Also, I use a rice cooker and we are very content with the results.

One thing that makes grains more digestible and cook faster, is to soak them overnight(some grains such as millet and quinoa need to be rinsed well first)in the water you will cook them in.Grains need to be thoroughly cooked to be most digestible.A favorite breakfast of ours is baked oatmeal...2 cups thick rolled oats to 3 cups water baked with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon,chopped apples(and/or any fruit you like) at 350* for 45 minutes.Serve with soy or nut milk and fresh fruit.

Barley goes well with so many dishes! I like turkey mince stew and add a cup of cooked barley. So, I keep cooked barley/cooked beans in the freezer so I can add them in without having plan ahead.

Black eye beans also go exceptionally well with turkey mince dishes.

And today I'll be making mung bean curry....

Enjoy the cooking!

ChloeM

 

 

 

 

 

 

We eat a ton of quinoa. We cook a large batch of it, freeze it, then add it to baked goods like muffins, pancakes, waffles, etc. My kids (2 and 4 years old) say they don't like it, but they eat the the baked stuff without a second thought. I also add it to Mexican recipes like enchiladas or burritos, etc. We eat fewer pancakes or waffles when I add quinoa to it.

We also eat a lot of steel cut oats. If you've never had them, they are so good! Like quinoa, I make a big batch (it takes about 45 minutes to cook!) and then freeze individual containers to have for breakfast during the week. It is SO healthy and I love it--my kids love it too. I don't think I could ever eat quick cooking oats again.

Millet is excellent in soups.  I make a vegetable soup and add some millet and red lentils.  It makes an amazing, hearty and tasty soup.

I also cook brown rice (basmati or short grain) and brown lentils together with some vegetable soup mix as seasoning.  Also excellent...you can carmalize some onions and add it as well.

You can make a vegetable salad (cucumber, yellow pepper, tomato, carrot, and whatever else you want to include, all diced into small cubes) and add brown rice to it with a dressing of lemon and olive oil.  Delicious and filling...

When making quinoa, I often add in some chopped broccoli, zucchini, carrots, asparagus, or other vegetables in the last 10 minutes of cooking...the vegetables stay a bit crisp and it adds a variation to the quinoa.

Over the weekend, I felt like having something very unhealthy like pasta alfredo.  So I made ww penne pasta, and I threw together in the blender, soy milk, tofu, seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, tiny bit of tamari) and once blended, heated until it slightly thickened.  It was great - and healthy...

 

I have made quinoa with shallots (cooked) and sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil).  I've cooked the quinoa in reduced salt chicken broth and really liked it!  My husband liked it too!  I was very surprised.  It's one of my favorties now.

I also really like wild rice.  I find that it has a great texture and I really like the different grains.

how does red rice taste, and what kind of recipes do you have for it?  Thanks!

It tastes like brown rice with small brown grains.  No recipe, I just cook and serve it like any rice.  It's pretty when mixed with other grains.  By the way, the "red" is just a reddish brown that looks lighter when cooked.

claire,  Great thread topic!

I think some people are getting confused about what "whole grains" are though, as I saw some people mention "multi-grain cheerios" which are processed, couscous, and orzo (which are just types of pasta).

I love barley in soups.  I think it is more of a "northern" thing, though. I think you are an Eastern PA girl as I am?  I haven't seen barley used in any dishes down here in AL.  

I came across this recipe for quinoa in a magazine and thought it sounded good!

Warm Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds

From Good Housekeeping
triple-tested at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute

Quinoa is often called a supergrain. Because it contains all 8 essential amino acids, it is considered a complete protein. It has a delicate flavor, but some people don’t care for it because they find it has a bitter aftertaste. Toasting quinoa helps reduce the bitterness and bring out its tasty nutty flavor. Look for it in health food stores and some supermarkets.

INGREDIENTS conv. chart U.S. Metric 1 1/2 cup(s) quinoa 2 1/2 cup(s) (plus 1 tablespoon) water 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt 2 tablespoon(s) reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon(s) rice vinegar 1 teaspoon(s) Asian sesame oil 1 teaspoon(s) grated peeled fresh ginger 2 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally 1/4 cup(s) sliced natural almonds, toasted DIRECTIONS

1. In 12-inch skillet, toast quinoa on medium 5 minutes or until fragrant and golden, stirring frequently.
2. Stir 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt into toasted quinoa; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15 to 17 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, ginger, green onions, and remaining 1 tablespoon water.
4. Transfer quinoa to large serving bowl. Stir in soy sauce mixture until quinoa is evenly coated. Sprinkle with toasted almonds to serve.
   
   

   Nutritional information is based on a 3/4-cup serving.

COOKING INFO Serves 5 Yield 5 side-dish servings Prep Time 5 min
Cook Time 25 min

(Cooking times may vary) Total Time 30 min
Oven Temp -- Edit serving size

Recipe ingredient amounts have been adjusted. Cooking times and temperatures may be affected by increasing the amounts used, so please check food carefully during cooking.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per serving) Calories 305 Total Fat 7g Saturated Fat 1g Cholesterol -- Sodium 460mg Total Carbohydrate 38g Dietary Fiber 4g Sugars -- Protein 9g Calcium --

That's funny that you say that about Barley being a "northern" thing.  I'm originally from Montgomery, AL, and my parents are both southern. My mom always put barley in her homemade soup.  I also remember having barley as a side dish quite often from my mother and my grandmother.

purse-  Oh Yeah? I'm glad to know that. I never see it here in northern AL. Maybe I will add a barley recipe to our menus here at the hospital where i work and see how it goes over. Thanks! ;)

Here's a FABULOUS one: BULGUR! It's a form of whole wheat and has a nice light, slightly nutty flavor.

I recently discovered it and am a total convert! It has fewer calories, less fat, and more than twice the fiber than brown rice. It's a low on the glycemic index and high in folic acid. AND IT COOKS FASTER THAN RICE. I've started using instead of rice in everything.

Here's an easy recipe to get you started. This recipe makes a good side for just about anything:

4 servings

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons Smart Balance butter
• 1 small onion or shallot, chopped
• 1 cup medium grain bulgur
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, cook almonds, tossing occasionally until golden, 4-5 minutes.
2. Remove from skillet and let cool.
3. In same saucepan, melt butter over med. heat.
4. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6-8 minutes.
5. Add bulgur and stir to coat.
6. Add broth, season with salt and pepper, and bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat to low, cover saucepan, and simmer until liquid has cooked out and bulgur is tender, about 15 minutes.
8. Remove from heat, sprinkle bulgur with cranberries.
9. Cover and set aside to steam, about 5 minutes.
10. Add toasted almonds and stir to combine and fluff bulgur.

Each serving:

242 calories

10.7 g total fat

4.2 g sat. fat

15mg cholesterol

375mg sodium

31 carbs

8g fiber

1.7 g sugar

8.3 g protein

Vitamin A 4% • Vitamin C 3% Calcium 4% • Iron 8%

Well, I'm hooked on old fashioned oatmeal! I never had it as a kid, since my mom was a "modern" 1950's woman and we only had ready-to-eat cold cereal. But, last Fall, I got a very high cholesterol reading, and I started eating Quaker Old Fashioned oatmeal for breakfast every day. I really developed a taste for it! Now the cholesterol number is 65 points lower in 3 months (either the first reading was a mistake, or those Quaker Oats are a miracle product!!)  Although I don't need to eat it, I still eat it every day!

I usually add brown sugar and cinnamon and mix in 1/4 cup of fresh berries. Sometimes, I add just maple syrup. Finally, a breakfast that is both good tasting and good for me!

Carla