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Can you boil water? Then you can make whole grains a part of your diet. Whole grains are delicious and nutritious, supplying vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. And there are many varieties to choose from besides the all-too-common wheat, oats and rice. No matter which you choose, from amaranth to quinoa, this article will show you how to select, store and prepare whole grains as a healthy part of your meals. Cooking Basics Whole grains are simple to prepare on the stove—just cook them the as you would rice or pasta—or in a countertop steamer, which is even easier. Once they’re cooked, whole grains will keep well and can be refrigerated or frozen. So cook as much as you can at one time. For the most flavor, you can cook grains in bouillon or another flavored liquid (such as vegetable broth or chicken stock) to enhance taste. Don’t be afraid to use these flavor enhancers for a variety of purposes. Both vegetable- and chicken-flavored broths and bouillons will produce mildly flavored grains that can still be used for hot cereals, main dishes, salads or desserts. Here are some of the most common ways to prepare whole grains:
Here is an overview of some of the most popular types of whole grains. If your local grocery store doesn’t carry them, most natural foods stores will. Amaranth gives a delicious nut-like flavor to foods and contains more protein, lysine, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium than any other grain. It is also a good source of vitamin C and beta carotene. Amaranth is commonly made into flour for use in breads, noodles, pancakes, cereals and cookies. To prepare, add 1 cup of amaranth to 2 cups of boiling water for a rice-like texture or 2.5 to 3 times more water for cereal. Cook until tender, about 18-20 minutes. Barley is used in main dishes and soups and can be ground into flour for baked goods. The flavor is sweet and nutty. High in protein, niacin, folic acid, thiamin, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous, it is a good substitute for rice and millet in recipes and rolled barley may be used in place of rolled oats. To prepare, boil 4 cups of water and add 1 cup of barley; reduce heat, cover, and cook 1 hour. Serve with dried fruit, raisins, honey, or grated orange rind. Brown rice is a good source of B vitamins and Vitamin E and may be ground into flour for baking cakes, cookies, pancakes, waffles and breads. To prepare, boil twice as much water as you have rice. Stir in rice, return to boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer about 35-40 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the rice to steam for another 15 minutes or more. Fluff with a fork to separate grains. To make you own cream of rice cereal, grind enough toasted rice to equal 1 cup. Bring 3 cups water to boil and add ground rice. Return to boil, reduce heat, cover and cook 1 hour. Top with honey, fruit or nuts. You can also bake your brown rice in the oven in a glass baking dish. Gather your ingredients as usual (1.5 cups rice and 2.5 cups water), butter and salt. Boil the water, salt and butter together and then pour the mixture over the rice, cover with foil and bake at 375° for one hour. Buckwheat is sometimes referred to as "groats" (hulled, crushed kernels) or "kasha" (roasted buckwheat groats). Whole grain buckwheat may be used as a main or dish, added to casseroles or soups or ground into flour for pancakes, waffles, muffins, and breads. The flour is dark, robust, and slightly sweet and is best used in combination with blander flours when baking. It contributes bioflavanoids, protein, folic acid, vitamin B6, calcium, and iron to your diet. To prepare, use about 2 cups water per cup of buckwheat. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes or until tender, not crunchy (add extra water, if needed). For a main dish or side dish, cook onions with the buckwheat and add some herbs and sea salt during the last 10 minutes of cooking time. For kasha, use slightly less water and reduce cooking time to 15-20 minutes. Kamut is a type of wheat. It is a good source of protein, pantothenic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and zinc. To prepare, use kamut flour in place of wheat flour in most recipes, especially pasta. Rolled kamut is available in some natural foods stores and can be used in place of rolled oats. Millet may be prepared like rice and used for hot cereal and pilaf or cooked with spices and served as a side dish, in soups and in casseroles. Ground millet “meal” and millet flour are used to make puddings, breads, cakes, and cookies. Millet is bland tasting, so it is best used in combination with stronger flavors. In addition to protein, millet provides calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and phosphorous. To prepare hot cereal, roast uncooked millet in a dry pan for a few minutes, then bring 2 cups water to a boil, add 1/2 cup millet, and return to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 20-30 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons raisins or chopped dates during last 10 minutes of cooking time for extra flavor. Thin to desired consistency with soy, rice, oat, or nut milk, and sweeten with honey or pure maple syrup, cinnamon, raisins, bananas, or chopped apples. If you are using it as a main dish or adding it to breads, reduce the amount of water to 1.5 cups. Oat groats can be cooked and served as hot cereal or prepared like rice and used as a side dish or added to stuffing. When steamed and flattened, oat groats become rolled oats (old-fashioned oats or oatmeal), which may be prepared as hot oatmeal or added to breads and cookies. Oats are rich in antioxidants, so breads, cookies, and other items made with oats don’t spoil as quickly. Oats are a good source of protein, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin A, thiamin and pantothenic acid. To prepare, pour 1/2 cup oats into 1 cup of boiling water or milk. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Serve with soy, rice, oat, or nut milk, and sweeten with honey or pure maple syrup or add cinnamon, raisins or chopped apples. Quinoa, pronounced "keen-wa," is higher in unsaturated fat and lower in carbohydrates than most grains (technically, it’s a seed), and it’s also a complete protein, since it contains every essential amino acid. It is an excellent replacement for rice or millet in cereals, main dishes, soups, side dishes, salads, and desserts and it cooks in half the time as rice. Quinoa may be ground into flour for use in breads, cakes, cookies and used in making pasta, and it also provides protein, calcium, iron, phosphorous, vitamin E, and lysine. To prepare, rinse thoroughly by rubbing grains together in water in order to remove the bitter outer coating (saponin), which may irritate digestion or allergies. Bring 2-3 cups water to boil and add 1 cup quinoa, reduce heat and simmer 25-30 minutes or until tender. Spelt is an excellent high-gluten substitute for those allergic to wheat and it can be substituted for wheat in almost every recipe, including pasta. Spelt is easier to digest than most grains and is full of B vitamins, such as riboflavin, niacin, and thiamin, as well as iron and potassium. To prepare, pre-soak 1 cup spelt in 2.5 cups water several hours or overnight. Change the water, bring to boil and then simmer for 45-60 minutes until tender but chewy. Triticale may be found in whole berries, rolled like oats or ground into flour. Triticale flour must be combined with wheat, barley or spelt flour in order to produce a light, fluffy end product. Berries or rolled triticale can be used as cereal, in casseroles, or in side dishes such as pilaf. To prepare a delicious, hot cereal, add 1 cup triticale to 3 cups boiling water; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until tender. Wheat berries provide protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium, as well as B vitamins and vitamin E. To prepare, soak 2 cups of berries in water overnight and drain. Add the wheat berries to 6 cups boiling water or broth in a pot, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1-2 hours. Serve with butter, honey or soy sauce. Add leftovers to soups, salads or knead into bread dough. For a crispy snack, place 4 cups wheat berries and 12 cups boiling water in a container, cover and allow them to soak overnight. Drain off the water and spread berries evenly onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 300° F until brown and crispy (about 10-15 minutes). To make your own cream of wheat from scratch, toast wheat berries and then grind enough to produce1 cup. Bring 3 cups water to a boil and add the ground wheat berries. Return to boil, reduce heat, cover and cook about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Top with honey, fruit or nuts. Who says that whole grains have to be boring or tasteless? Share your tips for cooking your favorite whole grains in the comments section! |
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Nutrition Articles › Meals and FoodEasy Ways to Cook Whole GrainsOver 20 Ways to Enjoy Whole Grain Goodness-- By Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness WriterSparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
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Member Comments
You can find the article online at: http://www.consum
erreports.org
/cro/magazine
/2012/11/arse
nic-in-your-food/index.htm.
In short, eat less rice products and/or soak rice and discard water before preparing. But I recommend the article! - 1/4/2013 10:44:09 AM
(For all the people who just claim they have a wheat allergy without actually being diagnosed with one or having any actual documented symptoms, they'll be just fine...) - 5/25/2012 4:39:16 PM
www.ohsheglows.
com
She has some excellent recipes for overnight oats. Yum! - 4/1/2011 12:33:57 PM
k. If I was, I'd definitely be including this article.
Jocelyn - 12/27/2010 2:10:58 PM
It was like big brown rice and was very good. The grains are big. - 6/19/2010 2:01:15 PM
- in a Saucepan Golden the chicken pieces with little bit of olive oil, season with salt and black pepper only then leave aside.
- add a chopped onion into the same oil and keep to tender on low heat with lid on for about 5 minutes.
- Add 250g of Freekeh grains and keep stirring every 2 minutes for 10 minutes untill you hear a sound like rattle shaker, add black pepper and half tsp of Cinnamon stir then leave aside.
- Return the chicken and the Freekeh into the saucepan add the chicken broth to cover the freekeh 3 cm over it.
- on high heat bring it to boil then reduce to the minimum and leave to cook for 50 minutes.
It is very tasty, healthy and not fatty at all and the best to skin the chicken and remove any fat seen. As any grain you have to count the calories. Enjoy..
- 6/19/2010 3:44:02 AM