Category — Grains

Since I had both millet and wheat berries in my kitchen, I was excited to find this recipe on Foodista! The ingredients make me think of it more as a fall salad, since it contains apples and sweet potatoes and millet is technically a “warming food” even when served in a cold dish like this one, but it made a nice summer evening dinner tonight!

Millet and Wheat Berry Salad

Ingredients:

• ½ cup uncooked wheat berries
• 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt
• 1 cup uncooked millet
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced (1 1/3 cups)
• 6 scallions with white and light green parts,thinly sliced
• 4 small celery stalks, diced
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled halved lengthwise, and diced
• 1 medium apple, cored and diced
• Mustard-Dill Dressing
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Soak your grains: In one bowl or saucepan, combine wheat berries and cold water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and let stand at least 6 hours or overnight. In another bowl or saucepan, combine millet and cold water to cover. Cover and let stand at least 6 hours or overnight as well.
2. Drain wheat berries and set aside while you bring 4 cups fresh water to a boil in the saucepan.
3. Add wheat berries and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the saucepan and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain well. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add drained millet and 1/4 teaspoon salt and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Place in large, shallow container, fluff with fork and spread out. Let stand until cool.
5. While grains are cooking, if using walnuts, preheat oven to 350 F. Spread nuts on baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
6. In small saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add sweet potato and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until potato is just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain well.
7. In large bowl, combine wheat berries, millet, sweet potato, toasted walnuts, scallions, celery, cucumber and apple. Add Mustard-Dill Dressing and toss gently but thoroughly to blend. Season with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Millet and Wheat Berry Salad

Mustard-Dill Dressing

Combine the following ingredients in a bowl or glass jar with lid. Whisk or shake until well mixed.

• 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 6 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon Dijon (or Stoneground) mustard

Mustard-Dill Dressing

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Ever since I bought some millet to experiment with in order to write my upcoming “Great Grains” post about the little-known grain, it has been staring at me from a jar on my kitchen counter, basically daring me to give it a try. I’ve gathered up a few recipes now, but until today, hadn’t tried one…of course, being a baked good AND giving me a chance to try making flour in my VitaMix for the first time locked in this recipe as my first millet experience!

The muffins turned out tasty and not overly sweet, which I like. They are somewhat dense, which surprised me since the original post said they turned out fluffy. I’m guessing the denseness may be because there are no eggs and/or because it didn’t require me to use my KitchenAid–I just beat all the ingredients together by hand, and maybe should have beat them more? Regardless, they are yummy, and I love that they have little tiny banana slices on top! The fact that they are made without any refined sugar, of course, makes me happy too!

A few notes for next time are that I’d like to try it with applesauce instead of oil, and I need some more practice with grinding the flour…there are definitely a few whole pieces of millet in each muffin, but no harm done!

Banana Chocolate Chip Millet Muffins
Adapted slightly from Peas and Thank You.

• 2/3 cups millet
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 bananas: 2 mashed + 1 for slicing to top the muffins
• 1/2 cup organic turbinado or brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 cup organic milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cups organic chocolate chips (I used Sunspire Grain Sweetened Chocolate Chips)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Measure the millet into a high speed blender (like the VitaMix!), food processor, or spice mill, and grind into a fine texture.
3. Pour into a large bowl and add pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
4. Mash bananas and add the oil, milk, vanilla, and turbinado sugar.
5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Fill your lined muffin cups and top each with a banana slice.
8. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

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This casserole recipe gets a thumbs up for tastiness and ease. I served it with a large green salad and a sizable portion of green beans, because although it may seem like a casserole should be a main dish, it’s really best for your rice to come in side dish portions, especially when baked in a creamy, cheesy way like this!

It’s a simple dish to make, especially if you already cooked brown rice and/or chicken on hand. The recipe calls for cooking the chicken with the onions and garlic, but I had my husband throw ours on the grill last night and just cut it up to use in my casserole tonight. I did add it to the saute pan with the garlic and onions for a few minutes, though, after I took them off the heat, just to try to get the flavors to meld together a bit before I added them to all of the other ingredients.

I found this recipe on Honoring Health, where it had been modified from Paula Deen’s Deen Family Cookbook. I modified it further and have noted options you may want to take.

Serves 8 (or more!)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil (if you only have olive oil, don’t let that stop you! It will work fine)
• 4 cups cooked brown rice (I used short-grain but would be interested to try this with other types of brown rice)
• 2 cups cheddar cheese (the original recipe called for goat cheese, but I used raw milk cheddar that I shredded myself. I used about half of a .7 lb block to yield about 2 cups once shredded)
• 3/4 cups dried cherries (I omitted these)
• 3/4 cups chopped pecans
• 1 cup milk (the original recipe calls for cream but I just used whole milk)
• zest of 1 orange, ideally organic!
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup mozzarella or Parmesan cheese (I used a half cup of each)

Directions:

1. Heat the grapeseed oil in a large skillet and once it is hot, add the onions and the garlic.
2. Cook the onions and garlic until tender and then add the chicken cubes.
3. Cook the chicken until it is golden brown on all sides.
4. While the onions, garlic, and chicken are cooking, combine the remaining ingredients, except for the mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, into a large bowl and set it aside.
5. Grease a large casserole dish and preheat the oven to 400.
6. Once the chicken is cooked, combine the chicken, onions, and garlic with the rice mixture and stir well.
7. Pour into the greased casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes until heated through.
8. Top with the mozzarella or Parmesan and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

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If you cook up a bunch of brown rice on the weekend, this can be a very quick and easy weeknight meal to put together! This tasty salad is great for a summer lunch, dinner, or as a side dish for a cookout.

Serves 4.

• 1/2 cup short-grain brown rice (or 1-1/2 cups if already cooked)
• 1 medium zucchini (1/2 pound)
• 2 celery ribs
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 bunch arugula, spinach, or lettuce (4 ounces)
• 4 scallions
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon stoneground (or other coarse-grained) mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. If rice is uncooked, fill a 2-quart saucepan three fourths full and bring to a boil.
2. Add rice and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 25 minutes.
3. Drain rice in a colander and rinse under cold running water until cool. Drain rice well.
4. While rice is cooking, cut zucchini, celery, and carrot into 1/4-inch pieces, remove stems from greens and chop leaves, and chop scallions (use the green stalks and the small white onions).
5. Fill a bowl with ice and cold water.
6. In a saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the zucchini, celery, and carrot for 1 minute.
7. Drain vegetables in a sieve and transfer to bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain well.
8. Whisk together lemon juice, broth, mustard, oil, salt, and pepper.
9. Combine rice, blanched vegetables, greens, and scallions, and add dressing, tossing to combine well.
10. Season with salt and pepper and serve salad at room temperature.

Adapted from Epicurious.com

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When I found this recipe in a magazine recently, I knew I’d have to try it soon. Chickpeas have become a recent favorite ingredient (or snack, all alone!) of mine recently, and I have 2 mint plants that have been growing quite well and deserve to be part of a recipe other than mojitos!

I served this cold as a main dish, but it occurred to me later that it might have been intend to be hot! It would work both ways, and certainly works as a main or as a tasty side dish for lamb, chicken, or fish.

P.S. To learn more about quinoa, check out the first post in my Great Grains series!

Yield: 6 servings (1 cup each)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 8 large cherry tomatoes or 4 small tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp stone-ground or Dijon mustard
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked, cooked, and drained OR 2 (10 oz.) cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• optional: 1/4 cup kalamata olives, drained
• optional: 3 ounces goat’s feta cheese

Directions:

1. If cooking dried and soaked chickpeas, add them to a pot of fresh water and bring to a boil. Strain foam off the top, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook with lid on for approximately one hour. Drain and refrigerate if not ready to proceed with following steps yet.
2. Bring 1 cup of water to a gentle boil, then add quinoa. Turn heat down to medium-high to keep a gentle boil going for 12-15 minutes. Pour quinoa into a fine sieve to drain, then tip into a large bowl and fluff with a fork.
3. Cut the tomatoes into bite-size pieces and set aside.
4. Add chickpeas and olives (if including) to quinoa.
5. Mix the oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl using a whisk.
6. Pour dressing over chickpeas and quinoa, lightly tossing to coat.
7. Just before serving, add the tomatoes and mint.
8. If using feta, crumble it into the salad as well.
9. Toss gently and serve.

Adapted from Living Without magazine, June/July 2010 issue

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I had never had rice pudding before I tried this recipe, and now I am in love. I cooked up a ton of brown rice on Monday, and this is one fabulous way to use the leftovers. Tonight I made it for the second night in a row, and made some adjustments that turned out just right, so it’s ready to share!

The recipe below makes 1 serving if you have it alone, and 2 servings if you use it as a caramel-esque ice cream topping (yum!).

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. brown rice
• 2 Tbsp milk of your choice (I recommend coconut milk or almond milk)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup (ideally Grade B, organic!)
• 1/2 Tbsp almond butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• optional: 2 Tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut, 2 Tbsp raisins, and/or 2 Tbsp sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently.
3. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Pour into a bowls, or split into 2 servings and pour over 1/4 cup ice cream (I highly recommend coconut milk ice cream, or the real-deal good stuff)

Adapted from recipes found on The Institute of Integrative Nutrition website and in Health magazine.

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I found this recipe online and tried it for the first time for lunch today. It was quite good, with a simple, low-key flavor, and I can see it becoming a summer favorite as I experiment with adding in an additional protein like shrimp, grilled salmon, or chicken. I could also spice it up with more cilantro and salt and pepper—still not sure I have that “add salt and pepper to taste” thing down!

Serves 4.

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I’ve never been a meatloaf fan, so I was not looking for a substitute, but if I needed one, this would be it! I’ll basically try any recipe with quinoa now, I love it!

I really liked this, even though I had to leave out the sun-dried tomatoes because my husband does not care for them, and I did not have a full 1/2 cup of parsley, so those probably would have given it a bit more flavor. “Salt and pepper to taste” is something I am still trying to master, and I don’t think I added enough before baking, but I added a little sea salt and pepper on top when eating it and really enjoyed it. My husband ate his with ketchup and gave it a thumbs up too.

Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas

Welcome spring–or vegetarian guests–to your table with this delicious main-course recipe that is destined to become a favorite for family and feasts alike. For killer veggie burgers, serve any leftover slices on toasted whole wheat buns with lettuce and spicy mustard.

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley and/or 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 10 sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
• 1 cup (about 1 onion) chopped red onion

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch loaf pan with oil; set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, put beans, oats and 1/2 cup water into a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. In a large bowl, combine mushrooms, bean mixture, quinoa, peas, parsley, tomatoes, onion, salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan, gently pressing down and mounding it in the middle. Bake until firm and golden brown, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Set aside to let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: Whole Foods

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For dinner tonight I tried the Garlic Gingered Broccoli recipe but with lots of other stuff thrown in with the broccoli. I added onions, bean sprouts, cooked shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms to the broccoli and used an extra tablespoon or two of tamari. The last thing I added was a handful of cashews…yum!

To go with it, I boiled quinoa per package directions, but I tossed in some green onions and minced garlic (sauteed briefly first) and toward the end of the quinoa cooking time, some frozen peas.

Basically I got all of these ingredients and the idea for the quinoa from my recipes I followed over the weekend, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fennel and Shiitake Mushrooms, and Warm Quinoa Salad with Shrimp and Asparagus. I don’t have an actual recipe to share, but it was easy and turned out great. The photo above is of my husband’s plate, but since he had his stir fry on top of the quinoa, here’s a photo of the quinoa cooking too.

By the way, this made a TON of food…I guess without a recipe I am not so great at judging amounts yet. But we don’t mind leftovers around here, so we have some yummy stuff for lunch and/or dinner later this week!

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Another yummy quinoa recipe! I found this one using the Whole Foods app on my iphone. The quinoa, shrimp, and cashews in this recipe give it protein while the inclusion of asparagus means we get our glorious green in there!

Serves: 4
An unfried “fried” rice of sorts, made with golden quinoa and tender asparagus. The shrimp provide bounce to your bite. Try adding 1/2 pound diced firm tofu for even more protein and texture. From The Whole Foods Market Cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, not reconstituted, julienned
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces
• 6 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Directions:
In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and continue to cook for 1 more minute. Add broth, wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa and simmer on low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until quinoa is almost tender.

Arrange shrimp on top of quinoa in pot and simmer for 3 minutes. Add asparagus and peas on top of the shrimp and simmer for 3 more minutes. Top with cashews, green onions and parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Source: Whole Foods

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