Grain of the week?

[AAK]

I am thinking of doing a "grain of the week" at our house so that we try out more grains and eat them in more than one way. Currently, we do eat brown rice, quinoa, couscous, and barley. However, most of these are only eaten ONE way at our house. So, for the kid who doesn't like quinoa--maybe it isn't quinoa, but the way I have been making it. kwim?

So, my first week will be rice because I have lots of ways to use it. I can make a batch and put some in a soup, use some for a stir-fry, make some confetti rice, do fried rice, and have one day with it plain. I hope to cook it twice and use leftovers for some of the days.

So, I would love to hear how you like your quinoa, couscous, and barley (and any other whole grain option that I am forgetting!).

Oh, after I do this "grain of the week" thing, we will go back to more variety! But, hopefully, I will have more ways to use grains that the whole family will like.

Thanks,

Amy

[Sayward]

Just fyi, because I see this all the time, but couscous is not a grain. It's made of wheat flour - just little teeny tiny pasta balls, basically.

[cristeen]

Buckwheat - I love buckwheat kasha, baked with mushrooms.

FOr a mixed grain dish, I really enjoyed this baked breakfast dish. Skip the added sugar, the fruit adds enough sweet.

[Koalamom]

Great thread! We try to rotate grains since 3 yr dd wont eat them if they are eaten everyday for a month. Today we are having amaranth.

[AAK]

Originally Posted by Sayward

Just fyi, because I see this all the time, but couscous is not a grain. It's made of wheat flour - just little teeny tiny pasta balls, basically.

Thanks for letting me know! I like to be accurate. Darn. Oh well, I still love the stuff, so I would like to hear how everyone uses it.

Amy

[AAK]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1

Great thread! We try to rotate grains since 3 yr dd wont eat them if they are eaten everyday for a month. Today we are having amaranth.

Ok, we have never had amaranth. How do you prepare it?

Amy

[LauraLoo]

My kids love quinoa like this for breakfast:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quinoa-...-2/Detail.aspx
I don't add in the extra sugar - it's sweet enough for us w/o it.

I also cook quinoa in chicken broth and add in sauteed garlic and onions -- sometimes I add in peas or spinach, too. It's simple, but we love it that way.

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1

Great thread! We try to rotate grains since 3 yr dd wont eat them if they are eaten everyday for a month. Today we are having amaranth.

Please share your recipe with us! I tried amaranth (plainly cooked) once and did not like it at all, but I still have plenty of amaranth left in my pantry.

My toddler loves all kinds of grains (eg different varieties of brown rices such as basmati, short-grain, red and black rice, quinoa, millet, bulgur wheat) so I prepare them often, they make a nutricious easy lunch. I always soak them overnight with a bit of ACV and usually I cook them with bone broth and whatever veggies I have in the fridge. For example today I fried up some chopped onion, red and yellow peppers, mushrooms and asparagus in coconut oil and then I added the quinoa with a bit of sea salt and mild curry powder, along with beef bone broth. We ate it with thick goat's milk yogurt and it was delicious!

[MacroMama]

Barley can be added to rice and cooked together for variety as can quinoa.

I like to make barley soup and sometimes we just cook barley and eat with pearsauce as our breakfast grain.

For breakfast we also cook quinoa and add chopped dried cranberries during the last 7 minutes. Mix and serve.

Some friends used to cook quinoa and add it to their raw salad. Delicious! Especially after they added the dressing.

Whole oat groats can be cooked and eaten like oatmeal. So you can add cinnamon, raisins, etc.

Millet is also a yummy one. We sautee diced onions, add millet, frozen corn and water and cook for the alloted time. It's not a sweet flavor. You can also add diced squash instead of corn. Yum. Occasionally with the leftovers we'll also make patties, add sea salt, and fry it up.

Polenta (corn grits) is really yummy. We make it with frozen peas. You can also make it plain and then fry it up.

Enjoy!

[mommy212]

Bulghur wheat is tasty, and simple. I like mine curried but that does not always go over well with LOs. It is also good with garlic and onion, or with lemon juice and asparagus.

[Koalamom]

Originally Posted by Gingercat

Please share your recipe with us! I tried amaranth (plainly cooked) once and did not like it at all, but I still have plenty of amaranth left in my pantry.

I used to think that amaranth was the worst tasting grain but I realized that I had to change my preparation method. Now it is our favorite grain.

First rinse it well. Then cover with water and some ACV to soak overnight or 24 hours preferred. Then DRAIN and RINSE WELL. Do not skip this step or your amaranth will taste terrible. Then cover with water and cook as usual.

Thats it, nothing fancy, but serve with strawberries or blueberries (thawed wild blueberries are the best) some maple syrup and some cream or butter. Yum!!

After preparing amaranth this way I now dump off soaking water for all my grains including quinoa.

[AAK]

These are great ideas, I am glad I asked. Keep them coming, I am taking notes.

Amy

[AAK]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1

Then cover with water and some ACV to soak overnight or 24 hours preferred.

Ok, not to sound stupid, but what is ACV?

Amy

[LauraLoo]

ACV = Apple Cider Vinegar

[ollyoxenfree]

I think I've posted this Lemon Scented Quinoa recipe a couple of times now, but we really liked it. It's very light, perfect for spring.

The quinoa is boiled briefly, then drained and then steamed. I was skeptical about the extra step - I'm all about efficiency in the kitchen. It was easy though, and I can't argue with the light, fluffy, delicious results.

[neptunemama]

A quick quinoa recipe I make a lot is as follows.

I bring a pot of water to a boil. I measure out 2/3 cup quinoa, rinse a couple of times, then add to the boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer and set the timer for 10 min. When the 10 min is up, I add maybe 1/3 to 1/2 cup (I don't measure) each frozen peas and frozen shelled edamame to the quinoa, and cook for another 5 min. Drain. Add olive oil, grated parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. My kids take this for lunch 1-2 times/week.

It's also good w/some sliced cherry tomatoes tossed in after draining the quinoa.