The Wholesome Hedonist's Guide to Grains

At our house, we do a fairly good rotation through the grains, partly because I like to try new healthy things and partly because I just got so damn bored of brown rice, brown rice, brown rice. Over the years I have experimented with quite a few and learned a few things about how and when to use them. Here's a list of some of my favourite grain buddies:

Red and white quinoa

Quinoa 

This is the first fancy grain I tried, mostly due to all the buzz around it a few years ago. By far the most popular of the ancient grains, quinoa is actually not a grain but a seed. In its raw form, it looks like birdseed (prompting a lot of heckling by meat-and-potatoes types) but it actually cooks up into a fluffy couscous-type dish. It's become so popular because it's quick to make, it's a stellar nutritional performer (containing protein, fibre, iron and lots of minerals) and it's extremely versatile. It's a perfect introduction into the world of ancient grains for the uninitiated.

Uses: 

Anything, really, from salads to side dishes to breakfast. I like to toss it with brocolli florets, toasted pine nuts and a sauce made from soy sauce, sesame oil and chopped ginger. Or it makes a kickass lunch when mixed with crunchy veggies, lime zest and juice and a drizzle of sesame oil. A makes an amazing indian pilaf version which i will post here soon.

Where to find it:

Quinoa is so popular now that you can usually find it in your grocery store (check the natural section.) It's also available at the bulk store and at health food shops.

Prep tips: 

A. likes to toast his quinoa in a hot pan, making it nice and golden before adding the liquid to give it a nuttier taste. Though most people say that red and white quinoa are exactly the same, I find that red quinoa needs a couple minutes longer to cook. Don't overcook it or it will become waterlogged and mushy (I have ruined many a dinner that way.) 

Amaranth. Most of that ended up on the floor and is now slowly sanding away the finish on the hardwood. It's a good thing we rent. 

Amaranth: 

Amaranth is like quinoa's baby sister. It is also technically a seed, but has tiny particles that are much smaller than quinoa, about the size of poppy seeds (for this reason, always measure amaranth over the sink - if you spill this on the kitchen floor, your grandchildren will still be trying to clean it up.) When cooked, the seeds kind of meld together into a texture similar to Cream of Wheat - it's sticky as opposed to fluffy. Amaranth is nutty, earthy tasting and very hearty - perfect to ward of the chill on a cold day. It's very filling and has lots of fibre, protein and folate, not to mention a variety of important minerals like magnesium and phosphorous. When I eat this for breakfast, I am often full for 4 or 5 hours (and I'm a hungry-every-2-hours gal.) Beware, though, that amaranth is unusually heavy - usually a half cup cooked is all I can eat before I am full. 

Uses: 

Perfect for a warm, comforting breakfast - top with maple syrup or honey and some nuts. You can also pop the individual seeds to make 'amaranth popcorn,' though I've never tried this.

Where to find it:

The health food store or the bulk store. 

Prep tips: 

Typically 2/3 cup of amaranth takes 2 cups of liquid to cook. I like to toast the grains over high heat until they smell really nutty before adding the liquid (if I'm making it for breakfast, I use a combination of milk and water.) It takes a while to cook (25 - 30 minutes), so make a batch and refrigerate what you don't eat - leftovers can be warmed up with a little water or milk and taste just as good the next day (or the day after.) 

Sunday breakfast: Cooked amaranth with figs, walnuts and (of course) maple syrup

Barley 

Barley is not a sexy grain. It's not in the fancy displays at specialty stores or on the menus at big name local restaurants. in fact, it's usually sitting primly in the back of the grocery store, its hands in its lap, waiting to be noticed. Don't be swayed by the lack of hype, my friends. Barley is delicious with a chewy, toothsome texture that can be fluffy or risotto-like, depending on how you cook it. It has lots of iron and fibre and some protein, too. At around two bucks a bag, it's the frugal superhero of the bunch. 

Uses: 

Barley is tremendously versatile. I like to cook up a bunch and freeze it in single serve portions to use in a variety of ways - as a breakfast cereal topped with sauteed pears, blueberries and maple-syrup spiked yogurt, in a risotto, or simply as a bed to top with a stir fry. 

Where to find it:

In the grains section of the grocery store. You can buy either pot barley or pearl barley. Pot barley is less processed; pearl barley is better for risotto-type dishes.

Prep tips: 

Add the liquid at the beginning if you want a firm, chewy texture, or keep adding liquid throughout the cooking process if you like it more risotto-like. Add broth or seasonings during the cooking process to maximize the flavour.

Millet

Millet is also a grain (well, actually a seed) that doesn't get a lot of respect. I know it sounds like the kind of boring, puritan thing they ate on Little House on the Prarie, but it's actually very tasty - a fluffier, slightly bigger version on quinoa. In the East Indian tradition, millet is thought to be immensely soothing and easy on the digestive system, which is why it's recommended for nursing mothers and small children. It is also packed with protein and relatively easy on the wallet.

Uses: 

Millet is great in a cold salad (think crunchy vegetables and a lime vinagrette) or as a warm side dish (try it with chickpeas and grilled eggplant.) You can use it for breakfast too - just mix it with some fruit and top with a dollop of greek yogurt. Basically, use it anywhere you would use quinoa.

Where to find it:

At the bulk store or the health food store.

Prep tips:

Use stock instead of water when preparing this for dinner; millet is great at absorbing flavours. Don't cook it too long or it will become mushy. 


A tip on all the grains above - don't mix them during cooking. They all have different cooking times and need different amounts of liquid, so mixing them while cooking can lead to some disastrous results (I should know; I had to throw out a recipe I was going to post here because, in an act of desperation, I mixed bulgur, millet and barley together because I only had a small amount left of each.) But mixing them once prepared can be delicious, especially in a salad. I wouldn't recommend mixing amaranth with anything, though, because of its sticky texture.

Up next in my Guide to Grains series: bulgur, spelt and wild rice (I know, not a grain, but whatever.) Also I'll give you a tip on the best brown rice I've found. Stay tuned!

Are there any other grains you've experimented with? What are your favourites?

Weekly Specials

Every now and then I like to do a round up of interesting food-related items I've seen on the web. For those of you who follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, you may have seen some of the links below, but a lot of them I never got around to posting (the tide of social media is just too much to keep up with sometimes.)

Here's yet another example of not judging a book by its cover: this New York Times article argues that the flavour has been inadvertently bred out of supermarket tomatoes in favour of a luscious red appearance (my solution is to roast them.) 

In my constant quest to assure people that fat is not bad for them: this concise article explains the difference between good fat and bad fat (from Women's Health Magazine) 

Confused about what to eat after a workout? this should help (via the kitchn). To paraphrase Chandler Bing, I try to go to the gym 3 times a week...but I've missed the last 837 times.

What the heck is a garlic scape? This post will enlighten you and give you some ways to use these ubiquitous farmer's market finds (plus, I love Alana's reflective and quietly funny writing style.)

And if you're wondering what the heck to do with kale - Amanda has some great ideas (personally I can't wait to sneak some kale into those chocolate muffins!)


For the moms and dads out there: 

Some of the foods on my top overrated foods list made it onto this list of popular baby foods to avoid. (Tip: just because they come in cute shapes doesn't mean it's good for kids)

An interesting article on how shaping flavour preferences starts in the womb  (via @CandidRD)

Healthy Pretenders: The Most Overrated Foods in the Supermarket

Instead of juice try an herbal tea refresher: half herbal tea, half club soda, a few blueberries and some basil leaves.

I admit it: sometimes I'll stand in front of the grocery store shelf for what seems like ages, picking up and putting down the same box of cereal, not sure if it's a healthy choice. The row upon row of brightly coloured boxes can seem so mystifying! But over the years I have learned a couple of things about making the best choices in the supermarket maze.

Just as there are some overlooked superheroes of the supermarket, there are those not-so-good choices lurking on the shelves, too. Now, I don’t believe that you should stay away completely from any one food (I am a hedonist, after all), but certain foods are disguised as healthy when they really should be thought of more as desserts or occasional snacks. See my list below for the top contenders.

Granola
What can be bad about oats, nuts and fruit? It’s about as basic as you can get! True, but those oats often have tons of added fat and sugar. And dried fruit and nuts are calorie-dense - which means that you are getting a lot of calories per bite. All this means that granola usually packs anywhere from 200 - 400 calories in a measly half cup (about the amount that fits into a small ramekin.)

Is it the worst food ever? Of course not. But those delicious granola parfaits you see on The Food Network with handfuls of homemade granola, nuts and maple syrup aren’t going to do your waistline any favours, no matter how wholesome they look.

It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat granola - I love it in the fall because it's such a perfect complement to the crisp weather.  But when choosing your granola, make sure to check out how many calories are in a serving (and how big that serving size is!) And don’t be fooled by cereals marked ‘Granola Crisp’ or ‘Granola Clusters’ and the like - though they may be lower in fat, they just mix the granola with refined carbs like corn or wheat flakes.

Your best bet is to find a granola that has oats as the first ingredient and doesn’t have too much sugar. To minimize the calorie punch, mix it with a puffed rice or flake cereal that is high in fibre. Now you can have your granola and eat it too!


Crackers
I love me a good cracker. In grad school I would often sit on the couch with a box of crackers and a wedge of cheese for ‘light’ dinner - except the dinner was usually far from light once I’d ingested a box full of crackers and half a block of cheese. Crackers are a fine occasional snack, but remember that they are mainly made up of white flour, oil and salt, so you are basically eating empty calories. It’s best to think of them as an alternative to chips as opposed to something healthy.

So how do you make the best choice? Make sure when you choose a cracker that you read the nutrition panel and the list of ingredients. Try to choose ones that have some fibre and very little salt, and stay far away from the ones that have some form of sugar and unrecognizable ingredients. (Remember - just because it says ‘whole grain’ or ‘made with vegetables’ on the package doesn’t mean it’s good for you - in fact, it’s probably not. Just choose the one with the simplest ingredients.)


Juice
Yes, juice. I know it’s made from fruit, but juice can pack a whopping calorie and sugar punch. Think about it: when you eat an apple, you are getting the sugar and calories of one apple, as well as the fibre from the peel and the pulp to help regulate the sugar as it's digested. When you drink a glass of apple juice, you are getting the sugar and calories of 3-4 apples, without any of the fibre or valuable nutrients from the pulp and the peel. Juice also elevates your blood sugar more quickly, leaving you tired and lethargic when it dips again.

Again, I'm not suggesting you stay away from juice entirely, though it is better to eat your fruits than drink them. But do make sure you read the label when you buy your juice. Most fruit juice is mostly apple or orange juice, no matter what exotic fruits they have on the box. So make sure the fruits on the box are the first ingredients in the juice you buy. Also, ignore pseudo-healthy sounding names and claims - they likely aren't adding much to the juice anyway. And of course, avoid ones with added sugars.

Finally, when you drink your juice, cut it with water or club soda so that you are getting half the sugar and calories. Or try mixing cold herbal tea with club soda and ice - it's a great summertime refresher!

Supermarket Snack Hacks: Yogurt, The Final Frontier

Yesterday's leftovers reincarnated for dinner tonight: quinoa in a parmesan-pea yogurt sauce, topped with roast chicken, tomatoes and grilled asparagus.

So, you've read the other entries in this series, and now you’re buying plain yogurt from the grocery store and jazzing it up with cinnamon, cocoa powder and coffee, right? Of course you are. But, you ask, what about savoury options, Ms. Hedonist? Can I extend my Yogurt Repertoire even further?

Well, ask and ye shall receive. Here is the last in my Supermarket Snack Hack series on yogurt: The Final (Savoury) Frontier.

Yogurt + Guacamole
I love, love, LOVE guacamole. I wish that restaurants served guacamole with a side order of nachos instead of the other way around. It’s pale green deliciousness, people. But did you know that, according to the Hass avocado site, one serving is one-fifth of an avocado? That’s right. Apparently, you should invite four of your friends over, huddle around that avocado, and slowly savour it together.

Well, I have a better solution. I like to add some plain yogurt to my guacamole to make it go a bit further and to up the protein factor. That way, I get my avocado fix without inhaling enough of the stuff to feed ten people. Another one of my favourite tricks is to add yogurt to guac, thin it out with a little water, and use it as a sauce for quinoa, brown rice, soba noodles - whatever. It amps up the flavour and creaminess of a dish, making it totally indulgent tasting. Really, you can add a little pimped-out yogurt to any grain and make a delicious sauce (see my dinner, above.)

Yogurt + Onion Dip
This is A’s favourite savoury snack. Instead of buying refrigerated dip, he just adds onion dip powder to plain yogurt and voila! A low fat dip for veggies (or to counteract those potato chips.)

Yogurt + Tuna
Sometimes I’ll replace the mayo in tuna salad with plain yogurt. The tartness of the yogurt is refreshing and lends itself well to a number of unique mix-ins: try tuna and yogurt with apple, cumin powder or garam masala and a few squirts of lemon juice. Perfect in a pita as a weekday lunch.

Yogurt as a Sandwich Spread
Building on the tuna idea, yogurt can make a great sandwich spread. One of my favourite ways to spice it up is to add in some cumin, coriander and garam masala, and then spread it in a whole wheat wrap along with some tandoori chicken, lettuce and tamarind chutney. Or add some lemon juice and garlic and make your own tzatziki sauce - it will take that dry grilled chicken sandwich up a few notches. You could add anything, really - fresh shredded ginger and powdered cumin, pesto and sundried tomatoes, or mango chutney and chile powder. It's a perfect carrier for all sorts of flavours.

Over to you - how else do you use your yogurt?