Go With the Grain and Add Some Flavorful Fiber to

[Guest guest]

Saw this on another group and thought we could benefit

from it. I tried hard to edit any non-veg.

ingredients, forgive me if I missed anything.

 

Isis

 

 

 

Go With the Grain and Add Some Flavorful Fiber to

Your Meals!

 

Move over potatoes. Make way, pasta. Wild rice, brown

rice, couscous, bulgur

wheat, quinoa (keen-wa) and barley are rolling into

town! When you are

looking for a side dish with a twist, look no further

than the versatility

of grain. Grains are an excellent source of protein,

vitamins, iron and

dietary fiber; all of which will help a person with

diabetes keep healthy.

In addition, each type of grain has its own

distinctive flavor making them

as tasty as they are nutritious.

Barley

Barley is a mild flavored kernel-shaped grain widely

known for its success

at adding thickness to stews and soups. Barley is also

a great addition to

casseroles containing winter vegetables such as

carrots, root veggies, and

onions. The two most often used (for cooking) types of

barely are pearled

barley and hulled barley. Pearled barley is barley

that has been milled.

Because of this, it takes only 40 minutes to cook.

Hulled barley, barley

with its outer layer removed, is more nutritious than

pearled but takes a

full 90 minutes to cook.

 

Bulgur Wheat

If you want a grain that's a snap to prepare you've

found it in bulgur

wheat. Bulgur wheat's latest and greatest claim to

fame is tabbouleh salad,

a Middle Eastern wheat and vegetable salad that has

become wildly popular in

the U.S. Bulgur wheat cooks by rehydration, in other

words: pour twice the

amount of boiling water or broth over dry bulgur and

let it stand for 45

minutes. Bulgur wheat is often used as a ground beef

substitute in

vegetarian cuisine. For example, when it is cooked in

vegetarian chili the

bulgur texture becomes very similar to ground beef --

but lends more fiber

and far less fat!

 

Couscous

Okay, okay we admit it: couscous is technically not a

grain. What it

technically is, however, is a tiny pasta made from

fine semolina wheat.

Couscous is a very light grain, making it ideal for

those who are just

beginning to experiment with specialty grains. Like

bulgur, couscous is a

breeze to prepare. The same method of rehydration (two

cups of water or

broth to 1 cup of couscous) is used, except that

couscous will absorb the

liquid much quicker than bulgur will. Couscous will be

ready in a quick 5

minutes! Couscous makes a fluffy bed for kebabs.

 

Quinoa

Quinoa is not a new grain to South Americans. In fact,

it's been growing in

their fields for years (the Incans loved quinoa so

much they called it " the

mother grain " )! Quinoa has a wonderful nutty taste and

aroma, which explains

why it is commonly used in salads, soups, pilafs and

side dishes. Like

couscous, quinoa is an ideal grain to try if you are

new to the world of

grains or are one for instant gratification. In a

saucepan filled with a

ratio of 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa, the grain will

cook in 15 minutes.

More and more supermarkets are stocking this " ancient "

grain on its shelves,

so don't let its funny name scare you off!

 

Wild Rice

Wild rice is not really rice at all. It is the seed of

a grass grown in

Minnesota and Canada. Wild rice has an assertive

flavor, so you may want to

consider combining it will other grains before serving

it straight. Many

people are more willing to consume wild rice than they

are brown rice, so

consider serving wild rice at your next dinner party

or family meal. Wild

rice is delicious in soups and great paired with split

peas. It is one of

the longer-cooking grains, using three to four times

the amount of water or

broth versus grain. The rice must simmer for a full 45

minutes to 1 hour

before serving. Believe me, the results are worth it.

 

Brown rice

Brown rice is probably the most familiar of all the

grains. Try to

substitute brown rice for white rice when you can

because brown rice is more

nutritious - it contains more fiber. If you are in a

hurry, quick cooking

brown rice will suffice. But whenever possible cook up

a batch of brown rice

and store it in a container in the refrigerator for

future days when you

don't have time to let it cook slowly. Brown rice

cooks in double the amount

of water or broth and it needs to simmer for a full 45

minutes.

 

Here's a few ideas to help fit some (or all!) of these

grains into your

daily diet:

 

 

For breakfast, consider cooking brown rice in 3/4 cup

water and 1/4 cup

apple juice. Sprinkle the hot cooked rice with

cinnamon and nutmeg.

Toss 1 cup cooked wild rice into a vegetable or tomato

soup per four

servings.

 

Instead of meat chili, substitute 1 cup dry bulgur

wheat for the meat in a

recipe for four. Saute the bulgur wheat with the

onions and any other

vegetables the recipe calls for. Add your liquid and

let the chili cook

until thickened.

 

Mix and match grains. Quinoa and couscous are

extremely complementary

flavors, as are brown and wild rice.

 

In a non-stick skillet, saute 1/2 cup (each) mushrooms

and onions in 1

teaspoon olive oil. Add 2 cups low sodium, broth and

bring

the mixture to a boil. Stir in 1 cup pearled barley.

Reduce the heat, cover

and simmer for 45 minutes. You'll have a hearty side dish.