Whole Grains

Amaranth

Contributes more protein (is a "complete" protein), lysine, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium than other grains. Protein content is about 12-17%. Also a good source of vitamin C and beta carotene.

The most common use for "grain" amaranth is to grind it into a flour for use in breads, noodles, pancakes, cereals and cookies. Practically gluten-free.

Cooking: Add amaranth to twice as much water for a rice-like texture or 2 1/2 - 3 times as much water for cereal or to add to breads. Cook until tender, about 18-20 minutes.

Barley

High in protein, niacin, folic acid, thiamin, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. The most processed form of barley is "pearl" barley. "Pot" or "Scotch" barley is somewhat less processed, but still missing much of the protein, fiber, and other nutrients of the whole grain. "Hulled" barley is the least processed and is usually only found in natural foods stores. "Hato mugi" is a hulled, compressed, and enriched type of barley found at Asian food stores, which is used in Japanese barley dishes.

Used in main dishes, soups, and ground into flour for use in baked goods. The flavor is sweet and nutty. A good substitute for rice and millet in recipes. Rolled barley may be used in place of rolled oats.

Cooking: Boil 4 cups of water and add 1 cup of barley; reduce heat, cover, and cook 1 hour. Yields 4 cups. Serve cooked barley with dried fruit, raisins, honey, or grated orange rind.

Buckwheat

Contributes bioflavanoid rutin, high quality protein, folic acid, vitamin B6, calcium, and iron. Has fewer calories than wheat, corn, or rice.

Wholegrain buckwheat may be used as a main dish, side dish, added to casseroles or soups, or ground into flour for pancakes, waffles, muffins, and breads. The flour is dark, robust, and slightly sweet. Buckwheat flour is best used in combination with blander flours when baking.

Cooking: Use about 2 cups water per 1 cup "grain." Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20-30 minutes or until tender and no longer crunchy (adding extra water, if needed). For a main dish or side dish, try cooking onions with the buckwheat, and add herbs and sea salt during the last 10 minutes of cooking time. For kasha (toasted buckwheat), use slightly less water and reduce cooking time to 15-20 minutes. Or else place 1 cup groats in a skillet over medium-high heat and stir in a beaten egg; stir constantly until each grain is separate and dry. Add 2 cups boiling water, reduce heat, cover tightly, and cook 30 minutes. Serve with butter, if desired.

Corn

Corn supplies protein, lysine, vitamin A, folic acid, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, and potassium.

Cornmeal and corn flour are both derived from dent or flint corn. Stone ground from the whole kernel is best. Corn is low in gluten, so recipes using cornmeal or corn flour may require eggs or chemical leaveners, such as baking powder or baking soda.

Fresh sweet corn on the cob is excellent raw or lightly steamed.

Kamut

Kamut contains about 40% more protein, 65% more amino acids, and is more digestible than common wheat. Protein, pantothenic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and zinc are among the nutritional benefits of kamut.

Use kamut flour successfully in place of common wheat flour in most recipes. It is a good flour for making pasta. Rolled kamut (like rolled oats) is available in some natural foods stores. Kamut is low in gluten. Kamut berries sprout very easily and may be substituted for sprouted wheat berries.

Millet

In addition to protein, millet provides calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorous.

Whole millet may be prepared like rice and used for hot cereal or pilaf. Millet meal and flour are used to make puddings, breads, cakes, and cookies. Since millet is bland tasting, it is best used in combination with stronger flavors.

Cooking: For hot cereal, bring 2 cups water to a boil, add 1/2 cup millet, and return to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 40 minutes (yields 2 cups). Serve with milk, milk substitute, or juice and a little honey, if desired, or a bit of sea salt. Or try adding honey, cinnamon, raisins, bananas, or chopped apples. Or add 1/2 cup dates to boiling millet and simmer, covered, for 50-60 minutes, until millet is very soft and mushlike. For other uses, such as main dish or to add to breads, reduce water to 1 1/2 cups.

Oats

Nutrients most abundant in oats are protein (up to 15%), calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin A, thiamin, and pantothenic acid.

Oat groats can be cooked and served as a hot cereal or prepared like rice and used as a side dish or added to dishes like salads or stuffings. When steamed and flattened, oat groats become rolled oats (a.k.a. old-fashioned oats or oatmeal), which may be prepared as hot oatmeal cereal or added to breads and cookies.

Cooking: Pour 1/2 cup oats slowly into boiling 1 cup water or milk. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Serve with honey, cinnamon, raisins, and chopped apples for a hot breakfast cereal, or use plain or with spices in recipes.

Quinoa

Higher in unsaturated fats and lower in carbohydrates than most grains, and is a complete protein, since it contains all eight essential amino acids. In addition to providing protein, quinoa contributes these important nutrients: calcium, iron, phosphorous, vitamin E, and lysine.

This tiny bead-shaped pseudo-grain, though lighter than rice, is an excellent replacement for rice or millet in cereals, main dishes, soups, side dishes, salads, and desserts, and cooks in half the time of rice. Quinoa may be ground into flour for use in breads, cakes, cookies, and the like, and used in making pasta. For bread baking, use in combination with a gluten-containing flour.

Cooking: Rinse thoroughly by rubbing grains together in water in order to remove the bitter-tasting saponin. Saponin is a sticky substance on the outer part of the grain which naturally repels birds and insects, but may irritate digestion or allergies in humans. Bring 2-3 cups water to boil and add 1 cup quinoa, reduce heat and simmer 25-30 minutes or until tender.

Rice

Brown Rice is generous in B vitamins and E. White rice is brown rice with the nutrient-rich bran removed. Generally, rice comes in short, medium, and long grain (Wild rice is a different species than cultivated rice). Short grain rice is more glutenous and stickier than long grain; long grain is higher in protein than short.

Long grain rice is popular in entrees, side dishes, and salads, while short grain is often used in desserts and Asian dishes. Rice may be ground into flour and used in baking cakes, cookies, pancakes, waffles, and breads. Rolled rice, if you can find it, can be used in place of rolled oats.

Cooking: Select your measure of rice and toast dry in a dry saucepan until lightly browned (optional). Boil twice as much water as you have rice, and stir in rice; return to boil, reduce heat and cover. Stick a toothpick between the lid and the side of the pan. Simmer about 35-40 minutes. Remove from heat and and pull out the toothpick, allowing the rice to steam for an additional 15 minutes or more. Fluff with a fork to separate grains. To make 3 cups 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.

Rye

Rye has a 12% protein content and is low in gluten, and it provides calcium, magnesium, lysine, and potassium.

Most appealing when used in conjunction with other cereals, such as oats. Rye can be whole, or flour, grits, or meal. Use in rye, pumpernickel, and black breads, breakfast cereals, breads, and pancakes.

Cooking: Presoak whole rye—1 cup in 2 cups water—overnight. Change water, bring to boil, and simmer 45-60 minutes, until tender. If using with whole oats or spelt, soak and cook together, using one part rye to 6-10 parts oats or spelt. Rye cereal may be served with fruit and apple juice.

Spelt

Spelt contributes protein and is also full of B vitamins, such as riboflavin, niacin, and thiamin. Also contained are notable measures of the minerals iron and potassium. Spelt is a little easier to digest than most grains, and is higher in balanced amino acids, fats, and crude fiber than common wheat.

An excellent high-gluten substitute for those allergic to wheat, it can be substituted for wheat in almost any recipe. Simply use a bit less liquid or more flour when substituting spelt in recipes calling for wheat. Pasta is great made with spelt flour. Rolled spelt may be found in some natural foods stores, and may be substituted for rolled oats in recipes.

Cooking: To cook whole spelt, presoak 1 cup spelt in 2 1/2 cups water several hours or overnight. Change the water, bring to boil, then simmer for 45-60 minutes, until chewy but tender.

Triticale

High in protein and dietary fiber. Very nutritious.

Triticale may be found in whole berry form, rolled like oats, or pre-ground into flour. For yeast bread-baking, triticale flour must be combined with a high gluten flour, such as wheat, barley, or spelt, in order to produce a loaf that isn’t a rock. Either berries or rolled triticale can be used as cereal, in casseroles, or in side dishes (such as pilaf).

Cooking: For 4 cups cereal, add 1 cup triticale to 3 cups boiling water; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until tender.

Wheat

Besides B-complex and vitamin E, wheat provides protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium.

Whole wheat berries come in two main varieties: hard red spring wheat, which is high in fiber but low in gluten and is made into pastry flour and hard red winter wheat, which is higher in protein and gluten and is ground into bread flour. Whole wheat pastry flour is used for making cookies, cakes, pies, muffins, biscuits, pastries, and other foods that do not require gluten development. Whole wheat bread flour is used primarily in bread baking. All purpose whole wheat flours are a blending of both spring and winter wheats and perform adequately in most recipes, but not excellently. Unlike white flour, whole wheat flours still contain the germ and bran rich in the B vitamins and E, and they are not treated with bleaching chemicals. Stone-ground flours are preferable.

Cooking: To prepare 4 cups whole wheat berries, soak 2 cups berries in water overnight; drain (save water for your soup broth). Add wheat berries to 6 cups boiling water or broth in a pot, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1-2 hours. Serve with butter, honey or tamari (soy sauce). Add leftovers to soups, salads, or knead into bread dough. For a 10 cups of crispy wheat berry snack, place 4 cups wheat berries and 12 cups boiling water in a container, cover, and allow to sit overnight. In the morning, drain the water off and spread berries evenly onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 300° F. until brown and crispy, about 10-15 minutes. Munch plain or sprinkle on salads and desserts. To make cream of wheat from scratch, toast wheat berries and then grind enough to yield 1 cup. Bring 3 cups water to a boil and add the grain. Return to boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve topped with honey, fruit, or nuts.

Whole grains contain more natural fats than their refined and stripped counterparts. To deter rancidity, store in a cool, dry, dark place; refrigerated would be ideal, if practical.

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