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Unfortunately, we think of wheat as the ONLY whole
grain and forget about nutritious whole grains/seeds like amaranth, brown
rice, buckwheat, flax, millet, quinoa, sorghum, teff, and wild rice. Instead,
much of the gluten-free foods we eat are highly refined carbohydrates (e.g.,
bread made from rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour---nutritionally,
there isn't much here).
The Whole Grain Council (the folks who developed
that bright yellow stamp you see on some foods) asked me to develop a page for
their web site on whole grains for the gluten-free diet. You can see it at
http://wholegrainscouncil.org/GlutenFree.html
Here are some ideas for using these high-powered
grains/seeds in your diet.
Amaranth
Sometimes I cook amaranth seeds for my hot
breakfast cereal. I put it in a small bowl, along with milk, and microwave it
for a few minutes, generating very little heat in the kitchen. A little
cinnamon, honey, and raisins and my day is off to a REALLY nutritious start.
Quinoa
One of my favorite summer meals includes Tabbouleh, made the same way as the bulgur version but with cooked whole quinoa
instead. It's great served cold for lunch. You'll find a recipe in
Wheat-Free recipes & Menus (WFRM).
Buckwheat
Kasha is simply roasted buckwheat groats and is
gluten-free, since it's actually a member of the rhubarb family. Look on the box
for ideas on how to cook it. I like it as a side dish or as hot cereal for
breakfast. Use cooked groats in any salad recipe that calls for wheat berries.
Sorghum
I am especially fond of whole grain sorghum as a
replacement in any recipe calling for wheat berries or bulgur. Whole grain
sorghum is hard to find in stores, but I order mine straight from the grower at
www.twinvalleymills.com (you may
have to call or send an e-mail about how to order it). You have
to soak it overnight and then cook it for over an hour but the result is a
hearty grain that satisfies my need to really chew on something. Like quinoa, it
makes a great Tabbouleh but is chewier and heartier. It also works great as a
replacement for pearled barley in soups (a great idea for this fall and winter).
Flax
I often throw a handful of whole flax seeds into
the bread I'm making just to give it some crunch. And, I often make hot cereal
from ground flax meal. It microwaves very quickly and tastes hearty and nutty. A
little cinnamon, dried cranberries, and honey enhance it.
Corn
Even corn can be healthier if you use the less
refined forms of it such as polenta. In fact, this is one of my favorite side
dishes when I'm tired of potatoes or rice. You can add Parmesan cheese or herbs
to jazz it up a bit, but I'm fond of it just as it is with a little butter. I
often serve it as a pretty yellow bed for the main dish. Any package of polenta
will have cooking directions.
Teff
This extremely tiny seed is from Ethiopia, but can
be cooked on its own as a kind of porridge or added in small amounts to yeast
breads for a little crunch.
Brown Rice and Wild Rice
I often cook those rice blends (e.g., Lundberg) as
a side dish for dinner, but cook extra so I can have it for breakfast the next
day. Or, I eat it hot for dinner but the next day I make the leftover rice into
a cold salad such as Wild Rice with Dried Fruit in WFRM
Grains for Breakfast
Many of us view whole grains as a bother for
breakfast because they take so long to cook. The folks at Bob's Red Mill
recommended that we cook our whole grains overnight in a slow cooker. If you
start the grains when you go to bed, you'll have a hearty breakfast waiting for
you. They recommend using 1 part whole grain to 4 parts water and cooking on low
all night. You might also try their Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal. I like to coat the
slow cooker with cooking spray to assure an easy release the next morning. You
can also use the slow cooker to cook whole grains for dinner. I sometimes cook
whole grain sorghum for dinner by starting it in the morning.
One last thought. Even if you're not that excited
about whole grains, consider incorporating flours from these seeds and grains
into your diet. At the recent GIG meeting in Salt Lake City, I served focaccia
made with millet flour and chocolate cake made with amaranth and teff flour.
They blended so seamlessly into the food that I doubt anyone noticed. In the two
new cookbooks I'm writing, I'm making chocolate brownies with Montina flour
(pure supplement) which is quite high in protein and fiber and muffins with
ground flax meal. Some of the new breads contain teff; others feature buckwheat.
GLUTEN-FREE OATS
When I
was at the Gluten Intolerance Group conference in Salt Lake City last month, the
folks at Gifts of Nature (www.giftsofnature.net) gave me a gift of rolled oats.
The very next morning after I got home I made granola, cookies, muffins, and
yeast bread and they were fabulous. What a treat to have oatmeal back in my diet
on a regular basis. You should check with your physician to see if gluten-free
oats are right for you. You can also grind the rolled oats in your little coffee
grinder and then replace about 1/4 cup of flour in your baked goods fpr some
wonderful texture.
CULINARY MYSTERIES FOR SUMMER READING
I found
several new authors who specialize in culinary mysteries, one of my favorite
type of novels. One is The Potluck Club by Linda Evans Shepard and
Eva Marie Everson. Another is Bread on Arrival by Lou Jane Temple
or try The Butter Did It by Phyllis Richman. Just right for some
lazy, summertime reading.
FOOD
FOR THOUGHT
Free
your heart from hatred.... Forgive.
Free
your mind from worries....Most never happen.
Live
simply and appreciate what you have.
Give
more.
Expect
less.
----Sign
on the wall of my local Curves
WHERE IS
THE WORLD IS CAROL?
I'm
delighted to announce the arrival of my beautiful new granddaughter Romi Maria Fenster this
past week. She is a doll and so much fun to cuddle and just admire the miracle
of a new human being. She and her mother are doing just fine and now I can return to
working on my two new cookbooks after caring for them during the "bed-rest"
period. So, I'm not traveling anywhere this month, but instead am cooking up a
storm (in between holding Romi, of course).
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