GRAINS, GRAINS, GRAINS

Grains are packed with energy, easy to prepare and suit all eating programs. They come from come from seeds and a fruit of cereal grasses and the value is according to the husk, but if they are stripped of the bran and germ, the outer husks, they are less nutritious. The variety is vast and includes Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat, Bulgur, Couscous, Millet, Oats, Quinoa, Rye, Spelt, and corn.
Every culture group has a different way of preparing their grains and we are lucky that in this day and age we learn so much from each other.

Grains have good protein value and we are recommended to eat a few servings a day.
We will start with BULGUR.

TABOULI SALAD.
This is an easy and delightful starter to any meal. Good with humus, boiled eggs, salads and cheese platters.

1 cup bulgur.
1 cup chopped parsley leaves.
!/2 a cup chopped mint leaves.
2 chopped onions, 2 chopped tomatoes, 2 chopped cucumbers and one chopped red and
Yellow peppers. ( I do not use green peppers)
Half a cup of olive oil and half a cup of lemon juice, half a teaspoon salt and one crushed clove of garlic.
Mix the cup of bulgur with two cups of boiling water and the salt. Let it stand for thirty minutes. Drain and squeeze the liquid, Mix with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic., Allow to marinate for an hour. Add the rest before serving. Mix lightly and serve.

BULGAR CEREAL

Many of my senior friends love eating cereal for breakfast and this is so healthy.
1 cup bulgur
4 cups water.
Boil the water and stir in the bulgur.
Cook slowly on a low flame and when it is thickened, you can cover it. We eat it with cinnamon and honey, milk, soya or rice milk and recommend adding a few raisins and walnuts.

QUINOA.

Basic recipe. 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water. Rinse and drain the quinoa. Place in a saucepan and bring to the boil. . Lower flame to a simmer and cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed. This will take 10 – 15 minutes. When done the grains look transparent.
Now you can dress it up and have fun. Most people like the quinoa with dressing, but I like it with honey and nuts. Here are a few ideas to go from basic to delightful.

Quinoa and curried vegetables.
Cook two cups of quinoa with 4 cups of water. Squeeze out the liquid.
In a sauce pan, use two tablespoons of olive oil to fry two onions, one red pepper, half a cup of green spring onions, two crushed cloves of garlic, the rind of an orange, two tablespoon dark raisin, a little salt and pepper. Mix in two teaspoons of curry powder. I add two cut up dried apricots or a few
Mango slices. When this is sautéed, you can add it to the cooked quinoa. Mix well and on a low flame cook it slowly. I add a little water if necessary. Serve this with little bowls of chutney, coconut, and crushed cashew nuts and cut up bananas, with squeezed orange juice to prevent discoloring.
The idea of dressing up the quinoa is to get the family slowly weaned with the idea of new grains. Later on they will eat them in a simple way.
When my kids were young six or seven, I once served an oat hamburger and my son looked up and said. "Mom, I can't eat this, I think I saw it move," They were introduced to better foods, with more value very slowly and without pressure. You have to be creative, patient and present an alternative food, with some things they already enjoy.


QUINOA salad.
This is a lovely cold salad. Take one cup of quinoa and two cups of boiling water and cook in the basic way. Rinse and drain. Now mix half a cup of pomegranate pips, two tablespoons light and dark raisins, six crushed walnuts, two teaspoons pine kernels, half a cup of chopped chives or chopped parsley and spring onions. Pour over one cup of vinaigrette salad dressing. Mix well and place in a colorful bowl with mint leaves and orange slices and serve.

Quinoa. Used as a base for quiche.
I cook the quinoa and lightly fry it in one tablespoon of olive oil. Then I press it into a pie dish and press it with my fingers and let it stand in the fridge for an hour. I make a filling for it. Mushrooms Filling. I fry two onions, one crushed garlic, two teaspoons pine kernels, two thinly sliced apples and two cups of cut up mushrooms, salt and black pepper. When this is lightly fried, I add one beaten egg. Fill the pie dish and bake it in
medium oven for 15 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese,

Quinoa with a tang.
I love using the cooked quinoa for an exotic dish. Try this. Lightly fry two crushed clove of garlic, one teaspoons grated ginger, 1 tablespoon light soya sauce, cut up green onions, one grated carrot, one red pepper sliced thinly and very tiny cubes of kohlrabi. Add salt, pepper, fresh parsley, salt and pepper. I add a cup of cut up
Pineapple (optional) and serve this on the quinoa.

Have fun with the new and innovative, but please remember that you cannot change the family habits in a week. If you are trying to use alternative and healthier eating, just do it slowly. Nobody likes to be told how we can change them, make them feel healthier and improve their digestion in a day. When I was in the pharmacy, we sold hundreds of laxatives to many young people. Perhaps it was the cigarettes, sugar they consumed, unavailability of restrooms when they needed them, bad eating habits or simply constipation. But I was shocked and began to ask them what they ate in the morning and how much liquid they drank in the morning hours. It seemed that the general intake was caffeine and sugar. Today thirty years later there is awareness; re harm of excessive caffeine, sugar and bad habits. Please be gentle with change and the new……………have the favorites there too and slowly they will try and then choose the better option. Have a sweet year and lots of fun dreaming up all your resolutions.

I enjoy your comments and welcome questions of anything you specifically want to read about. Love and light Rona