GUIDE TO GRAINS

Grains provide complex carbohydrates, also called starches, which supply energy. These are low-fat, high-fiber foods which also provide a number of vitamins and minerals. Whole grains are more nutritious than refined grains because nutrients have not been lost in processing. Some nutrients have been added back to refined grains, but often not all.

WHAT IS A GRAIN? Grains are the seed-bearing fruits of grasses. An inedible husk, also called “chaff,” is the outermost layer of the grain. When this is removed, the resulting product is sometimes labeled "groats" or "berries." The next layer of a grain is the bran, a protective coating, rich in fiber. When this layer is removed, the product may be described as pearled or polished. Inside the bran is the endosperm (the starchy part of a grain) and the germ, the part of the grain which is highest in nutrients. When grains are refined, the husk, bran, and germ are removed, leaving only the endosperm. Technically speaking, buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth are fruits and not grains but they are generally included with the grain group. Couscous is a small pasta, made from semolina pasta, but it, too, is included here.

HELPFUL TERMS

*Steel-cut or cracked – Grains that have been cut into smaller bits to help them cook faster. Oats are commonly found as “steel-cut.”

*Grain flakes or rolled – Grains that are sliced and then flattened between rollers.

*Grain meal has been ground to a gritty consistency.

*Bolted meal has been sifted to remove the bran but not the germ.

*Degerminated meal has had both bran and germ removed.

*Grits have been steamed and soaked, have had both hulls and germs removed, and have been cut using rollers.

GLUTEN-FREE WHOLE GRAINS

People with celiac disease can’t eat gluten – a protein in wheat and related grains such as barley, rye, spelt, kamut, and triticale – must choose their grains carefully. Other people may not have celiac disease, but may be allergic to wheat nonetheless, and must avoid all forms of wheat.

Grains with Gluten

• Wheat, including varieties like spelt, kamut, faro and forms like durum, semolina, bulgur

• Barley

• Rye

• Triticale (a rye/wheat hybrid)

• Oats (Oats are inherently gluten-free, but they are frequently contaminated with wheat during growing or processing.)

Gluten-free Grains

• Amaranth

• Buckwheat

• Corn

• Millet

• Quinoa

• Rice

• Teff

• Wild Rice

HOW TO COOK GRAINS/RICE

While some grains do require long cooking, this can be reduced by soaking overnight or pressure cooking. Additionally, grains can be cooked in a crock-pot and do not require any attention while they are cooking. Quick-cooking grains, which require less than 30 minutes to prepare, include quick brown rice, couscous, quinoa, buckwheat groats (kasha), teff, and bulgur.

RINSE:

Before you cook grains, you might want to rinse them under cold water first. Strain them to remove any dirt or debris. Rice doesn’t need to be rinsed, but quinoa is best if rinsed first.

EXTRA FLAVOR:

For a nutty flavor, toast grains in a dry or lightly oiled skillet before cooking

BOIL/SIMMER:

As a general rule, bring water to a boil, add grains and return to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer, covered tightly, until done. Use vegetable broth instead of water for more flavor.

TEST:

Most grains are slightly chewy when cooked. If grain is too chewy, add a little extra water, bring back to a boil and simmer again.

FLUFF:

Many grains benefit from fluffing. When grains are done cooking, remove from the heat and gently lift and separate them with a fork. Re-cover and all to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

ABUNDANT WATER TECHNIQUE OPTION:

Use double the water to cook grains until they are soft, then drain in a colander.

Grain Type	Grain: Liquid	Cooking Time
Brown Rice (short or long)*	1 cup: 2 or 2-1/2 cups	45 minutes
Basmati Rice*(white)	1 cup: 1-3/4 cups	20 minutes
Basmati Rice* (brown)	1 cup: 2 cups	40 to 45 minutes
Bulgur Wheat	1 cup: 2-1/2 cups	Simmer 25, fluff, let sit for 10 or boil the water, pour over bulgur, cover and let sit for 1 hour.
Quinoa* (pronounced KEEN-wah)	1 cup: 2-3 cups	15-20 minutes
Couscous (pronounced (KOOS-koos)	1 cup: 1-1/2 cups	Bring water to boil. Add couscous, 1 TBSP. non-dairy butter or vegetable oil, and ½ tsp. salt. Stir, bring to boil again. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
Amaranth*	1 cup: 3 cups	Mix with corn, scallions, and cooked pinto beans. Simmer 25-30 minutes. Do not salt until thoroughly cooked.
Pearled Barley	1 cup: 4 cups	Simmer 60-70 minutes
Millet*	1 cup: 2-1/2 cups	Simmer 15 minutes, remove from heat, fluff and let sit uncovered for 20 minutes.
Wild & Brown Rice Mix*	1 cup: 3 cups	Simmer 35 minutes.
Polenta* (cornmeal)	1 cups: 4 cups	Bring water to a boil, add 1 tsp. salt, and slowly add polenta, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to gentle simmer, stirring for 2 minutes more. Cover and cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

*Gluten-free

CHARACTERISTICS OF GRAINS/RICE &

HOW TO USE THEM IN COOKING

AMARANTH: A gluten-free staple of Aztec culture until Cortez, in an effort to destroy that civilization, decreed that anyone growing the crop would be put to death. Amaranth kernels are tiny; when cooked they resemble brown caviar. Today amaranth is making its way back, thanks to a lively, peppery taste and a high level of protein. Mix with corn, scallions, and pinto beans for a great salad. Amaranth becomes sticky when cooked and is also great for stuffing peppers or tomatoes.

BARLEY: Barley is one of the oldest cultivated grains. Barley has a particularly tough hull, which is difficult to remove without losing some of the bran. Hulled barley, available at health food stores, retains more of the whole-grain nutrients but is very slow-cooking. New varieties of hull-less barley are starting to become available. Lightly pearled barley is not technically a whole grain (as small amounts of the bran are missing) – but it's full of fiber and much healthier than a fully-refined grain. It’s great in grain salads with red onions and cucumber, soups, stews, and chili.

BASMATI RICE: White and brown basmati rice are similar in that they are both long-grain, aromatic rice imported from India. They are aged for a year to develop their full flavor. They are used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Brown is a little stickier than the white.

BROWN RICE: Short grain rice is good for sushi, puddings, and as a side dish with chopped parsley and toasted sesame seeds. Long grain is good for pilafs with shallots and celery, stir-fries, rice salads, and paella. Also great to serve with curried veggies. Short grain is stickier, whereas long grain tends to remain more separate and fluffy when cooked.

BUCKWHEAT: Buckwheat goes way beyond the pancake mixes we associate with it. Japan’s soba noodles, Brittany’s crêpes, and Russia’s kasha are all made with buckwheat. Botanically, buckwheat is a cousin of rhubarb, not technically a grain at all – and certainly not a kind of wheat. But its nutrients, nutty flavor and appearance have led to its ready adoption into the family of grains. Bring 2 cups water and some salt to a boil. Add 1 cup rinsed buckwheat. Turn heat down to low, and cook for 1215 minutes.

BULGUR WHEAT: Bulgur is cracked wheat that has been partially cooked. It’s most often combined with olive oil, garlic, mint, parsley, paprika, and lemon to make tabouli. Try it with pine nuts, cinnamon, and lemon as a stuffing for tomatoes or bell peppers.

CORN: Fresh corn on the cob. Popcorn. Corn cakes. Polenta. Tortillas. Hominy. Corn muffins. Though sometimes dismissed as a nutrient-poor starch – both a second-rate vegetable and a second-rate grain – corn is lately being reassessed and viewed as a healthy food. Traditional cultures learned how to treat corn with alkali, creating masa harina (in Latin America) and hominy (in the American south). This treatment liberates the niacin in corn, so those who depend on it for sustenance will avoid pellagra. It is one of the most genetically modified crops. Buy “non-GMO” corn or organic.

COUSCOUS: Couscous is very quick-cooking. It’s made from wheat berries that are ground, steamed, and dried to form tiny pellets. The whole wheat version is more nutritious.

KAMUT®: This is an example of an heirloom grain, once pushed aside by an agricultural monoculture but now returning to add variety to the food supply. Years of selecting, testing and propagating eventually brought the grain – now called Kamut, an ancient Egyptian word for wheat – to prominence. Kamut is great served hot or cold, as a marinade in salads. Try cooked kamut mixed with rice, black beans, cilantro, garlic, red pepper and tamari. Add 1 cup kamut to 3 cups boiling water. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours.

MILLET: A mild, very digestible grain, often used by people on wheat-free diets. Good balance of amino acids. Use as a bed for sautéed vegetables and chickpeas, as a stuffing with applesauce or sprinkled into soups, stews, or risotto.

OATS: Oats have a sweet flavor that makes them a favorite for breakfast cereals. Unique among grains, oats almost never have their bran and germ removed in processing. So if you see oats or oat flour on the label, relax: you're virtually guaranteed to be getting whole grain. In the US, most oats are flattened to produce rolled oats, or steamed and flattened to create “quick oats.” The more oats are flattened and steamed, the quicker they cook – and the softer they become. If you prefer a chewier, nuttier texture, consider steel-cut oats, also sometimes called Irish or Scottish oats. Steel-cut oats consist of the entire oat kernel (similar in look to a grain of rice), sliced once or twice into smaller pieces to help water penetrate and cook the grain. Cooked for about 20 minutes, steel-cut oats create a breakfast porridge that delights many people who didn't realize they love oatmeal!

POLENTA: Yellow cornmeal, popular in Italian cuisine. It’s wonderful grilled, but you can keep it thin, as a cereal, or let it set and then cut into squares to grill, bake, or fry.

QUINOA: This very special grain has the highest amount of protein than any other grain. It has a light, nutty flavor and is great in grain salads, as a stuffing for zucchini or tomatoes, in enchiladas or fajitas. Or you can just use it in place of brown rice. Rinse several times before cooking, as it contains an outer coating called saponin that protects it from birds. Saponin has a slightly bitter taste that some people don’t like, but it washes off when you rinse it.

SPELT: Spelt is a variety of wheat widely cultivated until the spread of fertilizers and mechanical harvesting left it by the wayside in favor of wheat, more compatible with industrialization. Spelt can be used in place of common wheat in most recipes. To cook the whole grain, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Stir in 1 cup spelt grain; simmer for one hour. For rolled grain, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in 1 cup spelt grain; simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

TEFF: It is estimated that teff is the principal source of nutrition for over two-thirds of Ethiopians, who make it into the ubiquitous spongy injera flatbread. Teff grains are minute – just 1/150 the size of wheat kernels – giving rise to the grain’s name, which comes from teffa, meaning “lost” in Amharic. This nutritious and easy-to-grow type of millet is largely unknown outside of Ethiopia, India and Australia. Today it is getting more attention for its sweet, molasses-like flavor and its versatility; it can be cooked as porridge, added to baked goods, or even made into “teff polenta.” Teff grows in three colors: red, brown and white. All are whole-grain, because the kernel is simply too small to mill easily.

TRITICALE: Triticale (trit-i-kay-lee) is the new kid on the block, a hybrid of durum wheat and rye that’s been grown commercially for only thirty-five years. Rye and wheat have long cross-bred in nature, but the resulting offspring were sterile, until a French scientist, in 1937 discovered how to induce fertility. Triticale was over-hyped as a miracle crop in the 1970s, but initial interest faded when crops were inconsistent and acceptance was slow. Today about 80% of the world’s triticale is grown in Europe. It grows easily without commercial fertilizers and pesticides, making it ideal for organic and sustainable farming. To cook: 3 cups water to 1 cup grain for 1-½-2 hours

WILD RICE: Wild rice is actually the seed of aquatic grass. It’s low in fat and high in B vitamins. Wash wild rice with cold water and drain. The strong flavor and high price of wild rice mean that it is most often consumed in a blend with other grains.