Nutritional Benefits of Grains
Three Grain Recipes
Millet and Quinoa
Basmati Rice with Buckwheat and Quinoa
Short Grain Brown Rice and Barley
Here is a basic recipe for combining and cooking different grains together. Add some variety to your diet and try one of these recipes today. Delicious and nutritious!
Preparation and cooking time: Under 30 minutes for the Millet and Quinoa as well as the Basmati Rice recipe. The Short Grain Brown Rice and Barley will cook for approximately 40 minutes.
Ingredients:
Millet and Quinoa
¾ cup of millet
¼ cup of quinoa
2 cups of water
Approximately 4 servings:
The quinoa keeps the millet light and fluffy and adds a slightly nutty texture. Both grains are low acidic and easy to digest. You can adjust the ratios to your taste, 50/50 or make the quinoa the predominate grain. Any way you try them, they are a great combination.
Basmati Rice with Buckwheat and Quinoa
¾ cup of basmati rice or any long grain white rice
¼ cup of buckwheat toasted or plain
¼ cup of quinoa
2 cups of water
Approximately 4 servings:
The buckwheat and quinoa complement the basmati rice by adding a burst of nutrition and flavor that makes this trio a delicious addition to your next meal. This combination cooks up to a light and fluffy texture.
Short Grain Brown Rice and Barley
¾ cup of short grain brown rice
¼ cup of barley
2 cups of water
Approximately 4 servings:
The combination of short grain brown rice and barley is a hearty and satisfying dish. The grains will be soft, with a little chewy texture and will cling together.
Preparation:
Rinse and drain the grains.
Add water per directions.
Cover pot, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low setting.
Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until all the water is cooked off. The brown rice and barley will cook for approximately 40 minutes.
Fluff the grains and they are ready to serve.
Serving Suggestion:
Both of these recipes are a great addition to any meal. Serve as is or add a pat of margarine or butter. You can add a splash of soy sauce or a sprinkle of salt.
Grains have been a food staple since ancient times. To get the most nutritional value it is best to eat them in their whole form when you can. For example it is better to eat whole wheat bread than white bread, which has the natural wheat bran and wheat germ removed.
In our pantry we keep a stock of long grain and short grain brown rice plus white and brown basmati rice. For someone who is used to eating white rice the long grain brown rice will cook up to a comparable texture.
How to cook short grain or long grain brown rice:
I use a ratio of 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice.
There are different ways to cook rice. Some people start by boiling the water then adding the rice but I prefer to do it as follows. Have been doing it for decades and it always works.
Place a cup of rice in a pot. Rinse and drain the rice a few times until the water is clear. Add two cups of water and bring to a boil. Place a tight fitting lid over the pot and reduce the heat to low. When all the water has cooked off the rice will be done. This will take about 40 minutes. Fluff the rice and serve.
Rice Cooking Tip
To save time during the week I will often cook a double portion of rice. When it is done cooking I will serve out the portion to be used for dinner and then store the rest in a glass container in the fridge for the next night or two. Providing you do not heat and reheat the rice it will stay fresh for a few days. The next day you will have rice already cooked and you will just have to heat it up. REMEMBER to just heat up what you need for each meal, keeping the remainder of the rice in the fridge.
We like to eat a variety of grains so we keep millet, barley and oats on hand. We also keep quinoa and buckwheat in our pantry. These are actually seeds but cook up like a grain. Eating a variety of grains provides you with a spectrum of tastes and nutritional value. Although each grain can be cooked and eaten by itself it is fun to mix and cook grains together.
Brown Rice and Barley
Short grain brown rice goes very well with pearl barley. They are similar in size and shape and their cooking time is the same. I like a ratio of 3 to 1. 3 parts brown rice and 1 part barley. Barley contains several vitamins and minerals. It also contains antioxidants which are important for maintaining good health.
White Basmati Rice with Buckwheat and Quinoa
This combination brings three delicious gluten free grains together. The quinoa adds the benefit of a complete protein to this dish and helps keep the rice nice and fluffy while the buckwheat adds its own unique flavor to the already flavorful basmati rice.
Millet and Quinoa
These two make a great combination. Their size and shape are complementary to each other and so is the cooking time. Both are low acidic and easily digested grains. A 3 to 1 ratio of millet to quinoa is good and you can make adjustments to your taste depending on what grain you want to be the predominate flavor.
Millet and Buckwheat
Likewise these two cook up very nicely together and I like the 3 to 1 ratio of millet to buckwheat. You can even cook up the tri-grain combo of millet, quinoa and buckwheat. In any combination you will end up with a satisfying staple to round out your meal. Buckwheat is rich in dietary fiber and also beneficial in managing diabetes because it lowers glucose levels.