Women’s Adventure

Go With the Grain

November/December 2006

Te scoop on the miracle food that’s been in front of your nose all along.

You’re doing pretty well if oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-wheat bread are usual staples on your shopping list. Do you ever feel, even though you know they’re good fro you, like they get stale? So to speak. Thankfully, there are less celebrated whole grains out there that make your trusty standbys look like nutritional wimps. Take a look in those bulk bins and you’ll see that no longer must a chicken breast be accompanied by ho-hum rice. Loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals (thought to boost your immunity), these so-called alternative grains are primed for a fight against heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and stroke. They may also bust you out of a food rut.

Quinoa

Use Instead of rice as a side dish for meats.

The Inca dubbed quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) the “mother-grain,” believing it kept their armies strong and robust. Although quinoa may not help you build an empire, it certainly will give your diet and summit bid a boost. Quinoa’s protein is higher in quality than that of any other grain, making it a great choice for healing those post-workout muscles. What’s more, quinoa is also loaded with fiber, vitamin E, iron, zinc, copper and magnesium – all things that women typically struggle to get enough of; and because it’s gluten-free, even the wheat intolerant can enjoy this nutty-tasting grain.

Get Cooking

Cook quinoa the same way you would rice: 2 parts water to 1 part grain. Quinoa cooks in less than half the time as brown rice, making it a healthy and fast fuel for your next camping trip. “Spices like turmeric and cinnamon can be added to the cooking water to jazz things up,” says Carol Fenster, Ph.D., a culinary consultant (savorypalate.com) and author of Gluten-Free 101: Easy, Basic Dishes Without Wheat (Savory Palate, 2003). Fenster recommends to first toast quinoa in a skillet over high heat for a few minutes to deepen its flavor. Be sure to give it a good rinse before cooking to remove its bitter coating.

Amaranth

Use instead of oats for your morning bowl of cereal

The ancient grain amaranth, loved by the Aztecs, was once believed to hold supernatural powers. While its magical capabilities are debatable, what’s not is amaranth’s nutritional might. Like quinoa, amaranth is protein-rich, but it also harbors three times as much fiber and five times as much iron as wheat. It’s also higher in essential fatty acids like those much-loved omega-3s than many other grains. This tiny, golden grain is so hardy that once stored in an airtight container it has an almost indefinite shelf life.

Get Cooking

To cook amaranth, add 1 to 2 cups of boiling liquid (either water or half water and half stock or juice) and simmer for up to 20 minutes (watch the time, amaranath can become gummy when overcooked). To make things more interesting, add fresh herbs such as oregano and parsley to the cooking liquid. In addition to enjoying amaranth as a side to your favorite fish fillet, “it can be added to stuffing for turkey and pork chops or enjoyed as a hot cereal with milk, honey and cinnamon,” says Fenster.

Barley

Use instead of pasta to restore energy stores post-workout

Because barley is so nutritious, it’s a shame that most of it goes towards beer production, with little appearing on our dinner plates.  Hulled barley, (aka pot barley or Scotch barley), is not only chock-full of B vitamins, iron and fiber but it’s also a source of chromium, a mineral that helps control our blood-sugar levels. Similar to oats, barley is high in a soluble fiber called beta glucan, which is effective at lowering cholesterol in the blood. And like all whole-grains, barley has more than enough complex carbohydrates to give you the energy you need to make it up that mountain. Just make sure to keep an eye out for hulled, as opposed to pearled, barley. The former is less processed, meaning it contains more nutrients like phosphorus and calcium.

Get Cooking

Be warned: cooking barley can test your patience as it takes at least an hour. “Pre-soaking barley overnight helps reduce the cooking time,” explains Fenster. Cinnamon, garlic, marjoram, parsley, and thyme go well with this whole grain. “Barley can be added to numerous dishes like soups, casseroles and even salads for a nutritional boost.”

Quinoa and Crab Salad

Dressing:

1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ tsp pepper

1/8 cup lime juice

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sesame oil

Salad:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

6-ounce can crab meat

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Watercress leaves, rinsed and dried

Add quinoa to 2 cups of boiling water, reduce heat, cover and cook until water has been absorbed. Meanwhile, mix together dressing ingredients. Add crab, cilantro, and watercress to cooked quinoa and then mix in dressing. Makes four servings.

Apple-Amaranth Salad

2 cups water

1 cup apple juice

1 cup amaranth

½ tsp. allspice

1 cup dried apples, chopped

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Combine water and apple juice in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add amaranth and allspice; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until thickened. Stir in dried apples and brown sugar. Makes four servings.