Free E-mail NewsletterOur free e-mail newsletter highlights recipes, Success Stories, helpful tips and more! |
|
|
Whole Grains for Busy People
Veteran food writer Irene Sax tells us about a new cookbook and shares healthy and delicious recipes, including one that's been lightened up with tips from the book's author. This month's book is Whole Grains for Busy People by Lorna Sass (Potter 2008).
Of course you know you should eat whole grains. Not only do they have more health-giving nutrients than the refined stuff, but they also fill you up better. Suddenly you find that your breakfast oatmeal keeps you satisfied until lunch and your sandwich on whole-wheat bread has you full till supper.
Read the article below
|
ADVERTISEMENT
So says Lorna Sass, author of Whole Grains for Busy People. Sass' earlier book, Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way, won a James Beard Award. Then why this new book? Because Sass knows that we don't always have time to simmer oatmeal for 30 minutes or cook brown rice for 40. We're rushed, we're hungry, and we want to eat now.
Sass decided to see if she could come up with good-tasting recipes that could be done at the end of a busy day. She started her quest at the supermarket and the health-food store. “Some whole grains, like quinoa, are surprisingly quick-cooking,” said Sass. “Others, like oatmeal, become quick-cooking when they're rolled into flakes. And still others are now available for busy cooks through precooking, which results in quick brown rice, wild rice and barley that are surprisingly tasty.”
I admit that I was skeptical. Then I made her tuna, green bean and brown rice skillet dish and it was just as good as she said.
Here's what you'll find in her book. A Southwestern stew of squash, black beans, corn and quinoa. Brown-rice pasta tossed with zucchini ribbons and pesto. Meat loaf stretched with oatmeal, lasagna made with whole wheat tortillas, and whole-wheat pizza that you top, Greek-style, with tomatoes, feta cheese and black olives.
As a bonus, Sass offers a chart of the 10 quickest recipes, including a soup that's done in 10 minutes. She lists whole-grain pastas that are made with brown rice and recipes for homemade waffle, pancake and scone mixes. And, for whomever does the dishes in your house, assurance that most of the recipes use just one pot.
No-apologies chicken salad
Everyone loves chicken salad, and this one ups the nutrition and satisfaction with quick-cooked barley. If you don't have barley, Sass says you can substitute brown rice or quinoa.
Dill and Barley Chicken Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick-cooking barley
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrot
- 1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted
- 1/4 cup dried currants
- 1/2 cup (tightly packed) chopped fresh dill
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 to 4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
Instructions
- In a heavy 2-quart Dutch oven, bring 2 1/4 cups of water to a rapid boil. Stir in the barley and 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cover and cook over medium heat until the barley is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain off any excess water. Spread on a plate to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken, carrot, walnuts and currants. Add the barley and dill.
Toss in the oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add more salt and lemon juice, if needed.
Notes
- Mild-mannered, gently chewy barley makes an appealing base for a grain salad, especially for newcomers to whole grains. This colorful, refreshing mix is made with ingredients familiar to everyone and easily kept on hand. It's great to bring to a potluck.
Easily improved tuna skillet supper
Sass says this serves one or two: I tried it, and it is definitely enough for two, three or even four people. I like the way she boosts the flavor by using the oil from the tuna to sauté the onions, but while she recommends granulated (that is, dried) garlic, you don't have to: just smash and mince two fat cloves of garlic.
Michael’s Quick Brown Rice with Tuna and Green Beans
Serves 1 to 2
Ingredients
- 1 package (9 oz) frozen cut green beans
- 1 can (6 oz) tuna packed in olive oil, undrained
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning blend
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 cup Minute brown rice
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Set the green beans in a colander and run hot water over them. Separate any that are stuck together. Set aside.
Drain the oil from the canned tuna directly into a 9-inch skillet. Set over medium-high heat and add the onion, Italian seasoning and garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the rice. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the balsamic and cook until it evaporates, about 10 seconds.
Stir in 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Stir in the green beans and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice is done and the green beans are tender but still firm, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in a few tablespoons of water during this time if the mixture becomes dry.
Add the tuna to the skillet, flake it, and stir it in. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Instructions
- My sweetie, Michael Steinman, throws this skillet supper together when he looks up from his computer and suddenly realizes that he's ravenous.
For such moments, he always keeps a supply of Minute rice, good-quality canned tuna, and an assortment of frozen vegetables on hand to make this flash-in-the-pan supper. Of course, he eats it standing up, right out of the skillet, which I don't recommend to you.
|
|