Delightful Whole Grains

The other day Jamie B. told me, “You’re husband is delightful.”

Now, I should have been happy. But I was actually, a little – oh, I don’t know – annoyed … dare I say jealous? I soon forgot about it, but then Bruce C. came up to me a week later and said, “I gotta tell you, Bob is so easygoing and even-tempered. It’s really a pleasure to be with him on the golf course.”

OK, now I’d had enough. When I saw my husband that night, I told him, “It appears you have quite a fan club. I am worried that you have become more ‘delightful’ than me. And by the way, can you please trim your nose hairs?”

“Now see, Laura, that is exactly why you are not as delightful as I am,” he said.

I needed to get confirmation on this, so I asked my friend Jutta which one of us she thought was more ‘delightful.’ Unfortunately, I didn’t get the answer I wanted. “Well, Bob really doesn’t have a bad word to say about anybody, but you’ve got that little sliver,” she said, pinching her thumb and pointer finger together. “That little sliver of what?” I asked, but she just said, “You know, what I mean.”

Well, let me let you in on a little secret: Bob is not always so pleasant. I swear that he really does have occasion to let unkind remarks slip from his mouth. In fact, lately he has been letting them fly as I’ve been on a mission to experiment in the kitchen with all things related to my new love of whole grains — specifically bulgur, quinoa and wheat berry. Yes indeed, his comments have not been ‘delightful’ in the least. Yet as I perfect my recipes, his words have grown less harsh, with even a little praise and encouragement thrown in.

My first foray into whole grains started with bulgur, a cereal food that Wikipedia says is “made from several different wheat species, but most often from durum wheat.” Boasting a light, nutty flavor, bulgur is well-known as the main ingredient in tabbouleh , and is a common part of Assyrian, Kurdish, Turkish, Middle Eastern, Indian and Mediterranean dishes. Sunnylandmills.com says, “…biblical references indicate it was prepared by ancient Babylonians, Hittites and Hebrew populations some 4,000 years ago.” Sold parboiled, dried and partially de-branned, the web site claims “bulgur is more nutritious than white rice and couscous, because it contains more fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals and has a lower glycemic index."

I decided to make a slow cooker bulgur chili, figuring that if I filled up the meal with bulgur and lots of veggies, I could insert all the protein we needed without having to rely on beef or chicken. I began by adding boiling water to a couple cups of the tan-colored, rice-sized bulgur grains and letting them stand for 30 minutes. While that was going on, I sautéed some chopped green pepper and yellow onion along with a minced jalapeño until the mixture was tender.

The next step was to add the drained and squeezed-dry bulgur into the slow cooker, along with the sautéed vegetables, plus some kidney beans, corn, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. For some added heat and flavor, I threw in chili powder, garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper and the dish was all set to slow cook for eight hours.

Now, if you can believe it, the recipe said this was only 135 calories per serving, which I find a little bit suspect. Maybe that’s because I like to pour mounds of shredded cheddar cheese and a big dollop of sour cream on top of my version, LOL! By the way, Bob was not delightful about the lack of meat in his chili, but calmed down once he tried the dish, and actually really liked it!

Next on the list was quinoa, pronounced keen-wa. According to quinoa.net, it is a “grain that comes from the Andes Mountains of South America.” However, further research on my part uncovered the fact that quinoa is actually a “psuedograin.” Ken Jones, author of The Quinoa Cookbook, says on his website, quinoatips.com, that it is the “seed of the goosefoot plant, a relative of spinach.”

Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods. It’s also a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. (Plus, it’s gluten-free.)

I’d had quinoa salads at other people’s homes but was never thrilled by it. Looking back, I think this dissatisfaction arose for two main reasons: one, it was served as leftovers so it didn’t taste that fresh; and, two, there were ingredients that get soggy quickly, like tomato and avocado. I decided my version should have more of a chewy/crunchy texture and a fresher taste, plus an attractive color palette. It took me a while to get my A list together, but here it is in annotated form:

Red pepper – colorful, crunchy and tasty with a bit of a bite
Toasted slivered almonds – nutty and crunchy, slightly salty
Red apple – crisp and slightly sweet, very fresh tasting
Cucumber – the same
Carrots – the same, plus very colorful!
Craisins – eye-catching dark red color and very sweet
Scallions – nice bite, but not as sharp as red onion, which I found way too strong for this dish
Parsley – added a nice green color and fresh garden taste
Other options: toasted pine nuts, edamame beans

To make this salad, I put the quinoa in a pan with some water, brought it to a boil and then let it simmer for a while. You know that the quinoa’s done when you can see the slightly green germ ring along the outside edge of the cream-colored grain. (You can also get red quinoa.)

Now of course, it still needed some dressing, so I mixed up some apple cider vinegar, EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for those of you who don’t watch Rachael Ray), salt and ground pepper. The truth: I loved this and Bob did not. He insisted he is not a quinoa fan, but I didn’t want to give up so I searched for another recipe.

The one I finally found was a Mexican-style quinoa salad, involving black beans, corn, green bell peppers, jalapenos and cilantro. The dressing was a little different from my first salad, having a little south-of-the-border twist with fresh lime juice (instead of apple cider vinegar) and cumin thrown in. Bob was a little happier with this one and ate it as a side dish with fajitas, although he wouldn’t agree to have it as leftovers the following night, as I was more than happy to do.

Now, I must say Bob was most pleasant when it came to my third whole grain – wheat berries. According to Wikipedia, the term wheat berry refers to “the entire wheat kernel (except for the hull), comprising the bran, germ, and endosperm.” The site also noted that wheat berries are an excellent source of dietary fiber.

I’d always loved wheat berry salad when I’d eaten it at the café in my gym, but I’d never made it because it required too much chopping. Now, I’ll be honest, it still does, but I feel more up to the task these days for some reason. Wheat berries need to be rinsed, drained and then boiled, puffing up in the process and acquiring a nice chewy consistency. It takes about an hour to an hour-and-a-half to cook the wheat berries. During that time, feel free to dice up your other ingredients: red apple, celery, parsley, cranberries, currants and green onion. I mistakenly decided I could also run a few errands, heading out to the grocery store and the drycleaner, only to come back and find my wheat berries burned to a crisp.

The dressing is a mixture of fresh orange juice, grated orange zest, olive oil and seasoned rice vinegar (note: make sure your bottle says seasoned or you will not be happy). This healthy salad has a nice blend of sweet and citric with a little bite from the green onion, plus it looks beautiful with the tan wheat berries resting against its red, green and orange companions.

I served the wheat berry salad with some broiled salmon last night and thought the two went ‘berry’ well together. When I asked Bob what he thought, he said, “Delightful!”

Bob eating Wheat Berry Salad

Slow Cooker Bulgur Chili
Adapted from: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com

1 cup bulgur
2 cups boiling water

3/4 cup chopped green peppers
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 can kidney beans
1 can chickpeas
1 cup corn
1 29-ounce can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (add more according to taste)

Place bulgur in a bowl and add boiling water. Stir, cover and let stand for half an hour. Drain and squeeze dry.

Sauté green pepper, onion and jalapeno in the olive oil until tender. Add to the slow cooker with the bulgur and other ingredients. Cook on high for one hour and then turn down to low for four or more hours.

Serves 6-8

Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1 red apple, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped (or buy them shredded)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Dressing:
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Add the red pepper, toasted almonds, apple, cucumber, carrots, scallions, dried cranberries, and parsley. Whisk the apple cider vinegar with extra virgin olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste, then pour on top and mix all ingredients with a large spoon.

Serves 4

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
Gourmet Magazine, July 1994

1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed if canned
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked corn (about two large ears)
3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 pickled jalapeno chilies (I used only one jalapeño chili)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice (I used three, start there and add to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/3 cup olive oil

After cooking, transfer quinoa to a large bowl and cool. Add beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeno, and cilantro; toss well.

For the dressing: whisk together lime juice, salt, cumin and oil. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well; add salt and pepper to taste.

Salad may be made one day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.


Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad
Adapted from Gourmet, October 1995

1 cup wheat berries
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pine nuts, toasted
1 red apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 celery rib, sliced thin and diced small
2/3 cup packed fresh mint or parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup currants
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

After cooking, transfer wheat berries to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, orange juice and orange zest and pour over all remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 3-4