Whole Grain Goodness

Cooking with whole grains seems to be increasingly popular. They have the reputation of being the stuff of vegan health nuts with eating habits that border on self-punishing. But whole grains seem more like an indulgence, like an elevated complex version of the same old starches.

But first- eating whole grains is so healthy! It doesn't seem to have picked up the popularity I think it deserves, maybe the low carb focus is to blame. But for glycemic index based diets like South Beach, the Mediterranean Diet, whole grains are perfect. Brown rice, quinoa, barley and bulgur all have glycemic indexes in the range of 40-50, while white rice and pasta are around 80, and a baked potato is 150. But more importantly, that whole-grainy-ness is loaded with vitamins and minerals and fiber. Diets high in whole grains were shown to reduce BMI, prevent heart attacks, prevent strokes, improve skin, pretty much everything you could want.

The best thing is that whole grains taste better than refined carbs. They have this robust chewey nuttiness, which makes every dish they're a part of more well rounded, with a more complex flavor profile.

Brown rice is the most familliar whole grain. It has the reputation of being hard to cook because it has to cook for much longer. It takes longer but no more effort. You can put a pot of brown rice on the stove and go take a shower, watch your tv show or whatever, and get together whatever else you're going to eat. I've recently realized that brown rice actually works quite well for a pilaf- just needs a longer cooking time. I also like to increase the rice:liquid ratio- I d0 1:2 1/2. I've been enamored of middle eastern/mediteranean flavors in rice pilafs. Two recipes from Fine Cooking are competing for the Pilaf Prize- one has saffron, roasted red peppers (from a jar is the way to go for this), fresh parsley and slivered almonds. The other has caramelized onions, allspice and cinnamon, dried cherries, orange zest and pistachios- it's not too sweet but it feels like a dessert. Brown rice works well for a pilaf because the grain holds together instead of getting soft and mushy, giving you that nice fluffiness.

Quinoa is my big indulgence- at $6 for a little box, I can't use it as a substitute for rice like I'd like to. Quinoa is mind blowingly healthy- not actually a grain, but a seed, quinoa is 20% protein by mass, making it nutritionally more like a bean, or maybe flaxseed. But quinoa has the taste and texture of couscous (couscous has the nutritional value of pasta). For no paticular reason, I love quinoa with Indian food, to soak up the great sauces. And quinoa cooks in less than 10 minutes, faster than white rice and pasta. I mean, it's a miracle food. And that's probably why it's $6.50 for 12 oz.

Barley is a winner. Again, cooks up fast (10 minutes), has that sweet, nutty flavor and just the right chewiness. It's great in any soup in place of pasta or rice. But barley risotto is a discovery that has improved my quality of life. I will probably make this like twice a month. I saute some mushrooms (I use cremini and shitakes), while I'm cooking some barley in chicken broth (1:2 ratio). I tear up a big pile of kale and mix that in with the barley just before it's done, before all the broth is totally absorbed. I pile that in a big bowl and top it with the mushrooms. Parsley or parmasean would be great additions. Barley cooked this way, with baby spinach and lemon juice would be really nice with a piece of fish.