by Katie
The television in my building's elevator helpfully informed me a few days ago that "eat more whole grains" is the number 1 resolution for 2012. Putting aside questions of methodology (how many people did they interview, I wonder?) it did remind me that I've been meaning to talk about whole grains.
Image: self.com
I like many, many things that involve whole grains. Generally, however, "whole grain" versions of things that normally use white flour are not among them. Whole wheat pasta? Not a huge fan. Whole wheat pizza crust? Why bother? And don't even get me started on whole wheat tortillas/"wraps." Ewwwwww.
But that doesn't mean I don't find a lot of ways to get whole grains in my diet. In my experience, whole grains taste best when you're actually choosing them FOR their flavor, rather than trying to pass them off as their white-flour counterparts. I love multigrain breads with thick chewy crusts. So tasty! Below I've listed some of my other favorite ways (perhaps surprising?) to use whole grains:
- Popcorn. Skip the chemical stuff and pop your own.
- Quinoa. Cooks up in the same time as white rice, high in protein and nutrition like brown rice (and tastes better, too.)
- Polenta. Another corn item- a great base for tamale pie, or sauteed vegetables.
- Barley: throw some in a vegetable or chicken soup instead of noodles.
- Millet: use to make a pilaf, like you would israeli cous cous.
- Oatmeal. Have you made steel cut oats in your slow cooker yet? You should!
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