Great Grains

Last week I took a wonderful cooking class at The Natural Gourmet Institute here in New York City. Our instructor, Peter Berley, is an incredibly gifted chef and teacher and has countless cooking tips and tricks up his sleeve. He has several fabulous cookbooks on the market: New Vegetarian Cooking, Fresh Food Fast and The Flexitarian Table. Definitely check them out! He's a wiz at making healthy food hearty and delicious. The class I took with him last week was on grain salads...the perfect dish for summer and a healthful addition to your cookout or picnic. You can use whatever the local market has available- some of the seasons best are tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and corn. Whole grains are essential to include in your diet on a daily basis. All of us could benefit from eating more. Yet most Americans don't eat them at all! Instead of processed flour products and fluffy white bread, try one of these simple grain salads bursting with flavor.

My sister, Erin, made this gorgeous Israeli Cous Cous with Dried Fruit, Toasted Almonds and Fresh Herbs. I've also included 3 other recipes from my class. They're easy to prepare and can be made a couple days in advance. Just remember that over time the grain will absorb more and more of the flavors...in other words, it will become milder and milder each day. Just be sure to season them before eating with a hit of sea salt, drizzle of olive oil and an extra squeeze of citrus.
To your health!
xox
Leigh

Herbed Israeli Cous Cous with Dried Fruits and Toasted Almonds
Time: 20 mins Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 cups water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1 cup Israeli Cous Cous
1/3 cup chopped mixed fruit (here Erin used apricots, but you could also do a mix of apricots and dates or sour cherries and raisins)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint parsley or cilantro (or a combination)
3 tablespoons chopped nuts (Erin used almonds, but pistachios or pecans also would work)
juice of 1/2 a lime

1. In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil with the olive oil and salt. Stir in the cous cous, cover and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
2. If the fruit is very dry, cover them with hot water to plump them while the cous cous cooks.
3. Fluff the cous cous with a fork and transfer to a serving bowl. Drain and pat the fruit dry and add them to the cous cous. Mix in the chopped herbs and toasted nuts. Season the salad with sea salt to taste and the fresh lime juice, then serve.

Farro with Feta, Cucumber, and Golden Beets with a Mint Vinaigrette
Time: 30 mins Serves: 4-6

Farro is a beautiful pearled grain with a buttery flavor and chewy texture. It's very popular in Italy as in a hearty winter risotto or vegetable soup. You will also find it all over Southern Germany in stews and salads.

To cook the farro, boil it in a large pot of water as you would cook al dente pasta. This way each grain holds it's form and texture and is free to release its excess starch into the water. After boiling the grains, rinse them in cold water to remove even more starch and cool them off for the salad. Try this cooking method with other starchy grains like barley, rye or wheat berries.

Ingredients:
3-4 medium golden beets, cooked, peeled and diced
1 cup farro, cooked and drained
3 Kirby (or 1 large) cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
8 ounces mild French feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
juice of 1 lemon

Mint Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, combine beets, farro, cucumbers and vinaigrette. Mix well. Refrigerate until cold...about 1 hour.
3. Add the feta, dill and parsley to the salad. Season with lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.


Bulgur with Roasted Chickpeas, Red Onion and Lemon
Time: 30 mins Serves: 4

Bulgur is actually a pre-cooked grain. They are whole wheat berries that are steamed, cracked and dried. For this reason, sometimes bulgur is known as "cracked wheat". You may have seen bulgur before in a popular Mediterranean dish called Tabouli.

Ingredients:
For Bulgur:
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup medium or coarse bulgur wheat
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

For the chickpeas:

1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 bay leaves, halved

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.2. In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the bulgur and 1/2 tsp salt, cover the pan and simmer for 1 min. Take the pan off of the heat and let rest, covered, until all of the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.3. In an 8-10 inch saute pan over medium heat, stir together all the ingredients for the chickpeas. When the chickpeas begin to sizzle, transfer the pan to the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.4. Remove and discard the bay leaves and add the bulgur to the chickpeas. Season with salt if desired and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.


Millet Salad Mexicano
Time: 45 minutes Serves: 6

Millet is a highly nutritious, protein rich, gluten-free grain. It is one of the oldest food sources known to man and still prominent in various cultures, from cereal in China to rotti bread in India. Like quinoa and rice, millet can be quite bland if not prepared well. Toasting millet before cooking brings out its sweet and nutty flavor and also helps the grains cook faster.

Ingredients:

1 cup millet, rinsed and drained

2 cups water

sea salt

6 ears of sweet corn

1/2 cup lime juice (from approx. 3 limes)

4 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup packed minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

2 rips avocados, peeled, cored and diced

4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1. Place a heavy skillet (such as cast iron) over medium heat for a few minutes. When the pan is hot add the millet and toast, stirring the grains and shaking the pan, until the moisture has cooked off and the millet is dry and very fragrant.

2. In a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, combine the millet and water and bring to a medium boil. Add a pinch or two of sea salt, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 mins, or until all the water has been absorbed. Spread the millet onto a baking sheet to cool.

3. While the millet cooks, break the ears of corn in half and shave off the kernels. Place them in a steamer and steam, covered, for 3 to 5 mins, or until tender. Chill in a sieve under cold running water and drain.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, jalapenos, cumin, and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the millet, corn, cilantro, and scallions. Fold in the avocado and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving, if desired.