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This is your handy guide to grains and how to prepare them. Grains are a healthy alternative to carbs and white rice and provide lots of protein and needed nutrients to your diet.

It’s easy! Just make a big batch of grains and you can include them in your meals all week long. Simply mix with different things. For breakfast, throw some millet or quinoa in the frying pan with a egg. For lunch, chop up some veggies such as cucumber and red pepper, then add nuts and some dried fruit for a cold salad. For Dinner, serve with tempe or chicken and broccoli with garlic for example.

Quinoa

Intro: The Incans referred to this grain as the mother of all grains. In those times, this was THE number one nutritional food staple that gave warriors stamina.

Characteristics: Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it a healthier alternative to white rice or couscous.

Benefits:

• Contains all 9 essential amino acids (phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, histidine, leucine, and lysine. These are required by infants and growing children. They are called essential not because they are more important to life than the others, but because the body does not synthesize them, making it essential to include them in one’s diet in order to obtain them.)
• High in protein
• good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron
• Gluten free
• Easy to digest
• notably short germination period: only 2-4 hours resting in a glass of clean water is enough to make it sprout
• good antioxidant
• Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

How to cook:

1. Rinse first, this is important. Quinoa usually comes with a bitter coating called saponin. If you rinse them and you don’t see the water turn soapy, then this brand of quinoa you purchased has already removed it for you!
2. put 1 cup of quinoa to 1.5 cups of water together in a pot and bring to boil, then simmer for about 15-20 minutes. (makes 4 servings)
3. remove from heat and take off lid for a few minutes
4. fluff with fork

Interesting recipe: Add raisins and almonds or other similar yummy treasures while cooking.

Quinoa for breakfast!: Quinoa can serve as a high-protein breakfast food mixed with honey, almonds, or berries

Goes good with: quinoa goes good with almost anything! I usually prepare it with cauliflower, squash and sweet potatoes.

Also good cold: after it cools down, toss in some diced red peppers, purple onions, etc. and enjoy cold

Millet

Intro: Not just for the birds! Human consumption of this powerful grain goes back as far as 4500 BCE in China. Millet was considered one of the five sacred crops by the ancient Chinese. It then became a staple throughout the Middle East and northern Africa. It’s mentioned in the Old Testament as on of the treasured plants.

Millet is also a staple for The Hunzas, who live in a remote area of the Himalayan foothills and are known for their excellent health and longevity.

It’s a shame in America that millet is mostly grown just for cattle and bird feed. It is now making a comeback for humans and the type best for human consumption is called “Pearl Millet”

Characteristics: fluffy, nutty taste filling and nutritious and great warming grain for the winter.

Benefits:

• rich in B vitamins, especially niacin, B17, B6 and folic acid, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.
• Contains no gluten
• Alkaline food (non-acidic)
• Low in fat
• heart protective properties and helps to develop and repair body tissues.
• High in protein
• rich in phytochemicals (wards off disease and cancer)
• Cooking time: 30-35 minutes

How to cook:

1. measure out 1 cup (which grows to 3 when cooking)
2. quickly rinse
3. first roast them with some olive oil about 2 minutes until you smell a nutty smell
4. add 3.5 cups water to 1 cup millet

The grain has a fluffier texture when less water is used and is very moist and dense when cooked with extra water.

Can be used for breads, stuffing, muffins- just about anything!

I hope these grain recipes help motivate you to introduce this hearty addition to your diet and meals!