CRACKED WHEAT (or BARLEY) CEREAL, serves 2
- Crack 1/2 cup of wheat or barley berries in blender (45+ sec on high speed, depending on desired texture). Or grind coarsely in hand mill.
- Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to boil in a saucepan.
- Stir cracked berries into boiling water, and immediately turn down heat.
- Simmer 20-25 min until desired texture attained.
- Add dried fruit and/or nuts, as desired.
COOKED WHEAT OR BARLEY BERRIES
Bring 1 c of wheat or barley berries to a boil with 2-3 c of water (or broth), and simmer covered until done (about an hour). Drain off excess water. Use as a pilaf, or with stir-fry instead of rice.
WHOLE GRAIN CHICKEN SOUP
Add 1 cup of wheat or barley berries to 2 1/2 cups of liquid (1-2 c broth; the rest water) and bring to a boil. Add chopped carrots and celery. Simmer for an hour. Put in some diced chicken; to achieve desired consistency, thin with water or broth, or thicken with flour (we like our corn flour the best) and season to taste.
WHOLE-GRAIN TABOULEH
Ingredients:
- ½ cup wheat berries, simmer in 1 to 1-1/2 cups water approx 1 hour until soft.
- 4 cups parsley or kale, chopped, loosely packed
- 1 ½ cups tomatoes, peeled & diced (about 3-5 Roma)
- ¼-½ cup green onions, chopped, white & some of green (~ 1 bunch)
- ¼-½ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped, loosely packed
For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ¼ tsp garlic, minced
- pinch sea salt
- 1 Tbls olive oil, extra-virgin
Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing in a small non-reactive bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings.
In a large salad bowl, toss together parsley, tomatoes, green onions and mint. Add cooled wheat berries. Pour dressing over salad, toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.
WHEATBERRY (OR BARLEYBERRY) SALAD
- 2 c cooked wheat berries (or barley berries, or a mix)
- 1-2 shallots or green onions
- 2 Tbls sweet relish
- 2 Tbls olive oil
Toss ingredients together, season to taste with balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper. Add diced sweet peppers, broccoli, green beans, or other vegetables, or even fruits. There is lots of room for experimentation here! Serve chilled
WHOLE-GRAIN FRUIT MUFFINS
In medium mixing bowl, combine & set aside:
- 2 c stone-ground flour ( we usually mix wheat and either barley or corn 50:50)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4-1/2 cup honey (or sugar)
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 c light olive oil (or 1/2 stick butter, or half butter, half oil)
- 3/4 c milk
Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter*. Add chopped fruit. Beat egg, milk, and honey together, and then add dry ingredients, stirring gently until mixed. Grease muffin tin or insert muffin cups. Fill 2/3 full. Bake at 375° F for 18-20 min. Cool 10 min.
*Maybe everybody knew this but me, but I found a way to cut in butter that I really like. Pull a stick of butter out of the freezer (which is where you store extra butter, right?). Sprinkle flour on a cutting board, place the 1/2 stick of butter on the board, and dice it like you would a carrot, mixing in a little more flour if it helps. Then you can add the finely diced butter to the flour mix. I think it’s way easier than using a pastry cutter or forks.