First Friday of Lent

If you’re catholic and observing lent, you’re not supposed to eat meat today. Normally people eat fish on Fridays and I will try to have a fish recipe each Friday, but I didn’t get to it this week. So why not go the vegetarian route and learn a little about the different grains out there.

Pasta and rice aren’t the only thing you can make to supplement your vegetables.. try these other grains in your cooking!

• Wheat Berries are a good source of fiber and iron. They’re chewy and nutty – great as a cold grain salad
  
• Spelt is sweeter than regular wheat, and high in trace minerals like manganese and B vitamins
  I found this recipe online for "Spelt Puffs" for  breakfast snack! The blog I borrowed it from is a great blog to poke around on too. Check out what else she's posted.
  
• Farro is lower in calories than wheat berries and has twice the fiber of brown rice! It can be prepared like a risotto with its creamy texture.
  
• Millet is rich in magnesium, folic acid, calcium, and potassium as well as disease fighting antioxidants! You can use millet in any recipe to substitute for rice.
  
• Amaranth is really high in protein and has essential amino acids which help the body absorb calcium. Amaranth is also spicy!

I think Amaranth will be the first of these that I try so here’s a little more information that I found on it: It is attributed to the strength of runners and warriors because of the boost of strength it gives them. The National Academy of Sciences promoted Amaranth as one of the 20 foods that should be reintroduced to the American diet. My sister and her fiancé tried to start cooking with Amaranth, but they found it hard to find in the local grocery store – even the Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s types of stores so they actually purchased it online. Amazon sells the grain at a great price. I never think of Amazon as a food store, but they said it worked out well! If you can’t find it – try giving that a try!

To cook amaranth boil 1 cup seeds in 2-1/2 cups liquid such as water or half water and half stock or apple juice until seeds are tender, about 18 to 20 minutes. Adding some fresh herbs or gingerroot to the cooking liquid can add interesting flavors or mix with beans for a main dish. For a breakfast cereal increase the cooking liquid to 3 cups and sweeten with Stevia, honey or brown rice syrup and add raisins, dried fruit, allspice and some nuts.