I am a firm believer in the idea that if it’s not in your house, you will not eat it (usually)!  So, if you leave the polished white rice, Nabisco crackers, hamburger buns, spaghetti noodles (even the “whole grain” variety) and other wheat based products **AT THE STORE** you will teach yourself how to make tasty whole grain foods.  Don’t be alarmed if it takes you some time to develop your niche recipes.  The key is to keep practicing to gain the right consistency and flavor. 

While there are many whole grains available for purchase (e.g. – millet, Kamut, quinoa, buckwheat, etc.), we tend to utilize the staples of wheat and brown rice in our home.  Some of the unusual grains, like the ones mentioned above, I bought at one time and have to use them up.  But, lesson learned…don’t make weird things for your family!  Here are some things we do at our home that are familiar to the pallet:

• Sprouted wheat bread (homemade or Ezekiel brand store-bought bread)
• Sourdough pancakes (does not have to taste sour, though)
• Sourdough, whole-wheat tortillas (we eat these all the time!!! Lunch roll-up, quesadillas, etc.)
• Bread, Bread, Bread…soft loaf, hearth-style, rolled and stuffed with fruit or meat (such as sausage and parmesan cheese…creativity abounds!)
• Flat bread (goes especially well with Middle Eastern or Mediterranean Themes) or, cinnamon-raisin flat bread
• Noodles (need to experiment more in this area…the trick is to be able to get it fermented, but still retain a consistent texture)
• Cookies, using arrowroot powder or brown rice powder (brown rice put through the grain mill sweetened with honey)

These are just some ideas to get you thinking about using whole grains in your kitchen.  Every family has “comfort” foods.  The trick is to go slowly, don’t scare your family, and learn the methods of cooking best suited to the grain.  And remember not to use baker’s yeast in cooking whole wheat.  It makes the grain incredibly hard to digest.  To purchase a bread starter, Carl Griffith has 150-year dry packs online.  Just send him a stamped envelope.  Another good resource is Northwest Sourdough.

If you do not have a food co-op in your area, you may want to purchase grain online.  I buy mine from Wheat Montana and Lundburg Rice (Organic Brown Basmati Rice).  

Happy Baking!

Let’s start with sugar:

We all know, by now, the dangers associated with processed sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and other cheap substitutes.  Unfortunately, these types of sugars are found in almost all foods sold large-scale.   Here’s what sugar should be:

Obviously, fruit is a natural source of sugar.  Dried or fresh: apricots, dates, apples, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, papaya, coconut, mango, plums, peaches, pears, grapes, bananas etc.   Add fruit to salads, blend dried cherries with cream cheese and honey for a whole-wheat sourdough bagel spread.  Eat it in trail mix, smoothies, raw, in breads and cooked grains…the possibilities are endless!  If you will be sure to eat fruit, you will have less cravings for other sugar.

Other Sweeteners:

Agave nectar
Stevia (great for beverages)
Raw honey
Unrefined, dried sugar cane juice* 
Pure Maple Syrup

These are some of the ways I use sugar in our home.  Next time I’ll be writing about how I use grain.

* One name brand of dried sugar cane juice is Rapadura (made by Rapunzel).  Use cup for cup in place of sugar.  Has a much stronger flavor since the molasses has not been extracted.  You can buy some from Amazon (and help support our website) by clicking here.