Wholegrains are the prized nutritional champion these days, but it wasn’t always so. Processed grains, stripped of the germ and bran, the outer husks, are far easier to mill, prepare and cook with, and historically were exclusively for those who could afford them. Thus history reverses itself: today it’s the worse off who are condemned to a diet of UPFs as whole foods are expensive!
Whole grains are un- and less refined cereals and pseudocereals, like buckwheat and wild rice, and they are what we should choose to eat. Whole grains like brown rice, bulgur wheat, rolled oats, spelt, millet, barley as well as wholemeal flours are a massage brush for our gut as well as nutritional powerhouses. And they are filling to boot, high in protein and of course fibre. Plus, supremely tasty, at least if prepared following the recipes below.
Wild rice is not rice! Cooked wild rice is very chewy, grassy and earthy, and feels a little like those long shoots of grass we used to nibble on as kids. No wonder – it’s technically one of those. Expensive, but a real treat if you’re into grains and seeds. Perfect with mushrooms to complement its earthy flavour.
Wild rice with mushrooms
RECIPE
Rolled oats are classed as whole grain, you’ll be pleased to know, so your breakfast porridge, muesli or granola is safe to be called healthy. As long of course as it’s not too full of sugar. This one has a sensible amount of maple syrup to sweeten it, and olive oil, the healthiest fat, too.
Bulgur wheat is cracked, unprocessed whole wheat – which you might find hard to believe, considering how easy it is to cook. That’s because it’s usually sold parboiled, but it still fully qualifies as whole grain. It’s probably my favourite, not only in salads but made into a Middle Eastern flavoured pilaf, with vibrant vegetables.
Couscous, on the other hand, is not a grain: it’s technically pasta. So yes, it is processed, but if you go for the wholewheat variety, the benefits are the same as those of wholewheat pasta. An excellent complement to mixed roasted vegetables, seasoned with cinnamon, cumin and rose harissa.
Summer vegetables with wholemeal couscous
RECIPE
Millet ticks the whole grain box though in fact a seed rather than grain. It is one of the less popular cereals unless you count gluten free beer brewing. It tastes a little dusty so I usually add it to bread baking with other assorted seeds, but millet porridge is surprisingly delicious.
Honey millet breakfast porridge
RECIPE
I could not omit wholemeal bread in the collection, and this is the recipe for the uninitiated: the bread loaf that comes out a beauty every time but doesn’t need any bread baking skills. It’s the ‘no knead’ formula adapted to make a wholemeal bloomer.
Wholemeal seeded bloomer
RECIPE
Spelt available in the shops is usually pearled which means stripped of the ‘whole’ bran and husk. It’s because otherwise cooking wholegrain spelt takes hours. Good news though, it’s still nutritiously mighty and it makes a delicious risotto.
Spelt risotto with porcini
RECIPE
Brown rice, for those interested, doesn’t cause a huge spike in blood glucose levels which I can personally testify. And it’s classified as whole grain so really, no excuse. It cooks longer but doesn’t actually require a different water to rice ratio than white rice. This simple dish of rice with mushrooms is easy to cook and delicious.
Brown rice with mushrooms
RECIPE
Buckwheat is a pseudocereal, not a grain and it’s in fact related to rhubarb, sorrel and knotweed. But nutritionally and in cooking it is used like a grain, usually milled into flour. This, however, is a recipe for marvellous bread using whole groats. Gluten free, and otherwise super healthy as well.
Fermented buckwheat bread
RECIPE
And just when you thought this list made for a virtuous but not very appealing reading, here’s whole grain cake. Of course you can bake cakes using wholemeal flour, they just won’t be as light. This recipe is perfect for wholemeal flour: ricotta makes it moist so lightness is irrelevant. And it’s sweetened with honey.