Whole grain tips and contest results:

We have been working on whole grain recipes this week and ran a contest for the best ideas from health educators. It was very hard to pick the 10 best responses - so we picked 11 and all are receiving our whole grain poster. We liked these because we know everyone is more pressed for time and money and they show a practical and delicious side that we liked. Here they are - we received them via phone, email and our blog:

1. "In response to what I do with whole grains in my kitchen. I always use whole wheat flour whenever I bake. It’s great for my family and no one even knows! I have also mixed whole wheat pasta with regular pasta until my family got use to the taste, now I just use whole wheat pasta when I cook. Lastly, I love trying out new food items. The newest item I have used is faro, a middle eastern pasta with a taste similar to barley. I have a great salad recipe for this grain. Have a great day!"" --- Terry Weideman, Professor – Nutrition, SI Coordinator-ASC
2. "I found a barley risotto recipe w/quick cooking barley and brown rice. Saute onions and mushrooms first in olive oil, add chicken broth and the two grains. Season with garlic powder and black pepper. Shred fresh spinach and add a little to bring out some color. It’s great." --- Cheryl
3. "I love using Barilla Plus pasta - it has a higher fiber and protein content which helps folks get more fiber and feel more full - this is especially great for diabetes patients. It has some semolina flour so it is more palatable than some 100% whole wheat pastas." --- Deborah Linehan, RD
4. "We are a whole grain family (even though my husband calls it the brown pasta!). I rave about whole grains to the college students I see all the time. I am a huge fan of whole wheat couscous – for the time pressed, it is very quick cooking and quite versatile. I like it in stuffed peppers in place of rice or as a one-dish meal with garbanzos, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, garlic, halved cherry tomatoes, fresh corn and a little olive oil and lemon juice.I also enjoy using bulgur for homemade tabouleh or mixed with brown lentils, parsely, lemon juice, garlic, green onion, shredded carrots, crushed red pepper and olive oil…all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla." --- Shauna Schultz, RD
5. "Though I like to try to make whole grain recipes, more often than not I’ll just try to jazz up a batch of whole grain pasta or rice (could be barley, etc.). I add leftover brown rice or whole wheat pasta to soup—makes it more hearty and satisfying and can skip crackers. Another option I learned from my sister when I was a teenager is to use a higher proportion of rice to soup and make the dish casserole thickness. Sautéed onions, garlic, veggies, etc. can be added in to kick up the flavor and texture." --- Janice Cochran, MS, RD, Wellness Education Services, University at Buffalo
6. "I like to substitute flax seed, 1/4 cup ground, for some of the flour, whenever I make rolls or breads. When I do a group presentation about fat or fiber, I bring along the whole flaxseed, coffee grinder, and small snack-size plastic bags, so they can see how easy it is to grind the flax seed. Then, they get a sample of fresh-ground flaxseed to take home and use right-away! I suggest that they can also add it to yogurt, cereal, etc. for a nutritious Omega-3 boost!" --- Mary Therese Maslanka, RD, LDN
7. "I like quick cooking barley. Beef, spinach and barley soup is wonderful on a cold night. Add a salad and whole wheat bread for a a hearty meal. I also add light cream cheese (garden flavor is yummy)to cooked barley for a creamy side dish." --- Daryl Minch
8. "The “boil in bag” whole grain brown rice is great! No sodium and so quick and easy." Sharol Cripe
9. "Since brown rice takes so long to cook, I prepare an entire 2 lb. bag in a covered dutch oven in the oven. I then freeze the rice in 2 cup portions. It thaws quickly to use in a variety of recipes." --- Frances Wilkinson
10. "I love hot cereal in the morning, but who has tome to make it? On a weeknight or weekend, I make up two big pots of my favorite grains like quinoa or steel cut oats. For a calcium and protein boost, I mix in a quart envelope of dry milk powder before adding the water, and then I cook it on medium, stirring frequently until cooked. After they cool a little, I package the cereals in 1-cup portions and freeze. We just zap them in the microwave in the morning for a wonderful hot breakfast." --- Mary Choate
11. "I have a tip that makes an inexpensive version of “crab spaghetti”. Using whole wheat spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, basil, lemon pepper, and old bay MD Crab Seasoning. This gives the taste of crab without spending on crab meat." --- Charese Robinson, Associate Agent, Food Supplement Nutrition Ed.

Here are the results of the poll for what is your favorite grain food - whole wheat bread won and is followed closely by oatmeal and brown rice:

What do I demo this month?

I must say I have been surprised and inspired by the amount of calls we have had for vegetables and vegetarian recipes for cooking demos (if you are working on one send us an email). Vegetarian is a great theme for April, spring, farmer's markets and healthy eating on a budget of course.

Here are our recommendations for demos:

Baked Ratatouille Dinner - we recommend this one because it uses many spring veggies: eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, onions, peppers, herbs - and it cooks in one hour unattended in the oven (along with our suggestions for spaghetti squash and baked potatoes).

Cooking demo tip: Prepare this recipe twice - once to start baking (or have prepared if you don't have a demo oven) and once to prepare for the class. To save time, have a few helpers for the chopped veggies. If you can bake it while you are preparing the demo recipe it will add a great appeal to have aroma and come out of the oven for participants to sample. You can make it in the microwave oven, too; in this case cut the baking time in half and make sure you cover the dish well.

FREE: in our blog: http://foodandhealth.com/blog/2010/02/roasted-vegetarian-dinner/

COMPLETE HANDOUT with recipes and nutrition analysis and photos for members

Whole wheat baking with white whole wheat flour - we chose this because we had a request for it! It is very easy to bake with white whole wheat flour.

Demo tip: make sure you make the dough ahead of time so it has risen before class starts. You can refrigerate it overnight, too. It is good to show the class how to mix the dough and to let a few helpers make a breadstick. This would make a great kids' project.

FREE: in our blog: http://foodandhealth.com/blog/2010/04/whole-wheat-breadsticks/

COMPLETE HANDOUT with info on white whole wheat flour and recipe for members

Grilled Veggies With Whole Wheat Couscous - we chose this because we really love whole wheat couscous. It takes 2 minutes to make and the higher fiber makes us feel fuller on a much smaller portion. The grilled veggies can be made in anyone's oven and this is a great thing to do for a lighter dinner or food demo.

Demo tip: Start chopping and broiling the veggies first because the couscous cooks quickly. We like to use a large 4 cup measure to boil 1 cup of water in the microwave (2 minutes) and then we add 1 cup of couscous, let stand and stir with a fork. It looks great if you put this dish on a big white platter. And we recommend making a lovely Mediterranean style buffet with fresh marinated veggies, this platter and some fresh fruits. Taste tests always rock!

FREE: in our blog: http://foodandhealth.com/blog/2010/04/whole-wheat-couscous/

COMPLETE HANDOUT with info on recipes and nutrition analysis and tips for whole grains for members

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This wonderful vegetarian dinner was easy to make. It used 15 different vegetables and only took about 15 minutes to prep. The baking time was 1-1/2 hours - and it was unattended. The house smelled wonderful and now we have leftovers for tomorrow, too.

I found these graffiti eggplant in the market today and immediately thought of making ratatouille and a vegetarian roasted dinner. Roasted dinners are my favorites - you put everything in the oven and then serve when done. The house smells great and there is little attendance time. Plus you are more efficient with energy use because everything goes in the oven.

Ratatouille

Here are the main ingredients:

2 eggplant, cubed

1 yellow squash

1 zucchini

1 onion

garlic - minced - 2 cloves

1 shallot

1 cup mushrooms

1 bell pepper

2 cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp parsley

1 cup water or broth

Place all ingredients in a large covered casserole:

Bake for 1-1/2 hours.

We also added a steak potato and a fancy yam:

And a spaghetti squash:

It is easy to make this delightful squash -you cut it in half, remove the seeds and place it cut side down in a covered baking casserole. A microwave can cook it in 10 minutes, but we chose to throw it in the oven with the ratatouille and the yams.

And in the mean time, while these items baked, we made an heirloom tomato salad and the snack bowl for the week.

This is celeriac - it is a root that has a distinct celery flavor. It is delicious when put in soups and when shaved or minced finely for salads.

These are heirloom tomatoes. They are non-hybrid, open pollinated tomatoes that are very intriguing in the number of colors and shapes they are available. Generally they are interesting and very flavorful. It was our best choice for the winter market and since we were going vegetarian there is more room in the budget for fun items like these.

The salads, we decided, should be individuals - diners have their choice of red or yellow heirloom tomatoes, complete with julienne (thin strips) of celeriac and shaved organic carrots. We topped these with olive oil and balsamic vinegar glaze and black pepper:

I also bought huge pears and honey crisp apples - so those got washed and put in a bowl in the refrigerator - waiting to be snacks for the week. I noticed they disappear faster when put in a bowl:

It took about 1-1/2 hours for the ratatouille, potato, yam and spaghetti squash to cook until perfect. (The oven was 375-400 degrees):

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