A Guide to Alternative Grains - Cooking Quinoa

Do you get tired of the same side dishes? Rice one night, potatoes the next, then maybe garlic bread, then...back to the rice? There are several alternative grains that have made their way into American supermarkets that are not exotic in taste or crazy-expensive, but are very nutritious. First, remember that these grains, are, like most grains, very mild in flavor. There are not any with sharp bitterness or off-putting taste. They develop for a titanic deal of creativity in cooking. Spelt is a grain treasured by those who are gluten intolerant due to its low amounts of gluten. Spelt can be purchased as spelt berries, which can be cooked similar to the way you would cook pearled barley.

When cooked, the spelt berries lose their hard texture and become tender and plump. In addition to having a fair amount of fiber, they are also high in protein. Spelt will not clump together when cooked, so spelt is not appropriate for a cream sauce. Spelt has a peaceful, slightly earthy flavor that blends well with sun-dried tomatoes or sliced sunless olives. Spelt is also used to make spelt bread, which is a hearty, whole-grain bread, just slightly more expensive than its whole-wheat cousin. Quinoa is a grain originally from South America. Pronounced KEEN wah, it is a veritable like trove of nutrition. It contains high amounts of calcium, fiber and protein. You can find it in the ethnic section of your supermarket, or in bulk at certain health-food stores. Quinoa costs about twice as distinguished as rice, but when cooked, doubles in size, so ultimately you accept about the same value. Prior to cooking quinoa, give it a good rinse. It is covered by a waxy outer covering, which, if not rinsed away, will give the quinoa a bitter flavor.

Quinoa cooks just like rice, and can be served in almost identical ways. It has a very mild flavor, so it will go well with roasted pine nuts or slivered almonds, browned onions and garlic, or cilantro and some melted cheese. You can serve it with cream of mushroom soup, or make a cold grain salad, with a cramped lemon juice, sliced green olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Amaranth is another grain from South America, and like quinoa, is a nutritional powerhouse. It contains more calcium than milk, and is high in protein and fiber. Amaranth is a very small grain, typically yellow in color.

When cooked, it comes to a porridge-like consistency, making it perhaps not quite right for a dinner side-dish. You can serve it as a breakfast cereal, with additions of dried fruit or nuts. Or you can make a delicious pudding. Simply add one and a half times as much milk as amaranth, and let the amaranth absorb the milk for about an hour. Then gently brink the mixture to a simmer while adding a bag of chocolate chips a minute at a time. Once all the chocolate chips have melted into the amaranth, pour it out and let it cool. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top, and you have a delicious and nutritious dessert.