Believe it or not, eating grains is not really my favorite thing to do.
Coming from an ex-carboholic, these might seem like blasphemous words. However, when I first became gluten free, grains were the first thing I learned to live without. That is a bad bad thing, my friends! Eating grains and carbohydrates are essential to a complete and nutritious diet. Whether I like it or not, I have to make sure I get enough whole grains into my diet each and every day. Despite claims, carbohydrates are not bad for you. They provide your body with instant energy to burn! In fact, no food group is “bad” for you – you need them all to be healthy and happy!
Since we’re on the subject of grains, some of my favorite grain sources include:
- oats (of course!)
- short grain brown rice
- quinoa
- brown rice couscous
- gluten free pastas
Obviously as a gluten free girl, there are some grains I cannot eat – barley, rye, and wheat to name a few. I have found though that the grains I listed above are great to incorporate into any diet, not just a gluten free one.
If you’re like me and try to get your bang for your buck by buying in the bulk section, those grains are not going to come with an instruction manual on how to prepare them! When preparing grains, there is usually a rule of thumb (with an exception – of course!) for most. For the majority of grains, you use 1 part grain to two parts liquid. I thought it might be nice for you all to have some sort of cooking guide, so I hope the table below is helpful.
|
Grain |
Liquid to grain ratio |
Cook Time |
| Oats | 2 to 1 | 5-10 minutes, depending on desired consistency |
| Rice** | 2 to 1 | 40-45 minutes |
| Quinoa | 2 to 1 | 15-20 minutes |
| Brown Rice Couscous | 2 to 1 | 15-20 minutes |
| Gluten Free Pastas | Just use a lot  |
14-16 minutes, depending on package directions |
**This is not a guideline for quick cook or instant rice.
Some grains are more nutritionally dense than others. For example, quinoa is a complete protein – making it higher in fiber and protein than most other grains. The reason for this is because quinoa is actually a seed. While it’s usually lumped into the “grains” category, that’s really not the case! Grains are super versatile, making them easy to incorporate into any meal.
I have so many recipes that feature grains, and it was hard to pick a few of my favorites!
Chocolate Blueberry Protein Oatmeal
Autumn Salad with Chickpeas, Apples, and Golden Figs
Remember though – your plate should be a rainbow! If that means serving up some vegetables with those grains, by all means, do it!
For more “Back to the Basics” posts, you can read the following:
Question: What is your favorite grain and how do you use it in your recipes?
{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }
thats why oats are the BEST- they are the quickest! I hate how rice takes to long!
Oats are the best! I freaking love them! I’ve especially gotten obsessed with savory oats lately – I’ll be posting about them soon!
too* whoops!
Quinoa hands down. I make a big batch Sunday to use in salads, as a side for supper, in burritos, with yogurt and fruit at breakfast… I use it anyway I can really.
Making a big batch of grains at the beginning of the week is so helpful, especially for the ones that take super long to make!
My favorite grain has to be oats! I eat them everyday
I also love quinoa. One of my new favorite grains is Wheatberries. I’m assuming they aren’t gluten-free? But they are so good, they have a little crunch like a steel-cut oat!
I’ve heard great things about wheat berries, but you’re right – they’re not gluten free!
your photos are beautiful and so colorful – love it!
i love me some oats for sure. it’s become my staple breakfast almost every morning. i just love how versatile they are! some quality whole grain wheat bread sure is delicious too.
Thanks Ash! They were all taken in beautiful summertime lighting (::tear::).
I’m still trying my darndest to master quinoa but have not been all that successful. I’m the only person I know (in person that is…) that uses it so I have a hard time getting advice on what I’m doing right and what I’m doing wrong. I’ll get there!
I am a HUGE oat fan! Soooo delicious and simply- and usually cheap!
You know what I do to make it super delicious? I use 2.5 cups water per 1 cup quinoa and let it simmer for longer than it’s supposed to. Works like a charm!
OATMEAL!!!!!! haha, could you have guessed?
I probably could have.. I don’t know how though!
My top grains/whatever they’re technically called:
– Millet (!), bulgur, and freekeh, when eating plain
– For breakfasts, oat bran and couscous (sweet, cooked in milk&cocoa topped with peanut butter and banana)
– Buckwheat groats: raw, as a crunchy topping
– Savory: couscous in curries to absorb extra liquid, millet/quinoa thrown into stews, quinoa as part of a salad
– Toasted and vita-mixed into a meal, along with spices, for an excellent savory porridge: barley, lentils (okay, not a grain), oats
Honestly, though, I could keep going for awhile beyond that [already long] list.
I’ve heard freekah (farik?) is really good!
My boyfriend is obsessed with rice so we have that quite often! But luckily I got him on the quinoa train!
You know what’s so ridiculous? My dad actually likes quinoa more than he likes rice – my dad does not like “health” foods. I’m always shocked when he tells me this!
Love the first part of this post; no food is “bad.” That’s what I’m trying to get across to people, and some just don’t get it! I don’t believe in cutting out any type of food…unless your body simply can’t handle it. For me, it’s seafood…I’m allergic to it.
Fave grain: brown rice. It’s so versatile!
Long time reader, but never really comment–however, I am loving the back to basics posts, so helpful!!
So glad you’re enjoying the series!
have you cooked with teff or millet before? these are my new favorites, but it took me a while to master the cooking time. Okay i am still mastering it but you know what i mean. haha.
I love grains but I don’t love to cook them. For some reason, my rice cooking capabilities are hit or miss. I either make a really good batch or end up burning it. And I will never fully understand how or why this happens because I feel like I make it the same way every single time!
Millet hands down! Love that stuff, especially toasting it first in coconut oil. Makes the whole house smell delicious
PS- I want to jump head first into that creamy pasta picture. (I’m hungry, can you tell?)
I love oats (in cookies and oatmeal!) and I am wild about couscous.
Oats are 100% my fave grain. I mean, I use oats over any other grain 99 to 1. In recent years, I’ve begun baking with white/wheat flour again, but for about a decade I ONLY baked with oat flour or almond flour and being able to grind oats in 3 secs in the Vita was the best thing ever.
just so you know, i just downloaded the free trial version of lightroom.
oh. my. gosh.
yeah your life was just changed, right? I mean the things you can do
sharpening
clarity
brightening
exposure
fill light
blacks
I told you!!!!
I have to go play around with it – kind of overwhelming! Feel free to send tips my way!
hmm I love the looks of those oats! Delish
Your photos are GORGEOUS!
quinoa and buckwheat are our favs!!
Oats! They are so versatile. Morning oats, cookies, granola…yumm
My favorite is barley. I love it’s chewy texture! I’m sorry that it is not gluten-free
I like using it to make pretend risottos or I’ll eat it plain with salt and pepper!
I’m going through an “I love grains” phase…can’t get enough it! Oats are (and prob always will be) my favorite but rice & quinoa rank pretty high too
!
I had no idea that there was such a thing as Brown rice cous cous! Off to find it.
oats are definitely my favourite!!! i think it’s a slight obsession actually. i have protein oatmeal almost every morning.
i love brown rice and quinoa! they just go with EVERYTHING!!
It drives me bonkers when I see people on diets eating basically no carbs – so I’m glad this post is giving carbs the lovin’ they deserve!
My favourite are oats, but bulgur is a close second. I love using it in salads with beans and herbs!
Oats are by far my favorite, of course! Quinoa is another favorite – we use it often! Thanks for the links – all those recipes look delicious.
I eat oats daily, and quinoa and millet sometimes too. But my favorite is brown rice – so versatile! Although I buy parboiled rice so that it only takes about 15 minutes to cook. I’m impatient!
Im guessing you are talking about brown rice taking 40-45 minutes. The Jasmine and Basmati rice only take 25 minutes top. When cooking rice I like to use more water than called for and when it’s ready drain the excess water and than rinse it. It takes the starch out and keeps it from being soo sticky in the fridge.
Thanks for this. When I return from Italy I need to test out my reaction to gluten with an elimination diet because I think it’s the root of some tummy troubles. Nice to have a quick guide!
Perfect tutorial! Bookmarked for sure
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