cereals

[aprilconnett]

Those of you who make your own breakfast cereals, would you share your knowledge?

[Shamrock1121]

Those of you who make your own breakfast cereals, would you share your knowledge? *

Cereal at our house are made from a variety of whole grains used whole, grains like oats, spelt, wheat - milled into flakes, chopped grain (cooks quicker than whole grains), or coarse-grind flour for farina (cream of wheat or cream of rice). The tool I most often use is a Marga Mulino Flaker Mill: http://www.kitchenkneads.com/index.php?module=store_listings&action=view_listin g&listing=63

I mill a combination of grains for multi-grain cooked cereal blends (you often see them as 5-grain, 7-grain, 11-grain, etc.). I use these combinations in yeast breads to add some "tooth" to the loaves. The multi-grain cereal blends also lower the glycemic-index and add fiber, but these same mixtures can be used for cooked cereal.

You can make cooked cereal from whole wheat berries or other similar grains. The cooked whole grains can also be used for other things. These grains can be cooked on the stove, slow-cooker, or even overnight in a Thermos.

This link is over at the Gulch where I posted information: http://thegulch.proboards102.com/index.cgi?board=emergencyfoodstocks&action=display &thread=4604

There are also recipes for a Grape Nuts-like cereal. Here's one example: (Source: Cooking with Whole Wheat - Kansas Wheat Commission)

http://kansaswheat.org/general.asp?id=373

Granola: http://kansaswheat.org/general.asp?id=496

The recipe below for Nutola is my original recipe. We like more nuts than grains in our granola. ;) I make this recipe for 2 special friends as part of their Christmas gift. They love it!

NUTOLA -
1/8 c. sesame seeds (or kasha)
1/2 c. walnuts
1/2 c. raw cashews
1/2 c. pecans
1/2 c. raw almonds
1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds
1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
2 c. old-fashioned oatmeal (quick flakes will work)

Mix all together in a large bowl or container.

In a glass 1-cup measuring cup stir together:
3 T. coconut oil, melted (or 1/4 c. vegetable oil)
1/4 c. Agave Nectar
2 T. maple syrup

Add liquids to the nut/oatmeal mixture and stir to coat evenly.

Place on a jelly roll pan. Bake in 300°F oven for 30-40 minutes, stir with a wooden spoon every 10-minutes or so.

Cool and keep refrigerated in an airtight container.
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WHEAT CEREAL - (Source: Better Homes and Gardens COOKING WITH WHOLE GRAINS)

2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. toasted wheat germ
3/4 t. salt
2/3 c. water
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

Combine the 2 cups whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and salt. Stir water into peanut butter till smooth. Stir into flour mixture to make a moderately soft dough. Divide dough into fourths.

Lightly sprinkle some whole wheat flour over a piece of waxed paper. Top with one portion of dough. Roll dough into a 12x9-inch rectangle. For flaked cereal, invert the dough onto greased baking sheet. Carefully peel off waxed paper. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake in a 350°F oven for 18-20 minutes or till lightly browned and crisp. Cool. Break into several large pieces. Place in plastic bag; break into small pieces with a rolling pin. Store in an airtight container. Serve with milk or cream and raisins or dates, if desired. Makes 3 cups.

Note: Make this hearty cereal in special shapes using a pastry wheel or hors d'oeuvres cutters. Roll out dough as for flaked cereal and cut into desired shapes. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake and cool as directed, but do not break cereal.

There are lots of ideas out there... these are just a few.

-Karen

[aprilconnett]

WOW!!!! Thank you so much for all of that info and the links. Once again I tell you how wonderful you are. You should publish a book. I will be the first in line to buy it. ;)

[Shamrock1121]

No forthcoming book - that's where I get my information. ;) I have a large collection of books and cookbooks about whole grains.

Check your local library for these:

-Whole Grains - Every Day Every Way - Lorna Sass

-The New Book of Whole Grains - Marlene Anne Bumgardener

-All-American Waves of Grain - by Barbara Grunes and Virginia Van Vynckt

-The Splendid Grain - by Rebecca Wood (this is one of my favorite books)

-Great Grains - by Linda Drachman & Peter Wynne

I pulled 15 books last night and found recipes for cooked grains in the form of cereals, porridge, Muesli, granola, and mush - all using a wide variety of whole grains, cracked grain, flakes, bulgur, or coarsely milled into farina.

For those of you who have a Nutrimill, if you coarsely grind wheat you can make your own cream-of-wheat cereal for cooking.

To cook:

Stir together 1 c. coarsely-milled wheat and 1 c. cool water.

In a sauce pan bring 1 c. water to a boil.

Gradually add the first mixture stirring continuously on a low boil until it thichens (about 1 minute). Add salt (to taste). You can also sweeten it.
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I'm growing amaranth this year, so I'll be using it for porridge. If you cook a large quantity of whole grains for porridge, you can refrigerate the extra (up to 5 days) and reheat it (adding water as needed).

I use leftover cooked oatmeal in a recipe for oatmeal scones. Make leftover porridge into panhaus or scrapple.

-Karen

[Lynnkay]

I'm growing amaranth this year, so I'll be using it for porridge. If you cook a large quantity of whole grains for porridge, you can refrigerate the extra (up to 5 days) and reheat it (adding water as needed).

Karen, I am interested in growing a patch of amaranth due to the fact that it's high in nitriloside (barley, millet, wheat, buckwheat, as you probably know also contain this much-needed nutrient). Amaranth is a little harder to obtain, for some reason, and I want to grow my own. Would you mind sharing how you are planting/harvesting yours? I'm just so glad to know that others are interested in using this wonderful grain, too. Imo, it hasn't received the attention it deserves.

Thanks for any advice you may have, and thanks for the great information your posts always provide. It's a lot of work looking into all those books so that you can answer our questions. :) Although if you ever change your mind about writing a book, as April suggested, I'll be in line behind her on the day the publisher releases it.

[Shamrock1121]

Karen, I am interested in growing a patch of amaranth due to *the fact that it's high in nitriloside (barley, millet, wheat, buckwheat, as you probably know also contain this much-needed nutrient). Amaranth is a little harder to obtain, for some reason, and I want to grow my own. Would you mind sharing how you are planting/harvesting yours? I'm just so glad to know that others are interested in using this wonderful grain, too. Imo, it hasn't received the attention it deserves.

Thanks for any advice you may have, and thanks for the great information your posts always provide. It's a lot of work looking into all those books so that you can answer our questions. * :) Although if you ever change your mind about writing a book, as April suggested, I'll be in line behind her on the day the publisher releases it.

I think it was Martin who posted information on amaranth some time ago that got me interested....

I've used amaranth for years. Since it's expensive ($2.89/1-pound), I found a sunny spot and took a few seeds from the jar of them I had in the refrigerator (purchased from the health food store) and planted them about 1/2-inch deep in good soil when the soil temperatures were warm enough this spring. Give them a lot of space between plants. I have about 20-25 plants that are over 7-foot tall. I just googled information about planting/harvesting and followed it.

Everyone thinks they are sunflowers... ;)

When it got hot last week (107°F), they didn't look so good, but the temperatures have moderated this week and we had over 5-inches of rain in a few days, so the plants are looking happy again. They are drought tolerant.

You wait until after the first killing frost, followed by a week of drying weather, to harvest. You have to be careful the heads don't shatter. Check out this link for more information: http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsletter/issue_38/quinoa.asp

You can harvest leaves off the young plants and use them as greens.

If you are allergic to pig weeds, you may be allergic to amaranth as well - they are related.

I have a seed mill and will mill amaranth into flour. It's too tiny to mill in a grain mill. I also add 2-3 T. to most quick breads or muffin recipes. They look like tan poppy seeds in baked goods. I'll also toss some in when I cook oatmeal.

I've tried popping it, but it tends to burn for me before I get it all popped. You're supposed to be able to pop amaranth and then eat it with milk/sweetener like a cold cereal. There is a traditional Mexican candy made from popped amaranth - Alegria.

-Karen

[Lynnkay]

Thanks, Karen. I bookmarked the site with the good information about Quinoa and Amaranth. Everything is right there, and thanks once again for sharing. :)

Lynn