Oats,peas, beans and barley grow...

If it wasn’t for all the noise from the diet industry about Atkins, no-carb, raw food diet yada, yada yada, grains would indeed make up the staple for each and every one of us. By and large it still remains the staple for most of us. Even with all of the noise from the diet industry, some of it admittedly sensible, beans and pulses indeed are the best source of plant protein and satiates our hunger yet provides fiber!

Once again in response to the diet industry noise, a point to ponder would be rice. Rice has been the staple of the far eastern countries, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, parts of India, the natives are hardly ever overweight, and it is not the starving, undernourished population that I mention here. Rice is a very versatile grain, if only combined with the right condiments and eaten in the correct proportion.

Beans in their original dried form take a while to boil and then there is also the matter of controlling the rate of doneness. Too tender and it loses its form and texture, undercooked and it is not smooth enough…When it comes to beans, do not be shy to use the canned variety, cheap and dependable, always available at your local super market, easy to store. Some of my favorite types are delicious right out of the can, or tossed in together with some salad or meats.

1. Large red kidney or small pink kidney are both dense and smooth in texture and compliments various meat dishes, such as chili, three bean salads, soups etc.

2. The garbanzo beans, also known as chick peas can be a delicious compliment to any salad or grains, such as cous cous, or may be ground with ground meats to make fiber rich and delicious meat balls and kebobs.

3. The black beans and white butter beans are good with cheeses, greens or rice

Pulses, even though available to an extent, in the international food isle of your local supermarket, are not very much known about. Split pea soups and lentil salad is what most would recall at the mention of pulses. A trip to your local Indian grocery is worth it to stock up on pulses, also known as dahl. Again an item, very easy to store and inexpensive, good source of plant protein and may be quite easily cooked into a savory meal. My favorite ones are:

1. Masoor: red grains, when cooked turns a rich yellow, they cook quickly and are delicious with some sautéed onions and diced tomatoes and cilantro, or simply with salt and a dollop of butter.

2. Kolai: white grains, that take a little while to boil and soften, but has a smooth feel to it when cooked with a touch of ginger and infused with fenugreek seeds (methi)

3. Chana: a rich yellow lentil, that takes a while to soften, often cooked with sautéed onions and whole dried red chili peppers, garnished with lightly caramelized diced coconut pulp.

Rice is great as it is much lower in calories than any baked bread and is a nice and easy compliment to most fish and vegetable dishes. Easy to cook and store, rice is a great quick and easy staple.

1. Basmati has long grains and is aromatic, often used in rich and delicious biriyani, a Middle Eastern/ Indian dish cooked with meat and saffron. For my purposed, it works great simply boiled into plain white aromatic rice, to be enjoyed with savory condiments.

2. Texmati is a variety grown in Texas, has a slightly higher starch content but very aromatic.

3. The short grain Carolina rice is good for cooking risotto and soups

Barley and Cous cous are my two other favorite grains as they can be eaten hot or cold and compliments most foods – may be tossed into a salad that can be very easily stored for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. I generally use the ready to cook varieties and follow directions on the packaging and have had folks lap it up with no problems.