My Wholefood Romance

For the love of Amaranth, and a rocking DIY Chocolate Buckwheat & Amaranth Bonanza!

May 16, 2013 By Meg With no comments yet

chocbuckmix

Carrying on in my converting to a wholefood pantry, I wanted to highlight Amaranth today. Amaranth is my new love. World health workers discovered amaranth when they noticed that areas of Africa and Latin America where it was highly consumed had no malnutrition. It is high in nutrients – in particular protein and calcium. In fact it has more calcium and cofactors for calcium’s absorption (magnesium and silicon) than milk, BAM! It’s also high in iron and is the only grain reported to have Vitamin C – cool!

It is gluten free, high in protein, and it contains all the amino acids, making it a complete protein.

It can be great for convalescence – when you are recovering from an illness, or for pregnant and breastfeeding mums who need that extra nutrition. Also, it’s great for kids in this way.

Think of it as a bit of a supercharger. If you are making something, see if you can add a bit of amaranth to it to boost it’s goods! In this way, you can really stretch it out.

How?
If you can, soak your amaranth overnight first. Rinse, drain, and add to a saucepan with the ratio of about 1 3/4 cups water to a cup of grain. It should be slightly crunchy still, but will be soft inside. Cook over a low heat for 15 – 20 minutes.
Note: rinsing and draining a minuscule grain is a bit tricky! I used a nut milk bag, but if you don’t have one, you need quite a fine strainer, or a very patient nature… I found the strainer from the inside of one of my tea pots worked well too!What do I do with it?
Use amaranth in breads, cakes, soups, stews, in combination with other grains, in porridge, in salads.Did …

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Creating a Wholefood Pantry: WHOLEGRAINS – part 1. And a baked porridge.

April 26, 2013 By Meg With 12 comments

I forget that it can be a little daunting sometimes, cooking with wholefoods and knowing what to do with half the stuff. There is SO MUCH information out there, some great, some not so much. It may seem easier to stick your head in the sand, or cover your ears and sing a Bowie classic, but can I tell you if you stick with it the results are so worth it! Starting today I am putting together a series on how to convert your pantry, one step at a time, to a wholefood style larder (that just sounds more luscious than pantry doesn’t it?).

So grab a cuppa, and settle in to read all about the first on the agenda, due to popular vote, WHOLEGRAINS.

Note** I have edited this post about three times now, it is SUCH a big topic, and I want to do it justice, it is really hard to condense this information! Please let me know if you would prefer to hear about it from another angle. I am starting with some general info and three gluten free ‘grains’ – Buckwheat, Quinoa and Oats (controversially). The other grains and how to prepare and cook them all is to follow.

Grains have a bit of a checkered reputation at the moment. There are a lot of people restricting them greatly, or not eating them at all. And then there is the other side of the fence with a lot of people eating mainly grains.

We need to understand also that wholegrains are a whole different ball game to refined grains, and require a completely different set of digestive skills. Remember your mother or grandparents telling you to chew your food 32 times? They were actually onto something! This is what it takes to get the salivary glands …

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Wholefood Baking, Jude Blereau Style.

April 18, 2013 By Meg With 51 comments

That Jude, she’s done it again! What? An essential masterpiece of baking, written with love and fantastically photographed and styled. It is an absolute joy to read for the novice and seasoned baker alike. Not only is this gorgeous book packed with amazing recipes, it caters for specific dietary needs (gluten free, dairy free, egg free), and spills forth a thoughtful, detailed and educational section on explaining the different ingredients, tools and equipment for the kitchen, and a beautiful piece on the instinct and technique of baking. LOVE. Strawberry Mousse Tart; Vanilla and Almond Cake with Rose Almond Cream and Raspberry Jam; Sweet and Sour Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Cake; Blackberry and Cacao Nib Panna Cotta Trifle; Carrot, Pistachio and Amaranth Cake; Banana and Coconut Bread with Passionfruit Icing; Cornmeal, Spelt, Parmesan and Cheddar Crackers. I could go on forever – it’s ridiculous! It is actually RIDICULOUS how amazing these recipes look, and I love that I know that Jude has put so much love and soul into putting them all together.

Can I get a round of virtual applause for Jude?

Jude has been kind enough to give My Wholefood Romance a copy to give away. I have had in my possession for two whole days this amazing book. All I want to do is rip into it and lovingly start to ‘season’ the pages with delicious mess. But, I have been handling it very carefully, not opening up the pages too much – it’s very hard!! But I am so happy to have the pleasure of giving it away. So, how to decide. I thought, given I am about to start a new series on transforming your pantry step-by-step into a wholefood loving pantry, that I would base it around this.

I would love to hear what element of …

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Pimp up your Popcorn

April 10, 2013 By Meg With 2 comments

I had the most delightful day with my daughter yesterday, we went to the movies, then to the park, then pretended to be different animals for the rest of the afternoon (she’s three years old – just to put it into context). I feel pretty lucky to be able to have days like this! But I digress. Going to the movies is an expensive outing these days, especially once you add in the food and drink that you might buy once you’re there. BYO is the way forward, not just economically but nutritionally. I love popcorn! It’s such a fantastic snack, but the stuff that you get at the cinema is not. I won’t go on about it, we all know it’s not great; trans fats, fake butter flavour, popcorn lung, you get the idea.

Why not make your own and be the director of your own ‘choose you own adventure’ popcorn story! It’s fast, inexpensive, versatile, and you can make it into a legitimate nutritional snack – score!

Here’s what we took with us yesterday.

Almond, buckwheat, chia, sesame, goji, sunflower seed, coconut flake, dried mulberry, dulse flake, coconut oil popcorn.

My daughter was thrilled as her home-made popcorn was immediately coveted by the girls next to us, and she then proceeded to tell them all about how to make it – so cute!

I always start with the same base, and then add to that depending on the occasion.
I use coconut oil as it is safe to use at high temperatures.

1/4 cup popcorn kernels (organic and non-GM if you can)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
pinch sea salt
1-2 tsp dulse flakes

Tip number one:
Heat the coconut oil in a saucapan to a med-high heat, not too high or you will end up with burnt

…

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