Breakfast Idea: Quinoa and Millet Porridge

Once again, Minoo prepared a few recipes for breakfast or brunch at the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A good nutritious breakfast will help kids to perform better in school.

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This Quinoa and Millet Porridge is stained purple by the blueberries which is rich with antioxidants. It is a good substitute to the more regular oatmeal porridge.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup millet
  • 1/4 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
  • honey

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Source: unknown;  Serves 2

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Millet Pilaf

The second dish which Minoo prepared in the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen for the grain theme recipe is Millet Pilaf. Millet is often associated with bird feed in North America but is gaining acceptance into the human diet. Minoo told us that the incorporation of millet will made a very creamy mash potatoes.

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This Millet Pilaf is another vegetarian recipe if you substitute butter with vegetable oil. Pilafs are open to a wide range of variations; any and all the vegetables may be substituted as desired or to to fit the season.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups millet, rinse and drain
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 onions, one thinly sliced, one diced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup butternut squash
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste

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Source: this recipe is adapted from Kevin Turner

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All About Grains

Minoo had selected a theme of grains to introduce to the community kitchens. She brought a variety of grains to the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen to share with us.

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We learned that we can incorporate various grains in our diet beside the staple rice or oats that we are familiar with. We can add grains into our soup, stew or salad.

Here is an article which Minoo shared with us:

Grains are the mainstay of human sustenance. About half the world’s arable land is devoted to the cultivation of grains in some form or other, and 80% of the calories that human consume come from grains. Civilization as we know came into being as we transformed from wandering hunter-gatherers into farmers with secure and stable communities nourished by the fruits of our labours.

Grains are amazing plants, developed from weed like plants, grasses actually, that were able to spring up from any odd patch of ground on which a seed happens to fall. Among their many characteristics that make them so valuable is spacing, they take up little room, sending up stems topped by crowded spikes of nutrition packed seed kernels. They mature in just a few months and all of the seeds ripen simultaneously. They are easily prepared for cooking, even with primitive tools. Best of all, grains are often dry enough when fully ripe or after a brief parching in the sun to be stored without going moldy, so a good harvest ensures a year long supply of food.

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Multigrain Salad

Following the knife skills workshop, Ian proceeded with a grain workshop.

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In this workshop, Ian introduced us to four grains, i.e. Couscous, Bulgar, Quinoa and Kasha. Ian showed us how to cook the different grains and we got to taste the texture of all the grains which is lightly dressed with olive oil and salt. Most of the grains can be cooked like pasta but the nutrients will be lost in the water. So, if you cook it the pasta way, save the water to make stocks.

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A good place to buy such grains is Galloway’s Specialty Foods.

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The grains are used along with some fresh vegetables, herbs, seeds and dried fruits to create a healthy multigrain salad.

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The above are some of the vegetables and herbs that were prepared from the knife skills workshop.

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Couscous is the easiest and quickest to prepare among the 4 grains. All you have to do is … (more…)

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