Grains! Grains! Grains!

Many of you know I love cooking with all types of grains.  Chef Brad is my favorite cook who includes grains in all of his recipes.  HERE is a link to his site that will tell you about many different types of grains and cooking times.  Start experimenting with the different grains and sneaking them into your families diet.

Wonder Flour

www. Chef Brad.com  is a great website! Here is an article on my favorite flour. I just love everything about Chef Brad.  I went and saw him at BYU education week and fell in love with cooking with grains!


Chef Brad's Wonder Flour™

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By: Chef Brad

I have worked for ages trying to be healthy and eat better. My family does not like wheat flour much. I can get away with it in bread, but that is about it. We love cookies, cakes, and other comfort foods. But when I tried to make them with whole wheat flour, I was disappointed with the results. So for awhile I gave up on healthy foods, but I did keep playing with different flours. I had a really wonderful time trying different combinations of grain flour and eventually created what I call Wonder Flour™. It is amazing. I love it in everything I cook. In fact, I never use white or wheat flour in my cooking except in yeasted breads. Everything else uses Wonder Flour. I adore the stuff. I love the flavor, the texture, and that fact that I am adding fiber and nutrition to the foods I cook.

Here is the way to make Wonder Flour:

1 part spelt grain
1 part brown rice
1 part barley, pearled

Mix the grains in a bowl and grind on the lowest setting in your grinder.

To use I have found that for every 3 cups of white or wheat flour I need 1/2 cup more of Wonder Flour.

Here is exactly how I do it:
I take 2 cups of spelt, 2 cups of brown rice, and 2 cups of pearled barley. I mix them up in a bowl and than I grind them in my grinder on the lowest setting. When I bake I substitute the flour in the recipe with my Wonder Flour, using about 1/2 cup more for every 3 cups of flour the recipe calls for.

Here's how to make gluten free Wonder Flour:

1 part sorghum grain
1 part brown rice
1 part amaranth grain

Mix the grains in a bowl and grind on the lowest setting in your grinder.

To use I have found that for every 3 cups of white or wheat flour I need 1/2 cup more of Wonder Flour.

Here is exactly how I do it:
I take 2 cups of sorghum, 2 cups of brown rice, and 2 cups of amaranth. I mix them up in a bowl and than I grind them in my grinder on the lowest setting. When I bake I substitute the flour in the recipe with my gluten free Wonder Flour, using about 1/2 cup more for every 3 cups of flour the recipe calls for.

Wonder Flour™ and Gluten Free Wonder Flour™ are not recommended for yeasted breads. They work great for any other recipe where yeast is not required such as cakes, cookies, and pastries. There may be a slight adjustment to recipes depending on moisture, altitude, and other environmental factors.

To much work? you can order it from me. It is listed on my web site. Also a great help is my Comfort Foods Cookbook. You can order it from the web site also.

Great success to you in your journey for better, healthier foods.

Chef Brad

Now what to do with all those beans!

Recipes

Cream of Chicken Soup

1 ¾ C. water                                                            5 Tbsp. white bean flour

4 tsp. chicken bouillon or base                                  ½ C. chopped chicken (optional)

Bring water and bouillon to a boil in small saucepan. Stir in bean flour and beat until smooth and thickened. Reduced heat and cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Pour mixture into blender. Blend on high 2 minutes. If desired, add ½ C. chopped chicken pieces. Use as a substitute for canned cream of chicken soup.  May be stored in refrigerator up to one week.

  

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Follow Cream of Chicken Soup recipe, but use 1 4 oz. can mushrooms (drained) in place of chopped chicken, Use as a substitute for canned cream of mushroom soup.

Cream of Celery Soup

Follow Cream of Chicken Soup recipe, but use ½ C. diced celery in place of chopped chicken, Use as a substitute for canned cream of celery soup.

Apples-n-Beans Cake

               

1 C. cooked pinto beans, mashed                                             ½ tsp. allspice

1 C. sugar or ½ C. honey                                                                2 C. whole-wheat flour

¼ C. vegetable oil                                                                            2 C. applesauce

1 egg                                                                                                     2 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. cinnamon                                                                              ½ C. nuts, chopped                                        

Cream mashed beans, sugar or honey, oil, and egg in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Stir into creamed mixture. Stir in applesauce, vanilla, and chopped nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Pinto Bean Fudge

1 C. pinto beans, cooked                                                               ½ C. cocoa powder

¼ C. milk                                                                                              2 tsp. vanilla

¼ C. butter                                                                                         2 C. powdered sugar

In a blender, puree beans and milk until creamy. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in cocoa until well blended. Add whipped beans and vanilla and stir. Gradually stir in enough powdered sugar to make a thick, creamy mixture. Spread in a buttered pan. Chill 1-2 hours.

Whole-Wheat Carrot Cake Muffins

2 C. brown sugar                                                                              3 C. whole-wheat flour                                

1 C. cooked white beans                                                               1 tsp. salt

3 eggs                                                                                                   1 Tbs. baking soda

2 C. carrots finely grated                                                              1 tsp. cinnamon

   (pulse 1 C. dried carrots in blender,                                       2 tsp. vanilla

   then add 2 C. cold water & let sit                                           1 C. raisins (soak in warm water for 10 min, then drain

   for 20 min.)                                                                                       before adding to batter)

1 C. crushed pineapple, drained                                                1 C. walnuts, coarsely chopped

Grease and flour two bread pans, one Bundt pan, or two 12-cup muffin pans, or spray with cooking spray. Beat together brown sugar, oil, and eggs. Stir in carrots and pineapple. Blend dry ingredients first, then combine thoroughly with batter. Add vanilla, raisins, and nuts. Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350. Bake loaves for 40 to 45 minutes, muffins for 20 minutes, and Bundt for 1 hour, or until done.

More Beans

Tips for using Beans in Your Recipes

1.        Plan! Start early and make sure you have enough time to soak and cook your beans.

2.       Don’t forget the Beano! Don’t suffer through the aftermath of beans. Simply place the Beano next to the salt and pepper and pass it around. Hint: 1 tsp of meat tenderizer cooked into a pot of beans will cut down on gas problems.

3.       Look for chili and soup recipes that call for canned beans, and use freshly cooked beans instead.

4.      Cut the fat in baked goods while adding in protein and fiber! Substitute cooked and mashed beans for oil or butter in baked goods. These substitutes work especially well with cake and brownies. Baked goods that contain beans instead of butter or oil will have a lighter, fluffier texture. Remember, you can always start by using half mashed beans and half oil if you’re worried your family won’t like it.

Non-Traditional Use of Beans

Beans as a Butter, Margarine or Oil Substitute

Soak, cook and drain beans as instructed. Substitute beans for oil, margarine, or butter in baked goods, using the same amount of cooked beans as the type of fat called for. For recipes where butter or margarine is creamed with sugar, simply place whole, cooked beans with the sugar, then cream together. The dough may be moister than usual, so if you’re also using powdered eggs, DO NOT add water to rehydrate the eggs, since the liquid in the beans will rehydrate the eggs. (If the recipe is for cookies, be sure to grease the cookie sheet.) For recipes calling for oil, make a bean puree by placing cooked beans in a blender or food processor, then adding just enough water to blend beans into a smooth, thick paste with no chunks. If you use a food processor, water will most likely not be necessary. Match the bean with the color of the treat you’re making, so that the color of the treat doesn’t change. For example, black beans work great in chocolate-based goods, and white beans work great in yellow cake.

Bean Flour

Bean flour is one great way to put your beans to use. Add bean flour to any recipe calling for wheat flour. Replace up to 1/4 of the total amount of wheat flour with bean flour to add protein, fiber and iron.

Super nutrition can be added to any commercial dry mix (cakes, cookies, muffins, breads) by adding a few tablespoons of bean flour to the dry ingredients, then adding extra liquid as necessary. Combining bean and wheat flours also helps form a complete protein for those cutting out or down on meat. The best part is that no one will ever know they’re eating beans!

By adding bean flour to thicken gravies and sauces, you increase the nutrition and make your dishes virtually fat-free. Bean flour of any kind also makes an excellent "instant" creamy soup base. No more soaking, boiling, mashing, and blending those beans to make thick, creamy, rich-tasting soups. Simply grind some dry beans, add water, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add your own pasta, vegetables, or other beans for a quick, healthy, homemade soup.

As beans get older they are harder to cook. They don’t seem to soften as well as the newer beans. So, extend their usefulness by grind them into flour. Beans in this form are easier to digest and this is a great way to introduce beans in your families diet. Bean flour stores well in the refrigerator.

Grinding Tips

To grind beans, first sort them and check for dirty beans or rock pieces. Large beans like lima will need to be cracked in a blender or food grinder before grinding to a flour.

Store flours in resealable plastic bags or other food storage containers and refrigerate or freeze if possible. Flours last about six months at room temperature. After that time, a bitter aftertaste may start to develop. Old beans which have been stored too long (usually over 10 years) will taste bitter whether they have been cooked whole or ground to a flour and made into soup.

Thickener: Use bean flour to thicken or cream soups and stews. This is a great way to reduce the fat content of creamy soups. White bean flour has a neutral taste and a creamy flavor that could replace some of the heavy cream in vegetable soups. You can also use bean flour to make white sauce, as long as you use a mild-flavored flour.

Dip or Filling: Reconstitute the bean flours to make creamy dips and fillings for other recipes. Try using a white bean puree for a dairy-free lasagna filling.

Breakfast Drinks: Use bean puree in frozen fruit drinks to add protein and vitamins. Just add puree to taste.   

               

Dry Bean Preparation Tips

Soaking and Cooking: When cooking with beans, it is helpful, although not necessary, to soak and cook dry beans beforehand. There are two ways of doing this--the long soak method and the quick soak method. Before cooking or soaking beans, you should wash and sort the beans. Remove any rocks or dirt, and damaged beans, then rinse the beans in cold water. Remove any beans that float to the top as they may be hollow or ruined by mold or insects.

When using the long soak method, place the beans in a container and cover with approximately 4 times as much room temperature water as beans. Keep beans covered and let them soak 8 to 12 hours. Discard soak water and cook.

To prepare beans using the quick soak method, place beans in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Let the beans boil for 2-3 minutes, remove from heat and let stand at least 1 hour. Discard the soak water and cook.

Pressure Cookers and Slow Cookers are also great time saving options. Never fill a pressure cooker past about one-third of capacity to allow for expansion and foaming. The foaming can be minimized by adding one tablespoon of oil. Approximate cooking time at ten pounds of pressure is twenty minutes, at fifteen pounds of pressure, ten minutes. Since slow cookers vary considerably in wattage, it is suggested that you follow the manufactures directions for cooking beans.

The longer the beans are soaked, the more sugar will be dissolved and the beans become easier to digest.

To cook the beans, refill a pan with fresh water, enough to cover the beans, and add 1-2 teaspoons vegetable oil to avoid foaming. Simmer beans slightly uncovered, until tender. Add to your favorite recipe.

Cooking beans without soaking takes a longer amount of time. When cooking unsoaked beans use twice as much water and bring to a boil, add beans, then cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours until beans are tender. Watch carefully and add water as needed.

Cooking time will depend on how tender you would like the beans. A bean that has been cooked, but is still firm is great for salads, while a bean that has been cooked longer until soft can be easily mashed. Taste test often to achieve desired tenderness. High altitudes will require a longer time to cook the beans.

Tips:

Add salt and acetic foods which tend to toughen the skin, such as tomatoes to the beans after they are tender.

Avoid overcooking. This reduces nutrients, results in poor texture, color and flavor. 

Storage Tips:

Dry beans can be stored in unopened packages or a sealed container in a cool, dry place.

Cooked beans can be stored up to three days covered in the refrigerator.

Frozen, cooked beans may be stored for several weeks.

Old dry beans will not absorb water. No amount of cooking will make them tender so use old beans for making flour.

Bean Equivalents

1 lb dry beans = 2 cups cooked

1 cup dry beans = 3 cups cooked

1 lb dry beans = 6 cups cooked

Bean Nutrition

 Kitchen Kneeds offers a variety of classes that you can attend at their store.  The following information on beans is from their bean class.  I really recommend attending one of their classes.  They have a bread class, bean class, and a preparedness class.  All of them are good.  They are the best price FREE!


Kitchen Kneeds
7579 So. Redwood Road
West Jordan, UT 84084
801-561-9616

Why You Should Be Eating More Beans

…for great value

                        …for hearty meals

                                …for good nutrition

Protein

One half-cup serving of dry beans equals:

18 to 22 grams of protein

10% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein

One-ounce serving of lean meat in the Food Pyramid Meat and Beans group

Full serving of vegetables in the Vegetables group

Costs about $0.10 cents per serving 

Improve the quality and digestibility of beans by consuming them with cereal grains.

Beans are a rich source in lysine, but a poor source of methionine.

Cereal grains are a poor source of lysine, but high in methionine and other sulfur amino acids. When beans and grains are served together in dishes like beans and rice, or tortillas and refried beans, they provide a complimentary protein profile.

Serving beans with grains, eggs, or cheese makes a "complete" protein.

Kcalories

There are only 100 to 120 kcalories in a half-cup serving of beans. However, Kcalories and other nutrients are diluted in canned beans because the moisture content is higher.

Carbohydrates

Beans contain an average of 25 grams of carbohydrates per serving. The carbohydrates in cooked beans are mainly starch, a complex carbohydrate, and less than 1% of simple sugars, mostly Sucrose. 

Discarding the soaking and cooking water helps remove oligosaccharides and reduces flatulence. Hot soaking removes about 50% of these sugars. Extended soaking removes more, but reduces vitamins and minerals. Canned beans may contain up to 4% sucrose as a flavor enhancer.

Fiber

One half-cup serving of cooked dry beans provides:

25-30% of the Daily Value of dietary fiber

75% of the fiber is insoluble which may reduce the risk of colon cancer

25% of the fiber is soluble fiber which may reduce blood cholesterol

Consumption of beans produces a moderate increase in blood glucose and insulin levels which may be helpful in the metabolic control of diabetes. The American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association include beans in the exchange system. 

The slower release of glucose and the increased satiety from beans may also enhance the effectiveness of weight-reducing diets.

Lipids

One half-cup serving of beans contains:

Less than 0.5 grams of mostly polyunsaturated fat and no cholesterol.

Pinto bean lipid is 84% polyunsaturated fatty acids. Most of this fatty acid is linoleic acid.

Vitamins & Folacin

Beans are a good source of several B vitamins, thiamin, pyridoxine (B6) niacin and folic acid. Although some B vitamins are lost in preparation, cooked dry beans retain more than 70% of these vitamins after hot soaking and cooking. Extended cooking times will result in greater B vitamin losses. 

One half-cup serving of beans provides:

36% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of 400 micrograms of folacin

11% of the RDI for thiamin

Minerals

One half-cup serving of cooked dry beans contains large amounts of:

Iron, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper, calcium, and zinc. 

Recipe from the R.S. Activity

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
6 chicken breasts 3 c. chicken broth         3 cloves garlic 1 onion, chopped 3 Tbsp. butter 4 Tbsp. flour 1 qt. half and half (or whole milk)	1 can cream of chicken soup 1 c. salsa 1 can creamed corn 2 tsp. cumin 1 packet fajita seasoning 3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
Saute garlic, onion and butter for 5 minutes.  Add flour and stir for one minute.  Add chicken broth and half and half and bring to a simmer stirring constantly.  Turn heat to low and add chicken soup, salsa, corn, diced chicken, cumin, fajita seasoning and cilantro.  Stir and heat for 15 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and chopped cilantro. *I added one can each of diced tomatoes, green chiles, and black beans.

Making Soil Mix

24 cubic foot batch- good for three 4x4 boxes (each box holds 8 cubic feet)

Here is what we would suggest you buy as a start:
*Two 4-cubic foot bags of coarse vermiculite
*One 3.9 cubic foot bale of peat moss (this bale is compressed and will expand to nearly 8 cubic feet when opened).
*4-5 bags of a variety of compost to equal 8 cubic feet

That will be approximately 1/3 each of each of the ingredients and will give you a total of almost 24 cubic feet of the soil mix.  Since a 4x4 6-inch deep box requires 8 cubic feet, that batch is enough for 3 boxes.

It is best to mix outdoors on a non-windy day.  We have found it best to mix the ingredients by emptying them onto a large tarp or piece of heavy plastic.  Open and mix the various bags of compost together.  Then add the compressed peat moss and break up any lumps.  Add the vermiculite and you can then carefully mix the 3 ingredients with a rake or hoe being careful not to cut the plastic or tarp. Place soil in boxes.

Once in the boxes make sure that the soil mix is completely moist all the way to the bottom of the box before planting.  It holds more water than you can imagine so take a hose to it and add a lot of water.  Dig down and make sure it is wet.  Also it is important to use a well-blended compost made up from at least 4-5 ingredients.

Free Classes

   Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District  has many free classes you can take on a variety of topics. Gardening, photography, landscaping, irrigation, and much more.  I've attended the spring mothers day fair with my family and had a blast.