Yes, there is a Whole Grain Sampling Day, and it’s actually Wednesday, the 3rd of April.
It’s the brain-child of the Whole Grains Council, and it’s their latest brilliant effort to introduce delicious whole grain foods to a wider audience. This blog is part of a whole bunch of blogs that you can visit today to sample some amazing whole grain recipes.
But we are not stopping there. The good folks over at the Whole Grains Council have arranged to samplings at grocery stores across the country. Take a trip to the store, and you should see friendly sample people doling out authentically whole grain treats. Pop into a participating cafeteria or restaurant, and you will be offered that whole grain option you always wanted, like a whole wheat tortilla instead of white, or a wheaty bun for that burger.
Kids in schools will get to taste whole wheat pizza at lunch, a surefire way to introduce them to whole grain goodness. Watch out, there might even be a sampler handing out granola bars at the local park, mall, or campus.
The Whole Grains Council is the organization that gave us the whole grain stamp, which you can rely on to simplify shopping. Any bread, cereal or other product bearing the stamp has been certified to deliver half a serving of whole grains, while products labeled 100% whole grains give you a whole serving. The stamp helps you quickly and easily tell the real whole foods from the pretenders.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Culinary Advisor to the Council, which means that when they get a question about cooking or baking with whole grains that they don’t have the answer to, they send it out to a the advisors. It’s an honor to be part of the distinguished group.
So, cook up some quinoa, and stir up these tasty muffins. They are really yummy, just smear with some almond butter and you have a light breakfast or lunch.
Red Quinoa-Pumpkinseed Muffins with Lime
Makes 9
1/2 cup red quinoa, 11/2 cups cooked
2 cups kamut or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic sugar
1 tablespoon lime zest
3/4 cup almond or soy milk
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup raw pumpkinseeds, chopped
1. Cook the quinoa: Bring a cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan, then add the quinoa and return to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover, cook for 14-15 minutes. Uncover and check, the water should all be absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered, then uncover and let cool.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place muffin papers in 9 cups of a muffin pan, then spray the top of the pan with vegetable oil. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, sugar, and lime zest.
2. In a cup, whisk the almond milk and flax seeds and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in the oil and lime juice. Stir quickly into the flour mixture. Add the cooled quinoa and half of the pumpkinseeds, and quickly fold into the batter. Fill each muffin cup to the top. sprinkle remaining pumpkinseeds on top.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a center muffin comes out with no wet batter clinging to it. Cool on racks.
