Healthy and Delicious: Cooking with Whole Grains

By Victoria Spencer
February 13, 2011

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Farro: Farro and Porcini Risotto

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Grains can be chewy, creamy, nutty, and savory -- oh, and did we mention healthy? Cooking with a variety of whole grains will keep kitchen boredom at bay. We use them in soups, risotto, and veggie burgers, and we especially like grain salads; they're a wonderful way to span the gap from one season to the next; and given their heartiness, they're particularly good during the cold months.

Farro, an ancient grain with a rich, nutty flavor, stands in for rice in this risotto.

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Farro: Roasted Sweet-Potato and Farro Salad

Credit: Ryan Liebe
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Savory, sweet, and nutty all at once, this is a salad that can be enjoyed warm or chilled -- and is both hearty and seasonally suitable to make during the winter.

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Quinoa: Fennel and Quinoa Salad with Parsley and Dill

Credit: Johnny Miller
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Yes, we know quinoa is a seed not a grain, but it often gets lumped with whole grains -- because it is quick to cook, had lovely fluffy grains, and is wondefully healthy: it's protein-rich and boasts a slew of nutrients. This cool salad of crisp, thinly shaved fennel, pungent parsley and dill, nutty quinoa, and a squeeze of fresh lemon is a refreshing dish year round.

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Quinoa: Quinoa Pie with Butternut Squash

Credit: Kalyn Sims
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This dish is not a pie in the usual pastry sense of the word, but this molded quinoa dish with roasted butternut squash is cooked in a pie plate, and is as hearty and irresistible in its own way as any dish with one crust or two.

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Quinoa: Toasted-Quinoa Saute with Lemony Cabbage and Dill

Credit: Ryan Liebe
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Toasting quinoa, like with other grains, enhances its flavor, making it extra savory and nutty and a particularly good partner for a lively mix of cabbage, chickpeas, and olives.

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Quinoa: Veggie Burgers

Credit: James Wojcik
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These veggie burgers get their rich, earthy flavor from mushrooms and quinoa, and are topped with sharp radish sprouts and cool cucumbers. Greek yogurt is a zesty Mediterranean replacement for ketchup.

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Barley: Watercress and Barley Salad

Credit: Lisa Cohen
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Maybe you've used pearl barley in soup before: Now it's time to try it in salad, where its rich, nutlike flavor and wonderfully chewy texture come to the fore.

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Barley: Barley Risotto with Swiss Chard, Radishes, and Preserved Lemon

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When you gradually add warm broth to barley, it turns tender and creamy -- the same texture that Arborio rice gives risotto.

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Barley: Mushroom Barley Soup

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This classic recipe comes from Martha's mom, Big Martha.

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Bulgur: Tabbouleh with Red and Gold Tomatoes

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Most famously, bulgur is the main ingredient in tabbouleh. It's a form of wheat made from cracked, parboiled, and dried wheatberries. Its grains are small, and it's quick and easy to prepare: Just soak it; no cooking required.

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Bulgur: Bulgur Salad with Feta and Pine Nuts

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Chewy bulgur, tangy feta, crunchy nuts, shallot, cucumber, and citrus make this a satisfying salad and a dish to make year-round.

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Bulgar: Mediterranean Grain Salad

Crumbled goat cheese, grape tomatoes, and fresh parsley mix with the bulgar to create a grain salad that is deliciously fresh and light.

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Millet: Lemon-Saffron Millet Pilaf

Credit: Richard Gerhard Jung
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In case you were wondering, millet is the stuff often used in birdseed, but it's too good to leave to our feathered friends. It's yellow and round and boasts a unique texture when cooked that lands somewhere between fluffy and pleasantly chalky. It makes an excellent pilaf.

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