How to Sprout Wheat Berries

I suppose if I'm posting recipes that use spouted wheat berries and other sprouts, I should document how one would go through this process. It's quite simple, really. And fun. You do have to plan ahead a bit since it takes a couple days for the sprouting process to complete, but other than that, it's really fool-proof.

1. Soaking: Measure out amount of wheat berries you want to sprout, put in bowl, and cover with water. Allow to soak over night, 8-12 hours.
(Note: when sprouted, with be slightly more than double the amount you originally measured)

2. Drain & Rinse: Pretty straight forward here. Pour into strainer to drain all water, rinse with clean water, put drained wheat berries back into the bowl--no water.

3. Sprouting: Place the bowl on the counter/table and let it sit, 8-12 hours.

4. Rinse: After 8-12 hours have passed, rinse again, drain and put back in bowl. You may even see some small sprouts at this time!! Already! (Isn't this fun??)

5. Sprouting: Place the bowl on the counter/table and let it sit again, another 8-12 hours. (This will be over night if you started the soaking process at night)

6.  Rinse: After 8-12 hours have passed, rinse again, drain and put back in bowl. By now, you will have lots of sprouts!

  I usually like to eat them at this time, but you can of course continue to allow them to sprout. If you wait for a week, you will get some wheat grass.









So for example, when I soak over night, Sunday, the sprouted wheat berries are ready Tuesday morning & can be cooked for Tuesday's lunch or dinner. Or, you can store in the fridge for another 1-2 days to use later (Note: Sprouting will continue in the fridge, but will be slower.)

Wheat grass! I have to perfect this process. Mine got moldy. Ew.

Cooked with brown rice

Quick buttercream frosting

I am a volunteer for a local hospice. I made cupcakes yesterday for a patient's birthday and needed a quick frosting recipe to decorate them. This is easy, whips up quickly and ices perfectly! Feel free to adjust to your likes/needs. *You can customize the flavoring of course and even add a little more for stronger flavor...add more cream for thinner frosting...or more sugar to make it more stiff.

 Ingredients & Process 
1cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1Tbs whipping cream (I'm sure substituting milk would be fine)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond flavoring

 In a mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute and then continue on medium speed for another 3 minutes. Add the cream and flavorings and beat for another minute. If you want to add color, stir a little in now. Otherwise, this should do it! It will be a stiff frosting, good for decorating.

Frosting made enough to ice 1 dozen regular size cupcakes, 2 dozen mini cupcakes, plus some remaining  

Sprouted Wheat Berries Rice

Spring has sprung, sprouts are sprouting. My husband's green thumb has transformed our kitchen table into a greenhouse for all the germinating seeds to be planted in our garden. It's very rewarding and exciting to grow your own garden, to see this small seed come to life and produce so much produce. (Ah, the English language is so entertaining, isn't it? Couldn't resist the use of a homonym!)

I think one of the reasons I've been enjoying the process of sprouting legumes & grains is because you see a mini science experiment happening right on your kitchen counter. I also love how nature is a living metaphor for our lives. It's just a good reminder how intricate and amazing life is-how so much potential lies dormant in a tiny seed until the time is right for it to grow-how that small life gives life to others. Am I living out my life's potential? How else can I give life to that/those around me?

As you ponder that, here's a recipe to whip up for a quick, nourishing meal.

Sprouted Wheat Berries Rice
1 1/2 cups sprouted wheat berries
1 cup brown rice
*Put in rice cooker, add 5 cups of water and cook


1 large potato, diced in small pieces
2 large carrots, diced in small pieces
handful green beans, diced in small pieces


Seasonings-
2Tbs oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
1 clove
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 cardamom pod


3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger piece, minced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup mint leaves, minced


In large pan, heat oil and seasonings. Allow to saute over med-low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the veggies and a couple tablespoons of water, cover with lid and allow to steam about 10-15 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Once wheat berries & rice are cooked, dump into a large bowl and stir in the veggies to evenly combine. Adjust salt, spice, etc if desired.

Will serve about 4 as main course.

Soaked/Sprouted Chickpea Waffles

I'm suddenly intrigued by soaking and sprouting grains & legumes. I know this is a common practice in India, but here in the US we've gotten away from this process. I'm still in the learning stages, but am striving to make this a regular part of the way we prepare food. More or less, soaking and sprouting beans begins the germination process and helps to make the nutrients more bio-available...more readily absorbed in our bodies...more easily digested. This is very important for the health of our bodies, especially for vegetarians who rely on the essential amino acids, proteins, B vitamins, iron, calcium, etc, present in these power foods.

Here is another waffle recipe, that I will definitely make again. Delightfully crispy on the outside, fluffy and light inside, filling yet not too heavy. Recipe makes 3 nice sized waffles.

Ingredients & Process

1 cup soaked, sprouted chickpeas
1 2/3 cups water
1 Tbs honey
2 tsp oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups oats

Blend everything, except the oats in a blender for 90 seconds. Add the oats and blend for another 60 seconds. Once nice and smoothly blended, plug in the waffle iron and allow to preheat to medium setting. *The batter will thicken to the right consistency as the waffle iron heats.

Add 3/4-1 cup of batter to the greased waffle iron.

Close it and allow it to cook for 8-10 minutes.

*Important note-No peeking allowed-if you open the waffle iron before the waffle is finished cooking, it will split apart and stick to the waffle iron.

Healthy Alfredo Sauce

I have my mother to thank for my love of good, wholesome, healthy food. I have to give her a lot of credit for being creative in the kitchen...preparing home cooked meals for us during my entire life...modeling healthy eating habits...introducing us to new foods...various cuisines...and ways to make good foods healthfully.

I LOVE fettuccine alfredo. This is my mom's version of a healthier, lower fat version. Still as creamy and satisfying.

Alfredo Sauce


Ingredients
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup cottage cheese
(Probably obvious, but I feel I should note to use skim/lower fat versions for the healthiest finished product)
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. If necessary add a small amount of skim milk or water to produce the desired consistency. Pour into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 min (plus or minus) to heat prior to serving.

Easy Cheesy Sauce

I typically use my mom's low-fat version of alfredo sauce (will still have to remember to post it sometime since it is a favorite), but I didn't have ricotta or cottage cheese last week. So, that prompted a recipe search to make a cheese sauce with ingredients I had in the fridge. I found one which was not only simple to make, but also was a huge hit with all the family-especially my 4 year old nephew!!

Ingredients & Process
(serves 4)
2 Tbs flour
2Tbs butter
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese (so far I've used mozzarella and sharp cheddar, both were yummy)
1 tsp vinegar (I read that adding an acidic medium helps prevent the cheese from being stringy)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
dash of salt & pepper to taste

In small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and then add the flour. Cook the roux for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. This nicely cooks the flour to prevent the raw taste.

first  step-preparing the roux

Add 1/2 the milk, stir to combine, and then add the other 1/2 of the milk. Stir gently as this cooks and begins to thicken. Right when you see the first bubble or two, but before it fully starts to boil, turn off the heat and add the cheese a couple tablespoons at a time.

I tilted the pan to try showing how the milk thickened

Stir and allow it to melt before adding more cheese. Add the vinegar and seasonings. Stir. Taste test if you want (who wouldn't!). Serve & enjoy!!!

Mmm, the cheese sauce is ready!

Ragi (Millet) Waffles

So my best friend from college is going to be in town briefly this weekend, and is going to come over for brunch. I'm always excited to decide on a menu for my company, but a twist is thrown in to come up with vegetarian, gluten-free options. I could easily go the traditional Southern Indian breakfast of idli, dosa, or uttapam. However, I want to serve something more Americanized, especially since this provides a good excuse to try new recipes!! After searching online for ideas, I finally came across this gluten-free & VEGAN waffle recipe guide. If someone experimented with the same recipe over 24 times, testing various flours, then it must be a recipe I can trust. I was so excited to try it out, that I just made two batches this afternoon as a trial run before this weekend. I adjusted ingredients slightly according to what I had on hand, and of course, using gluten-free flours found in a typical Indian pantry.

First batch was made with ragi flour (millet flour) and my second batch was with besan flour (chickpea flour)

The ragi waffles will be the recipe I make for our brunch. They are a better match for maple syrup. The besan waffles aren't bad, it's just that they are more suitable as a savory waffle as opposed to sweet. I've never eaten savory waffles before, so am not exactly sure what that would look like...right now I'm thinking I'd try it with some melted cheese on top. Who knows, maybe even a curry. If we go with sweet, next time I would probably double the sugar and add some cardamom. I will have to continue to experiment, but for now...here's the recipe.

Ragi Waffles ~makes 2 large waffles or 3-4 smaller ones
Ingredients-
1 1/4 cups ragi flour (or use other gluten-free flour of your choice)
1/2 cup tapioca flour (tapioca starch)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar

1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs water

Process-
Heat waffle iron.

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the oil and water to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. (May need to add a little more water, 1-2 Tbs at a time to reach desired consistency.)

 

-I didnt think to take pics  of the process until batch 2, so this is how the besan flour batter looks 

Grease the waffle iron, and put 1/2 cup of batter (more or less, depending on how big you want your waffles to be) onto the waffle iron. Use spoon or spatula to help spread it out to cover the waffle iron.

Close the waffle iron and allow to cook for about 3 minutes, or until desired done-ness is reached.

**For more gluten-free waffle ideas and tips from the gluten-free waffle/pancake baking pro, make sure to visit the link I included above! Have fun :)