Cooking Whole Grains in the Countertop Pressure Cooker

                        

This winter I’ve enjoyed a variety of hot whole grain cereals for breakfast thanks to the countertop pressure cooker. This cooker is smaller-3 quart (versus the original 6 quart size) and more practical for cooking single or smaller servings. Cooking whole grains and beans from scratch in the pressure cooker takes less time than stovetop and I don’t have to keep constant watch nor do I need to worry about turning the stove off.

Grains and legumes that require little time to cook on stovetop (bulgur, buckwheat and lentils) did not work in the pressure cooker. Some small grains, like grits, amaranth and teff cooked to perfection in just 10 minutes in the cooker.

Here’s my tested guide:

To 1/4 cup grain:     Add water:     Set timer:          Yield

Amaranth                1/2 cup          10 min.              1/2 cup

Barley                      3/4 cup          20 min.              1 cup

Black beans             1 cup            20 min.              3/4 cup

Grits                         3/4 cup         10 min.         

Kamut                       1 cup           25 min.              1/2 cup

Millet                         1 cup           10 min.              1 cup

Navy beans              3/4 cup         15 min.        

Oat groats                 1 cup           20 min.             1/2 cup

Quinoa                      1/2 cup        10 min.             3/4 cup

Rice brown/red          1 cup           15 min.            3/4 cup

Rye berries                1 cup           25 min.            10 T.

Sorghum                    1 cup           25 min.            3/4 cup

Spelt berries              3/4 cup         25 min.           1/2 cup

Teff                            3/4 cup         10 min.           1 cup

Wheat berries            1 cup            25 min.          3/4 cup

Diversify Whole Grains (Sorghum Cookies)

 

Whether we know it or not, that cereal we eat for breakfast, the bread we eat for lunch and the snack we eat later may all be made with the same seed. That’s not good for many reasons, especially the health of our gut microbiome. So many reasons to diversify our foods, try different varieties especially the “ancient” ones, shop local foods, plant seeds and share them.

Diversifying grains is good for the environment. The foundation of a sustainable food system is locally grown grains. Many commercial grains have been altered from their original state through extensive breeding and often lack the nutrients available in locally grown whole grains.

• Some whole grains (Amaranth, Buckwheat and Quinoa) afford complete proteins.
• Whole grains better for the environment include Amaranth, Corn, Millet, Sorghum and Teff.
• All but a few whole grains can grow in the United States.
• Corn Grits, Whole Wheat and Buckwheat are grown locally and available at our Morgantown, West Virginia Farmers Market.

Santa isn't the only one who would benefit from one of these whole grains. Here's one made with sorghum flour. These are soft and tasty, 100% whole grain and only 4 grams of added sugar per cookie.

Sorghum Cookies 

(15 Cookies) 

In a separate bowl, mix together sorghum flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cloves and allspice. 

14 Tablespoon Sorghum Flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/16th teaspoon allspice

 

In bowl of electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar.

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

Add molasses, then egg beating on medium speed for 2 minutes.

1 Tablespoon 1 1/2 teaspoon molasses

1 egg

Mix in dry ingredients.

 

Drop by Tablespoon onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. (Allow 1 1/2 -2 Tablespoon between cookies as they will spread.) Finely grate nutmeg onto top of cookies. Bake at 375 F. for 7 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pan.