Keen on Kernza

Kernza is a whole grain that's not only good for the body but also good for the environment and farmer. I was pleased with my first purchase and recipe testing. 

Cooked as a whole grain, Kernza has a sweet, nutty taste and appearance similar to wild rice. When ground, Kernza produces a rich yellow flour with dark brown specks. The dough and baked product are deep brown, similar to dark rye.

I give myself 5 stars for my Stuffed Flank Steak where I substitute Kernza for brown and wild rice.

Stuffed Flank Steak Teriyaki

(Serves 6)

Cut pocket in flank steak.  Combine soy sauce, oil, molasses, mustard, gingerroot and garlic.  Place meat in shallow dish;  pour marinade into pocket and over meat.  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, turning occasionally.
1-1 1/2 pound beef flank steak
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root
1 garlic clove, crushed and minced

In a saucepan, combine water, Kernza, carrot, mushrooms and parsley.  Bring to a boil.  Cover; reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes.  
1 cup water
1/2 cup Kernza whole grain
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1/3 cup mushroom, chopped
2 tablespoon parsley, snipped
1/4 cup onion, diced

Drain meat, reserving marinade.  Stir 1/4 cup marinade into grain mixture.  Place flank steak in a foil lined baking dish.  Fill steak pocket with grain mixture.  Pour rest of marinade over steak.  Cover entire pan with foil.  Bake in 350 F. oven for 2 hours, turning steak over after 1 hour.

With an electric knife, slice meat across the grain.  Serve with juices.

The Kernza Sourdough Pancake recipe from The Perennial Pantry was very good and a great way to use the sourdough discard on feeding day. 

Kernza's uniqueness as a whole grain wheat is that it is a perennial. Most of the world's food crops are annuals. Less than 15% of the food crops (including fruit trees and olive trees and asparagus) are perennials.

The Land Institute in Kansas spent years working with other researchers to create this domestic version of an annual crop. Kernza is not GMO modified, but created using traditional intermating techniques.

Kernza has a thick root system that can yield food for years to come. It has an incredible soil carbon sequestration system that pulls carbon out of the air and into the soil. The plant's deep roots reduce soil erosion and resist drought.

In a Thanksgiving article, the Washington Post recommends the use of Kernza flour in rolls and pie crusts and as a brewing grain for beer.

 
 

In Praise of Mentors

 

We call them mentors, coaches, cheerleaders and friends. They're experienced people we trust, who share a purpose in the community.  Bill's a professor emeritus and wellness professional. I call him one of my biggest cheerleaders.

For much of my 20 year role at the Healthy Cafe, he was a frequent customer. Bill promoted our work and value to all, yet was a continual source of constructive feedback. "I like to buy your mashed potatoes yet wonder if the sodium could be reduced". "I love the selection of vegetables in the stir fry and would love to see you serve it with brown rice." As with most customer feedback-I put those in my memory drive to make a determination later.

Bill valued our food and nutrition skills and helped us educate the student population. There was a late afternoon we stayed after cafeteria closing to set up an exhibition cooking demonstration showing the students how to make the vegetarian stir fry. Another evening we set up a private dining room to serve students whole grain dinner foods. Then there was a day he stopped by my office after his morning jog to invite me to his class that afternoon to talk to his students about food safety. There I was in front of a rather large classroom of students reviewing the 2005 Dietary Guidelines specific to Food Safety. It was not hard for me to give examples of best practices in both retail and home kitchens. 

Bill provided that social network that made us feel valued. We had a shared interest in wellness and putting those tasks to practice stimulated my professional growth. Retired now, we have few opportunities to interact, yet remain supportive friends.

 

Bill and his wife Jan often ordered our wellness carrot cake for family gatherings. (I believe he's holding a piece of it in this photo). I do not have the entire recipe, but will include the cake portion below. We used the Flax Muffin recipe for the Carrot Cake too!

Flax Muffins

(Serves 18)

Mix together flours, flax, bran, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup ground flaxseed

3/4 cup oat bran

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon cinnamon

Stir in carrots, pineapple and raisins.

1 1/2 cup grated carrots

1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained

1/2 cup raisins

Combine eggs, milk, lemon juice, applesauce and vanilla.

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon eggs

2 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup skim milk

1 tablespoon lemon 

Add liquids to dry ingredients. Stir until moist.

Coat muffin tin with nonstick spray. Pour batter in tins. Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes.

Teff-a Tiny Powerful Grain

When I first added teff to my menu, I cooked it whole in soups and stir fries.

The seed shape is similar to quinoa, yet smaller-cooking quicker with less energy. What intrigued me about teff was the dark brown color and sweet malty taste. It was especially good in parfaits.

Learning that teff pairs well with cocoa, I tested recipes made with teff flour. Teff's a gluten free grain and can't be swapped one on one with gluten containing grains in recipes.

I found success in a teff sponge cake recipe with one caveat-the final product tends to be dry and crumbly. The cake is delicious ladened with rich sticky icings

 and even worked covered with whipped cream.

My cupcakes were too dry and crumbly.

Then I saw Ina Garten's Chocolate Cake in a Pumpkin featured in Food Network Magazine. My teff cake in a pie pumpkin was delicious.

 

I was inspired by Food and Wine Magazine to try teff flour in pasta making. The mix of 3/4 teff to 1/4 all purpose flour was easy to knead, roll and cut, producing a smooth brown product. That's a pork ragu I made with the noodles later that day.

Teff has twice the iron as other grains and three times the calcium. It is the principle source of nutrition for the majority of Ethiopians. In Kansas, the Black Farmers Association is experimenting with teff. Teff is well suited for harsh and dry climates.

Teff Pasta

(10 Servings)

300 grams teff flour
100 grams all purpose flour
4 eggs
Place eggs in bowl of electric mixer with dough hook in place. Beat eggs until mixed but not frothy. Add all purpose flour and beat at low speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl down.  Slowly add teff flour, kneading with each addition, scraping bowl down. Knead for 8-10 minutes. Dough will leave side of bowl. 
Place dough in bowl (lightly greased) with lid. Allow dough to rest 30 minutes.
Roll and cut.
I allowed my cut dough to dry by placing in a 150 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, the freezing by cut and meal.

Polenta Lasagna-Fall's Comfort Food

Local corn is harvested and tomatillos are still on the vine. Crisp fall air prompts us to bring on blankets and hot dishes. Here's a perfect comfort food fit for an October supper.

My "lasagna" is baked in a 7-inch spring form pan with two layers each of polenta, cheese and vegetables and three layers of marinara. The brown sides and top of the triangular cut serving heightened the flavor and visual appeal of the dish. Reheating leftovers were easy and ever as tasty.

My polenta is made with grits cooked in skim milk. The vegetable layers has sauteed and drained tomatillos, peppers and onion. My marinara is home canned with no added salt and tomatoes. The cheese is a mix of what I had on hand. I browned and drained 1-2 ounce Italian sausage to crumble on the cheese layer for an added treat.

Here's how I made it:

Polenta Lasagna

(8 servings)

Polenta

Heat milk with crumbled bouillon cube over low heat. Stir in corn grits. Cook slowly, stirring often for 20-30 minutes until thick. 

2 cups corn grits

2 1/2 cups skim milk

1 bouillon cube no added salt chicken

 

Vegetable Layer

Combine vegetables in small saucepan on stove top. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain.

5 ounce tomatillos, parchment covering removed and diced

1/4 cup onions, diced

1/4 cup sweet pepper, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

 

Sausage

Crumble and brown sausage. Drain.

2 ounce Italian sausage 

Cheese

2 cups shredded cheese

Marinara Sauce

1 cup no added salt marinara 

To assemble:

Grease inside sides and bottom of 7 inch spring form pan with olive oil spray.

Place layers of ingredients in pan in this order:

1/3 marinara sauce

1/2 polenta

1/2 cheese

1/2 sausage

1/2 tomatillo-vegetables

1/3 sauce

1/2 polenta

1/2 cheese

1/2 sausage

1/2 tomatillo-vegetables

Bake uncovered in 375 F oven for 30 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before releasing sides of pan. Cut in 8 cake-like servings.

 

 

   

 

WV Buckwheat -a Flavorful Fall Festival

The first signs of fall make this West Virginian think of the Buckwheat Festival. Memories of horse shows, carnival rides and craft exhibits come to mind. Then there's the aroma of sausage cooking and the hot buckwheat cakes on the griddle. Once seated, we lathered the cakes with maple syrup and passed large bowls of applesauce around the table.

The timing of the fall festival coincides with the harvest. The blooming buckwheat fields shown above at the start of August are now plowed, dried and milled. The hardy buckwheat crop was first introduced here during the Depression, then later accepted as a staple when late frosts killed other grains. Buckwheat withstands cold temperatures and has a short growing season. The farm shown above has buckwheat fields "anyplace they could be planted" around and among other grains and produce.

The buckwheat kernel is a triangular shape. It is not a wheat, but a pseudo cereal related to rhubarb. It is a gluten free grain. 

I was suspicious of the traditional buckwheat cake recipe displayed on a historical site yet decided to give it a try. I liked that it called for only buckwheat flour. While I cut the salt in half, the end product was still too salty for my tastes. After fermenting overnight, I did not add more water to the batter prior to baking. Besides mastering my technique- I was also testing a new griddle. Thus I have no idea how many servings the recipe would make. We both enjoyed our meal and will try the recipe again. Here's how I'll make it the next time:

Buckwheat Cakes

(2-3 Servings)

Mix yeast and water together in a large bowl. Allow to sit a few minutes, then add salt and flour. Cover and allow to sit overnight.

7 grams dry yeast

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 quart water

360 grams buckwheat flour

 

Just prior to baking, add soda, powder, salt and sugar to the batter.

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon sugar

 

Heat griddle to 375 F.  Grease inside of 4 inch English Muffin rings. Set the rings on the griddle, then portion 3 tablespoons batter into each ring. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove rings, turn buckwheat cakes and cook covered for 3 more minutes on the other side. 

 

Serve with local maple syrup, sausage and homemade chunky applesauce.

 

 

   

 

Pepperoni Rolls-the Official Food of West Virginia

 

It's been almost 100 years since Fairmont baker Joseph "Guiseppe" Argiro created the pepperoni roll. This year our West Virginia legislature declared the humble pepperoni roll the official food of West Virginia. 

Guiseppe created the portable immigrant lunch in 1927 when he ran a pop bottling business and the Peoples Bakery. He'd immigrated from Italy to work in a Clarksburg area coal mine. The miners needed shelf stable and portable foods to carry in their lunch buckets.  At the bakery, Guiseppe made the rolls, tested in beer halls, then supermarkets.  These days pepperoni rolls are found in restaurants, gas stations, festivals, weddings and stores throughout the state.

Here's mine made with one of my no fail yeast doughs. The dough can be mixed and refrigerated until time to shape. I ground the pepperoni before placing inside the dough and baking.

Egg Dough

(Makes 12 rolls)

Combine whole wheat flour, dry yeast (active dry or bread machine) and sugar in bowl of electric mixer with dough hook in place.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon yeast

2 teaspoon sugar

Slowly add warm milk to the bowl and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.

1 cup skim milk, heated to 125F.

Add flours, oil, egg and salt to bowl.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl down.

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup olive oil

1 egg (warmed to room temperature)

2 teaspoon salt

Gradually add additional flour to the mix, beating on low speed after each addition until the dough forms a ball and leaves the side of the mixer.  Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula throughout the process to combine the flour.

1 cup all-purpose flour

Mist a large bowl (twice the size of the dough bowl) with an olive oil spray.  Turn the dough ball so that all sides are greased.  Cover.  At this point, I refrigerated the dough until ½ hour before shaping.

 

(For Pepperoni Rolls) 

Punch egg dough down.  Divide into 12 pieces (I used a 1/4 cup scoop).  Form each piece into a ball.
On floured surface, pat dough into flat round. 

Center 1 tablespoon pepperoni filling on the dough round.

Pull up the sides around the filling.

Pinch the two sides closed.

Flip and gently roll into an oval.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush with egg, mixed with milk.

1 egg

1 teaspoon evaporated skim milk

Bake at 350F for 12 minutes.

 

Plumstastic

The Black Amber Plums may just be my favorite fruit, and they're only in season for a few weeks. When we make the 160 mile trip to Thurmont, Maryland in August to buy the fresh picked fruit, I buy the biggest size basket. That means I can enjoy as much whole fruit as I desire, with plenty more for desserts and smoothies. First, let me share my go to recipe for fruit sauce:

Fruit Sauce

(1 1/2 cups) 

Combine fruit, sugar and juice in saucepan and cook over medium low heat for 5-10 minutes.

2 cups diced fruit or berries

2 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

 

Off heat, combine cornstarch and cold water.

2 tablespoon non-GMO cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

Slowly add to saucepan and cook only until thickened. 

 

I've used this sauce many times as a pie filling when I make my sourdough starter crust. 

Fruit Smoothie

(1 serving)

Combine all ingredients in blender and pulse until mixed.

1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt

1 plum, diced

1/4 cup fruit sauce

1/2 banana

I try to limit the total added sugar I eat daily, and keep it at the American Heart Association's limit of 24 grams (for women-it's more for men and less for children). Thus I aim to keep my desserts and snack foods to 2 teaspoons of added sugar per serving (that's about 8 grams of added sugar). That's a little tart for some. Added sugar includes granulated, brown, confectioners, honey, maple syrup and any syrups (like molasses, agave, rice syrup).

Plum Ricotta Cake

(Serves 12)

Mix flour and sugar.

1/2 cup semolina flour

1/4 cup sugar

 

Heat milk, zest, spices and butter to 180 F. 

2 cup 1 1/2 tablespoon skim milk

4 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon orange zest

3/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 teaspoon butter

Off heat, slowly stir in semolina sugar mixture. Return to heat for 3-5 minutes.

 

Beat eggs. Add cheese, juice, vanilla and beat.

1 cup 1 tablespoon ricotta cheese, part skim

3 eggs

4 teaspoon orange juice

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Add 1/3 semolina milk mixture and mix until incorporated. Add remaining semolina milk mix in 2 additions and mix until smooth, 3-5 minutes.

 

Pour batter into greased 9 inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 F for 50-60 minutes. Leave the pan on the sheet and cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of springform pan. Unlock pan and cool 1 1/2 hours. Refrigerate overnight.

 

Remove from pan. Serve with fruit sauce.