Taking Stock in Minimally Processed Foods

Homemade stocks are easy to make, inexpensive, flavorful and aromatic.  I can open the refrigerator and find most of the ingredients I need in the produce bin. I like that I can use tiny pieces and stalks of vegetables I may otherwise throw away. I can cut fresh herbs from my window pots that are fading away at summer's end.

*Another highlight is avoiding those artificial flavors, thickeners and additives found in store bought versions.

Just add the vegetables, herbs, a little bit of protein if you'd like. Cover with water. (Don't add salt till using the stock in the final recipe.) Simmer for 45 minutes and strain. 

Where will this stock be used? I'm making 2 bean soup for dinner by cooking the beans and eating in the broth. Also on the menu is Tahini Chicken Salad made with the chicken meat pulled off the bone.

*The "not-chicken" bouillon I brought off the shelf at the hippie store falls into the category of ultra-processed foods. All store bought stocks would count as processed or ultra-processed. This homemade stock is unprocessed. Here's the summary of a the classification system.

After years of neglecting processing of foods in the studies, evidence emerges showing an association between ultra processed foods and many non communicable diseases. The NOVA classification system, in a report from the United Nations, breaks down food into 4 classifications of processing:

1. Unprocessed and minimally processed foods, include fruits, seeds, milk, leaves, roots, eggs, whole beans and grains and meat. This allows for processes that include drying, crushing, grinding, roasting, boiling, non-alcoholic fermentation, pasteurization, freezing, placing in containers and vacuum packaging.
   
2. Processed culinary ingredients, include oils, butter, lard, salt, sugar. In isolation these are unbalanced, but rarely are eaten alone. Use these with Group I but not overuse.
3. Processed foods, include canned vegetables, fruit and fish, fresh bread and cheese, processed meats to include bacon, ham and pastrami.
4. Ultra-Processed foods include packaged snack, margarines and spreads, baby formula, ice cream, sweetened cereals, soft drinks, mass produced bread, energy drinks, fruited yogurt, stick meat and foods made with colors, flavors, thickeners, gels, emulsifiers and other sugars like fructose, fruit juice concentrates, maltodextrin, lactose and dextrose. 

Aim for mostly Group I, some Group 2, a little Group 3 and few Group 4 Foods.

 
 

A Meal Plan that Hits the Spot

I was intrigued by a book referenced by friends titled The Hungry Brain-Outsmarting the Instinct that Make Us Overeat. Stephen J. Guyenet has many good takeaways-limiting processed foods, eating whole foods, dealing with stress eating and getting restful sleep.

These are the strategies I’ll reinforce in my weekly meal plan:

Eat nutrient dense foods. These are foods that are high in nutrients but not in calories.

Get plenty of fiber from vegetables, fruits, dry beans, lentils and whole grains. Include potatoes (white or sweet), without adding the extras, like butter, cream and brown sugar.

Make the meal high protein, including fresh meats, seafood, yogurt and eggs.

Dr. Guyenet mentions oatmeal as a water rich whole grain to include. I’d add other whole grains cooked in water, like millet, Teff, rye or whole wheat berries, sorghum and barley. Corn on the cob is a good pick for this time of year. He recommends avoiding breads if you’re tempted to overeat them. I’ll enjoy my whole grain bread, usually without added fat, one or 2 servings a day.

Stressed in the book is a restful 7 to 9 hour sleep pattern. He lists many strategies (you know them) emphasizing no lights in the bedroom to include phones but also night lights. 

His strategies for avoiding stress eating are good ones, including taking a bath and calling a friend.

 

Our meal tonight centered around this entree. It has 8 vegetables, fiber rich beans and lean meat. For dessert we had sliced apples, sautéed in apple juice, with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Shepherd's Pie

Serves 4

Potato-Cauliflower Topping: 
Bring water to boil in a saucepan.
Add and boil 15 minutes:
3 small potatoes, peeled and diced.

Add to potatoes:
1/4th head cauliflower, stalks removed. 
Cook 10 minutes.

Drain potatoes and cauliflower.  Beat in mixing bowl.
Add:
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

Filling:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fennel,diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
Saute 10 minutes.

Add:
6 ounce ground turkey
Brown turkey.

Add:
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
1 cup kidney beans 

Place filling in bottom of baking dish greased with olive oil spray.
Top with mashed vegetables.  Spread topping with decorative spatula.
Sprinkle with:
Paprika
Fresh snipped parsley
Fresh snipped thyme

 

Bake at 375 F. for 30 minutes.

 

Ham Loaf Fit for a King

 

As we’ve aged our eating habits changed. For us, the portions are smaller with softer textures. I cook from scratch and enjoy when a recipe I make is good with little waste. Waste is a challenge as there are only so many times we’ll eat leftovers even if frozen or preserved. I appreciate diversity!

This is the ham loaf I made for Fathers Day that might just fit the bill. I froze half of it hopefully will be enjoyed later. I got inspiration from two recipes, one for the meatloaf and one for the glaze.

Ham Loaf

(8 Serving)

In bowl of food processor, grind ham.

10 ounce ham, trimmed of skin and fat

Add egg, milk, wheat germ, spices and turkey. Mix with ham.

2 Tablespoon egg, beaten 

4 ounce skim milk

3 Tablespoon 1 teaspoon wheat germ

1/3 teaspoon onion powder

3/16 teaspoon pepper

5 ounce ground turkey

On baking pan greased with olive oil spray, shape into a round loaf. Bake at 350 F. for 30 minutes. Drain drippings.

Glaze

Mix glaze ingredients. Pour 1/2 over ham loaf and bake for 20 minutes. Brush remaining glaze over loaf and continue baking for 15 minutes.

2 tablespoon 2 teaspoon brown sugar

2 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard 

1 Tablespoon water

Slice and serve. Brush any remaining glaze over cut ends. 

We also enjoy ham loaf with applesauce or honey.

Sourdough Crackers-Customize Your Flavor

Make this recipe your own, choosing the flour and seasoning. I've enjoyed adding specialty seasonings like a garden dill mix and a kelp "popcorn" blend. The college town co-op I visit put together their own everything bagel blend which was very good.

Because I like thin, crisp crackers I use my pasta roller mixer attachment to roll to the "5" position.

Make the dough in the morning and refrigerate. Roll, cut and bake in the afternoon.

There is seasoning on the inside and on top. After the dough is cut in shapes, place them on parchment paper, spray with olive oil and sprinkle on seasoning. I take my rolling pin and roll over the crackers once more, helping the seeded seasoning to stick.

While some seeds do not stick, I pour the seasoning into my cracker container and sprinkle on salad or soup.

I'm loving my whole grain crackers.

Whole Grain Sourdough Crackers

(5 Servings) 

Add flours, oil and seasoning to sourdough discard. Mix and knead together.

1/2 cup sourdough discard (mine is rye)

!/4 cup spelt flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon seasoning of choice

2 Tablespoon olive oil  

 

Pat dough into a 1 inch disc onto plastic wrap. Cover and refrigerate.

 

Divide dough in half. Roll dough by hand onto floured cutting board. Starting with the widest "1" setting, roll through pasta attachment on speed 2. Flour dough, turn roller to the thinner "2" setting. Repeat flour and rolling till the crackers are at the desired thinness.

 

Seasoning for sprinkling

 

Place onto parchment paper. Spray with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasoning. With a hand rolling pin, lightly roll over seasoned cracker top to adhere seeds.  

 

Bake at 335 F. for 12 minutes until desired darkness is achieved. 

Summing Up the Whole Grains Event

 

I asked the attendees of the Whole Grains Day lunch and learn what new whole grain they were going to include in a meal at home.The results were diverse to include eleven different grains and 4 varieties of wheat.

Whole grains on the list include sorghum, teff, millet, corn, oats, quinoa, rice, rye, buckwheat, barley and wheat. Wheat varieties chosen were whole wheat, einkorn, farro and bulgur.

What would they make? Breads, salads, pilafs, desserts, cereals, gluten containing doughs, gluten free batter breads, pancakes and grain bowls.  Specific dishes include pizza dough, Greek sorghum salad, rice pudding, cornmeal mush, buckwheat cakes, pilafs made with bulgur, farro and quinoa.

Local grains were chosen, including buckwheat, corn and wheat.

C4 grains sorghum, teff, corn and millet were all named.

Though no one chose amaranth, the other grains which qualify as complete proteins-buckwheat and quinoa, were named.

Was my goal to entice participants to find one new whole grain to include in meals at home achieved? I think so. Perhaps most importantly was the diversity of grains chosen-good for the gut and good for the land.

While one participant said she'd like to plant Kernza grain (as an ornamental plant), no one said they were going to buy it.

My favorite survey comment was from a soon-to-graduate Dietetic Intern who said she planned to grow quinoa, oats, native corn and einkorn wheat on the acres of land she owns back home in Pennsylvania. 

The winner of the survey drawing (for a Sue Becker cookbook) purchased einkorn wheat flour for baking at home. Today I modified the Einkorn Banana Bread I made for the event to utilize my sourdough starter. I decreased the einkorn flour to 1 cup 5 Tablespoon, decreased the bananas to 294 grams and added the sourdough discard (about 1/2 cup) with the bananas. That worked just fine.

 

Next year I hope to make 2 salads instead of a salad and soup. (Reheating a soup in the space provided is not easy). I'll include a bread or dessert on the menu as well). 

The Old, the New and a Sundry of Whole Grains

The last Wednesday of National Nutrition Month (March) is the day set aside to sample whole grains. My goal was to entice all to find one new whole grain to include in a meal at home. The light lunch at Life Long Learners featured soup, salad and fruit bread made with three whole grains. The posters and displays covered some 20 different whole grains and examples of how I included them in meals at home.

The highlight of the event was the local farmer. The group is eager to arrange a tour of the farm.

All attendees listened attentively to a short talk, then actively participated in sampling and discussion.

Excerpts of discussion and posters are below.

 In recipes, substitute any grain in stir fry, bowls, soups, sides and cereals. 

In baked goods, gluten free grains work best in batter breads, sponge cakes, muffins, cookies and pancakes. 

Some grains are grown locally. The foundation of any sustainable food system is locally grown grains.  Davis Brothers Inc. and The Vegetable Garden farm in Preston County has grown oats, rye, sorghum, barley and currently sell buckwheat, corn and whole wheat flours and several varieties of popcorn at the Morgantown and Bridgeport Farmers Market.

My posters list where in the United States each grain is grown. Some grains bought off the shelf or online are packed in the United States but grown in other countries.

Some grains are designated as "C4" grains (there are C3 and C4 plants). C4 grains are more water efficient and using nitrogen and survive in hot dry climates. 

The Greek Sorghum Salad served today is a C4 grain.

 Eating more plant based meals is more water efficient and produces less greenhouse gasses. The water needed to produce 1 calorie of grain is half the amount needed for vegetables, 1/3 the amount needed for fruit and 1/10th the amount needed for beef. Amaranth, Buckwheat and Quinoa are complete proteins.

I've been costing grain prices for some seven years. The price of quinoa went down. Previously it was one of the highest priced whole grains, second only to wild rice. Interesting in comparing the cost of all the whole grains that the price per serving ranges from a low of 20 cents per serving to a high of 66 cents per serving. This is reasonable compared to other foods in the United States grocery cart. Price per ounce of all grains was listed on the posters.

 

What's new? Researchers are working to create perennial grains like Kernza that sends down long, hardy roots to sequester carbon and prevent soil erosion. Tillage is expensive and releases carbon (greenhouse gasses) into the air. 85% of the world's plants are annuals. Kernza is not genetically modified. There is no GMO wheat.

Today's soup featured Kernza vegetable soup.

What's old? Einkorn wheat is the only wheat that has never been hybridized-a true "ancient" grain. It has a low potential to form gluten and is easier to digest. Einkorn has just 14 chromosomes. Farro has 28. Common wheat has 42. Today's bread is Einkorn Banana Bread.

 Whether we know it or not, the 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. Those with a diverse microbiome have a lower resistance to antibiotics. Diversifying grains is good for the environment. Diversify grains to stay atop market fluctuations.

 

 

Fuel for the Future, Good for the Environment

 

Whole grains, the staple of many ancient civilizations, remain key players in fuel for the future.

What's good for the environment as well as the body?

• Local foods.
  
  
  C4 Grains
  
  
  
  
•  Plant Based Meals.
  
• Perennials. Kernza Wheatgrass
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
   March is ©️ National Nutrition Month . 
  The Academy of Nutrition encourages all citizens to become concerned 
  about nutrition in hopes of achieving optimal health today and tomorrow.