With Bread around the World - 2

The Simple French Onion Soup 

(4 servings)

200g (4 slices) of toasted or dried bread

2 qt. water or beef broth or chicken broth

2 medium onions (sliced thinly)

2 Tsp. butter

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups of your favorite cheese

Cut the bread into small pieces. In a large saucepan sauté the onions with butter until it golden brown. Add bread pieces and sauté some more. Add hot water or broth and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve you can either use individual oven-proof soup bowls or one large casserole dish. Ladle the soup into the bowls or casserole dish. Cover with the toast and sprinkle with your favorite cheese. Put into the broiler for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.

PS Some believe that this recipe was developed by Alexandre Dumas, the author of The Three Musketeers and many other good books. :) I used to make it (without the cheese) many years ago, when I was a poor student and had money only for bread, butter and onions. It was still very good!

Just a reminder

Make at least half your grains whole grains!

With Bread around the World -1

Bulgarian Banitsa

Today I want to share with you a simple recipe with bread from Bulgaria. Traditionally Bulgarians serve banitsa on Christmas eve or New Year. Sometimes they bake it with pieces of paper with predictions (just like in fortune cookies) wrapped in a foil. The banitsa is then cut in the way that every piece would contain a prediction. Most common fortunes are “love”, “journey”, ‘wealth”, “ marriage”, “new job”, “baby”. Just like everywhere in the world.

But originally word “banitsa” means “crumbled”. So I guess it was fun way to use crumbled or old bread. J

So to make your own banitsa you will need:

½ lb. of whole grain bread (it’s OK if it’s crumbled)

3 oz. of feta cheese (you also can use fresh goat cheese or fresh mozzarella)

2 Tbsp. of butter

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 400.

Combine together feta cheese and 1Tbsp. of butter and crumble it. Put slices of bread on the bottom of non-sticking casserole dish or pie pan. Put the feta the top of the bread. Beat together eggs, 1 Tbsp. of butter, milk and salt. Pour it on the top of the bread and cheese. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.

To make it more interesting you can also add spinach, parsley, dill or bell pepers.  

Enjoy with your family and friends.

Hot Cereals for Healthy Breakfast: Old-fashioned Corn Grits

Grits are traditional and well known Southern dish that consists of ground corn, water and salt.

Honestly, I never tried it before I came to Louisiana, but found out that as whole grain cream of wheat it can be a healthy breakfast. It’s just a little bit less nutritional if compared with wholegrain cream of wheat though (to find nutritional facts on it see the previous post).

One serving (2/3 of a cup) of grits also contains 100 calories, but there only 2g of protein, 20g of carbohydrates, 1g of dietary fiber and 0.5g of fat. It’s rich in vitamin B and iron (6% of DV).

On the good side the fiber in grits won’t let you to go hungry for a longer time and help your digestion. Additional benefits arise from their high B vitamin concentrations, which help to break down fats, carbohydrates and protein.

For 1 serving use:

3 Tbsp. of yellow corn grits

1/2 – 3/4 cups of water

1/8 tsp. salt (optional)

Cooking Directions

For a stovetop:

1. bring water or milk and salt to a boil in sauce pan.

2. gradually add grits, stirring constantly, with wire whisk until well blended.

3. return to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 4-5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.

For a microwave:

1. mix corn grits, water and a dash of salt in1-quart microwaveable bowl or measuring cup.

2. microwave on high 1 minute. Stir with wire whisk. Cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes or untilthickened, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir. Cool slightly.

Caution: bowl will be hot; carefully remove from microwave using pot holders. Note: microwave ovens vary. Cooking times are approximate. Overheating can cause cereal to boil over.

To make grits more flavorful you can add butter, sun dried tomatoes, bell peppers or other vegetables, light cheese (cottage cheese, for example) and lean meats (like low far turkey sausage) for extra protein with a low fat turkey sausage or cottage cheese.

Enjoy your hot breakfast cereals with 7 Grain.

Hot Cereals for Healthy Breakfast: Whole Grain Cream of Wheat

For many of us when we were kids a hot cereal for breakfast was a must. So my mom used to get up earlier to make us a cream of whet. She was saying it is especially good breakfast for a cold winter morning. I have to admit I hated it. And now being a mom myself I understand that she was right. Low-fat, low-sugar options like oatmeal and cream of wheat are excellent choices, both for overall health contrary to what many people think. And may be I have to thank my mom for not having weight problems.

  

Wholegrain Cream of Wheat

Wheat farina, or cream of wheat is a coarsely ground wheat grain. It is a good source of calcium and iron (45% of DV), vitamin A (20-30%) and contains other minerals including copper, magnesium and selenium. It’s completely fat free. So if you wish to add some fat and flavor, you can add low fat milk (which is 20-40% of calcium) to your bowl or sprinkle your favorite nuts on the top.

One serving of whole grain cream of wheat contains 4g of protein, 19 g of carbohydrates, including 3g of dietary fiber. While 19 g doesn't sound like a lot, it does provide your body with a boost of energy that can be crucial to get you moving in the morning. One serving is about 100 calories (150 if you use fat free milk). It doesn’t seem like a lot but it can easily get you through the morning providing a needed boost of energy.

For 1 serving use:

3 Tbsp. of whole grain cream of wheat

1/2 – 3/4 cups of water or milk,

1/8 tsp. salt (optional)

Cooking Directions

For a stovetop:

1. bring water or milk and salt to a boil in sauce pan.

2. gradually add whole grain cream of wheat, stirring constantly, with wire whisk until well blended.

3. return to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 2-1/2 minutes or until thickened, stirringfrequently. Cool slightly.

For a microwave:

1. mix whole grain cream of wheat, water or milk and a dash of salt in1-quart microwaveable bowl or measuring cup.

2. microwave on high 1 minute. Stir with wire whisk. Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes or untilthickened, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir. Cool slightly.

Caution: bowl will be hot; carefully remove from microwave using pot holders. Note: microwave ovens vary. Cooking times are approximate. Overheating can cause cereal to boil over.

Additional ideas

It looks, well, humble. To make it more appealing for my kids I added butter and sweetened it with raw honey, cinnamon and fresh or dried fruits, such as apples, raisins, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, banana etc. They seemed to like it much more then I did in the past.

Sounds like a good idea? So, next time you come to Covington Farmers Market or Camellia City Farmers Market get your whole grain cream of wheat from 7 Grain Bakery. 

Whole Grain Healthy Breakfast Ideas Under 400 Calories

Today I am starting the series of blog posts on healthy breakfasts.

7 Grain Bread with Homemade Pesto

The nutritionists say that a breakfast is an important part of healthy dieting. It’s giving a body a necessary fuel for the morning and somehow programs the body to consume less fat and overall fewer calories during the rest of the day. So those of us who have a habit to skip the breakfast in the morning have to realize it won’t help us to get slimmer and stay in shape. Why? Because the energy we hoped to get with the coffee will disappear in an hour or so. Very soon we will feel tired and hungry and start munching on junk snacks.

As for me, I love a good breakfast. I’d rather skip on lunch than on delicious and healthy breakfast. And whole grains can provide you with a nutritious 400 calorie starter in the morning.

So let’s look at few breakfast options the 7 Grain is more than happy to offer you.

Blueberry Muffin

Along with wholegrain it already has a fruit. You can eat the muffin as is or split it and toast it. Spread 1 Tbsp of peanut butter on it. Add half a banana and 1 cup of fat free milk or yogurt for a well balanced breakfast.

Raisi’n’Shine Energy Bread

It’s already full of raisins, cranberries, pecans, flax seeds, almonds and pumpkin seeds. Toast two slices and spread 1 Tbsp. of your favorite non-fat cheese spread.

Wholegrain Pancakes or Waffles

It’s easier to make them than you think. We offer two versions now: wholegrain wheat with flax seeds and wholegrain BOB (barley, oat, buckwheat) with flax seeds. You can make a whole batch ahead. In the morning just toast 2 pancakes or waffles. Sprinkle with berries and nuts of your choice. You can also eat them with plain yogurt.

Homemade Granola

Instead of commercial cereals eat our homemade granola. If you like it crunchy just add 1 cup of skim milk. Some find it more interesting when they soak it in 1 cup of yogurt overnight.

Wholegrain Sandwich

That’s what my children can live on and I don’t mind, ‘cos they fix it themselves (ha-ha!) Toast 1-2 slices of 7 Grain Bread (or half of the 7 Grain Sandwich Flat) or Sprouted Bread. Spread 1 tbsp. low-fat cream cheese or pesto over it. Place few slices of lean ham or turkey on the cream cheese sandwich. Add 1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves and two slices of tomato for a delicious wholegrain sandwich. It’s so good it can even serve as a lunch. 

Breakfast Pizza

Get our pre-baked pizza crust. Top it with spaghetti sauce, mixed chopped vegetables and shredded cheese and throw it in the oven until the cheese melts and voila! Fiber and complex carbohydrates from the crust and vegetables along with the protein and calcium from the cheese make this a well-balanced choice.

Healthy breakfast though will make it easier to meet the requirements for daily vitamins and minerals and keep our energy level till lunch. According to “Obesity Research” published in 2002, 78% of those who successfully lost weight and were able to maintain it ate breakfast at least four times a week.

So, don’t you think it’s time to start a new habit? And next time I’ll tell more about hot cereals for breakfast.

Whole Grains That Kids Would Love

Wanna to introduce your kids to whole grains? Start with the foods they’ll love it for sure. Incorporating whole grain pancakes or waffles into your family meal will not only make your children happy and nourished, it will also help them to develop life long healthy eating habits.

What’s great about whole grain pancakes is that they taste great (and not like “a cardboard” as many “healthy” commercial mixes do), give you energy, and don’t leave you with this unpleasant heaviness in your stomach. Our kids say these are the best pancakes they ever ate.

So what’s in the bag of our wholegrain pancake mix? There is fresh 100% organic whole grain soft white wheat flour, raw cane sugar (we cut back 50% of sugar from most recipes. So no sugar rush and crash!), ground organic flax seeds and aluminum free baking powder. 

One bag contains 3 cups of whole grain pancake mix. If you don’t use the whole bag at once, keep it refrigerated. One bag makes about 18 pancakes, which is 6 servings.

You can make pancakes in 2 easy to follow steps.

Step 1: Add 1 cup of milk to 1 cup of mix. (You can use whole, 2% or skim milk as you wish. Also you can substitute milk with buttermilk, plain yogurt or sour milk. For the fluffier pancakes add 1 egg and ½ tsp of baking powder. To make waffles add 1/3 cup of oil.) Whisk it together until smooth.

Step 2: Make pancakes as usual but on lower temperature than white flour pancakes.

Step 3: Serve your pancakes or waffles with fresh seasonal fruit like banana, blueberries or strawberries. Enjoy!

You can make a whole batch of pancakes or waffles ahead and keep them in the freezer for a quick and satisfying breakfast, healthy school or bed time snack or lunch. Also it’s a great family activity and a good way to start teaching your kids about healthy eating.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Humble Focaccia

Focaccia is a yeast flat bread, very humble. It’s square, looks just like pizza dough topped with herbs, garlic, other vegetables and generous amount of olive oil. It’s very popular in Italy. And here… Well, many of us heard of it, but don’t really know what to do with it.

The word focaccia means “hearth, baking place” in the Latin. The basic recipe is ancient as Etruscan or ancient Greek cultures themselves. I can imagine that it was a everyday meal for shepherds and soldiers — piece of bread, olive oil, piece of goat cheese. Full of flavor, simple but hearty and fulfilling.

Here’s several suggestions how to enjoy your focaccia for lunch or even dinner.

1. Traditional topping. Fresh basil, sliced tomatoes, feta or goat cheese, olives. Drizzle it with balsamic vinegar.
2. Vegetarian toppings. Spread pesto or avocado paste. Grilled sliced eggplant, zucchini, portabello mushrooms and red onions.
3. Meat variation. You can make a Panini sandwich with turkey or ham, sliced tomato and lettuce.
4. Cheese variation. Drizzle with olive oil and Italian herbs. Lots of your favorite cheese on the top.
5. You can cut it lengthwise or into small cubes and bake it for 10 more minutes at 350 to make bread sticks or croutons.

Next Saturday ask if we have whole grain focaccia. You will love it!