Make Pizza as a Pro

I didn’t post anything for a week already! I’ve been really busy last week. So I need to catch up.

Last week our friend Lena Mutonono invited 7 Grain to do a master class at her church in Lacombe, LA. At the Village Lutheran church we met bunch of very friendly people who were eager to learn how to make pizza as a pro.

It was so much fun!

Lena Brannon shared about the advantages of eating whole grain. 

The participants witnessed the process of making Sicilian pizza from scratch. They saw how grain turned into delicate dough and had hands-on time where they could play with it a little.

And in the end we all shared a delicious meal together and of course everyone took home a pizza crust made by their own hands!

We really enjoyed our time with you guys and hope to come again and teach you how to make homemade pasta!

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. 

Pizza's here!

7 Grain’s pizza crusts were always very popular among our friends and customers. Lately we were asked numerous times why don’t we make pizzas. So, we decided why not to try?  We love pizza! It’s tasty, easy to make and can be healthy and nutritious as well, especially if made on wholegrain crust.

So we are proudly present to you the new addition to our menu. Four delicious pizzas:

1)      Roasted Vegetables No Cheese Pizza.  And I need to add no tomato sauce as well, there is pesto instead, which makes it unbelievably good. It has chunks of tomatoes, red bell pepper, baby bella mushrooms, onions and artichokes. Yam-m-m! To be honest that’s my favorite pizza, that’s why I wanted to share it with you guys!

2)      Mushroom and Olives Pizza is another one with pesto instead of tomato sauce. It also has baby bella mushrooms and roasted onions plus black olives. There is cheese on the this pizza, but (surprise!) it’s a fresh goat cheese, which has very different taste from regular cheese. That little touch makes MO Pizza whole new twist.

Next two pizzas are based on a tomato sauce. These are:

3)      Spinach and Feta Pizza. Rich and creamy taste of Feta is balanced with amazingly fresh and light taste of Spinach. Parmesan cheese is sprinkled on the top. Spinach is not what my kids like the most, but they ate the whole thing and asked for more. I admit they are my favorite Guiney pigs I try my recipes on.

4)      Three cheese pizza. Old time kids’ favorite. Fresh diced tomatoes, Feta, Parmesan and Mozzarella give this pizza additional flavor for cheese lovers. You can’t go wrong with it.

All our pizza’s are made on pre-baked 8” crusts, so it makes a perfect lunch or dinner for two. You can keep it in a freezer up to 2 weeks. Bake fresh pizza at 400F for 8-10 minutes. If frozen, bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!