I Dare You To Eat It

With almost every presentation, at least one senior citizen in the audience shares how they grew up eating cooked whole wheat berries for breakfast. Once, the woman who shared this favorite breakfast cereal was amazingly, no…ridiculously…well preserved. I mean she was GORGEOUS! Looking 30 years younger than her peers, she gently explained how every single day began with a bowl of wheat berries.

(hmmmm)

I cook my wheat in the crock pot and then freeze smaller portions in sandwich baggies for later use.

A few almonds add additional nutrition and crunch.

A dash or two of cinnamon, some frozen blueberries, and 1% milk give plenty of flavor without extra sugar.

A quick spin in the microwave and this lovely little breakfast is warm and ready to go.

Mmmmmm. Health and beauty tips from ”The Greatest Generation.” Someone with real knowledge is welcome to speak to the specifics on nutritional benefits. I’m hoping it’s magic.

Alison, my wonderful neighbor and friend from across the street, is a FANTASTIC cook. I even referenced her lucsious food in my book. This past Christmas Alison and Tom gave our family a little mix for her gingerbread pancakes and caramel syrup. Oh my goodness. It was easily the very part of our holiday feasting and she said that I could share it with you.

Fresh Ingredients

2 large eggs

Storage Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup apple juice (I used about 3 cups of apple juice to get it thin enough for pancakes. Maybe we like extra thin pancakes?)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whisk wet ingredients together and add to dry ingredients, whisking until blended. If needed, add extra water or juice to batter until it is pourable. (Like I said, we used about 3 cups of apple juice.) Pour onto hot greased griddle. Cook one side until bubbles on the surface just begin to pop, then turn over and cook until golden brown.

Caramel Syrup (Alison said she doesn’t call this buttermilk syrup because the name can freak people out. Good to know.)

Fresh Ingredients

3/4 cup buttermilk (She also told me that she ALWAYS uses powdered buttermilk reconstituted with water per the package directions. Amazing and I’m for sure trying it.)

1/2 cup butter

Storage Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

Place first five ingredients in extra large saucepan. Bring to boil and cook for 7 minutes (mixture will foam like crazy), stirring to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Okay.

Friends?

These are the best pancakes I’ve ever tasted! My daughter Hailey, newly returned missionary daughter Hailey, has some pretty big (weird) bread issues. I forgot. But she GOBBLED these pancakes down and totally enjoyed them. We all loved them! You have to try this recipe. Don’t walk, run. Alison told me last night that they enjoy these gingerbread pancakes all year long and her favorite topping is fresh bottled (?) peaches with the caramel syrup drizzled over the top. THIS is a truly glorious way to use your wheat.

I’M STARVING!!!!!!!!!

Sweet Heather, from sunny St. George sent me this fun recipe for bean pancakes. The pictures may not do it justice but try to think happy thoughts.

As I turned these little wheat-and-beaners, I topped the cooked side with grated cheese so that it was melted as they came hot off the griddle.

Then we topped them with the usual favorites of diced avocado, salsa, and sour cream…curds? Hmmm

Then we rolled them in half, taco style. Sorry about the picture. Here’s what the picky 12 year old had to say about them:

Yummy!

This is good!

It tastes like something gourmet…from a hippy…Mexican restaurant…in Arizona! (K, this one’s never even been to Arizona so…)

I thought the recipe was a really nice variation on the vegetarian theme. The bean pancake reminded me of a tamale, and a very happy, flavorful, tamale at that. We each gobbled down three. It’s an economical and fun way to enjoy pancakes for dinner without all the butter and syrup. (Nothin’ against butter and syrup.)

Fresh Ingredients

1 egg

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Storage Ingredients

1 15 oz. can of beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed (I used black beans that I had bottled myself. Woohooo!)

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour  (I just threw about 3/4 a cup of whole wheat kernels into the blender and ground them with the evaporated milk.)

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

2 tablespoons of canola oil

couple shots of Tabasco

dash of lime pepper (Didn’t have it and didn’t miss it.)

Mix all ingredients and cook into pancakes. Top with grated cheese, diced avocado, salsa, and sour cream as desired.

Fresh Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten

(You will also need two egg yolks and 1/2 cup of butter for the frosting.)

Storage Ingredients

1 can peaches (1 lb. 13 oz.) drained and mashed (about 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups of fruit)

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup oil

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon white flour

1/2 cup butter

2 egg yolks

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts, or coconut (I used 3/4 cup pecans and 3/4 cup giant flaked coconut. Wow)

Combine sugar, eggs, oil, and peaches. In a separate bowl stir together the wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to peach mixture and blend well. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch oiled cake pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

For the frosting, combine brown sugar, flour, butter, egg yolks, and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil, stirring, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, nuts and/or coconut. Carefully spoon hot frosting onto warm cake. It’s really really good.

My dear sister, Virginia, popped a bite of this cake into my mouth, insisting that I taste it, while I was dropping something off at her house. That’s all it took for me to want to try this recipe. (And you know how I feel about baking.) PLUS this recipe uses whole wheat flour AND canned fruit so it’s perfect for using both my long-term storage and my three-month supply. 

People may complain about canned fruit but I always try to maintain a small selection of peaches, pears, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and applesauce. The canned fruit may not be my first choice on a day-to-day basis, but I want the luxury of having it in my food storage. And, if I’m going to buy the stuff, I better have a plan for getting it used. This super moist peach and wheat recipe tastes like a luscious cross between carrot cake and German chocolate. It’s also easy to prepare, and that matters a whole lot to me!

Dear Cozette shared this recipe for a yummy soup that uses the mango and peach salsa sold at Costco.

Besides the fact that I’m always looking for simple and delicious ways to serve more wheat berries to my family, I especially wanted to prepare and share this soup with my nephew. You see, Steve was diagnosed with Leukemia about four months ago. My sister, Carolyn, is doing everything she can to help him eat healthy food and WHEAT has been suggested by his doctors. 

Without a doubt, Steve is our favorite Chemo Sabe. Your prayers in his behalf are greatly appreciated. (www.stevenrevans.blogspot.com)

Fresh Ingredients

2 lbs. cooked diced chicken breasts (or) four cans (12.5 oz. each) canned chicken breast

Storage Ingredients

Combine in a large soup pot and simmer 10 minutes:

1 (48 oz.) Mango Salsa with Peach

1 (14.4 oz.) can diced tomatoes

3 Tablespoons olive oil

Add:

2 lbs. cooked diced chicken breasts (or) four cans (12.5 oz.) canned chicken breast

2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 quart chicken stock or water with chicken bouillon or chicken base

1 1/4 teaspoons cumin

2 (11 oz.) cans of drained corn or equivalent frozen corn

2 cups cooked whole wheat berries

Simmer for 15 minutes. Pour into soup bowls over broken tortilla chips. Garnish with sour cream, grated cheese, avocado pieces, fresh lime juice, cilantro leaves, olives. Go wild!

Pfffft!  Just kidding!

It’s made with whole wheat flour and even dehydrated carrots with canned crushed pineapple but tastes waaaay too good to be healthy. Trust me, NO ONE will ever know that you’re using your food storage in this recipe.

Fresh Ingredients

4 eggs

Storage Ingredients

1 1/4 cups oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup dry dehydrated carrots

1 can crushed pineapple, drained (20 oz.)

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup coconut (optional)

Cover dehydrated carrots with 3 cups of cool water and allow to soak for 20 minutes. Drain and grind into course bits. (3 cups of finely shredded carrots, packed, may be substituted.)

In large bowl, blend together oil and brown and white sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating until blended. In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt, soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture, about 1/3 at a time to the oil mixture, beating just enough to blend. Fold the carrots and pineapple into the batter. Add nuts and or coconut if desired. Pour batter into a greased and floured extra large cake pan, 10 1/2″ x 15″. Bake in a preheated, 350 degree, oven for about 1 hour. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Frost cake and top with additional chopped nuts if desired.

This is our very top of the list, absolute best, number one, recipe for amazingly moist and rich carrot cake. Don’t let the creepy smell of the dehydrated carrots scare you away. No one has ever suspected that I’ve used the little varmints and I always get asked to share the recipe.

One tip you should know is that this carrot cake improves with age so if you can, make it a day or two ahead of time and then store it frosted and covered with plastic in the refrigerator. The rest will improve the flavor and it’s so nice to have a truly wicked dessert that doesn’t have to be fussed over at the last minute. This one’s been a winner. Every time!

Fresh Ingredients

8 cups of grated carrots

Storage Ingredients

2 cups of cooked wheat berries

2 cans chicken chunks, drained (12.5 oz.)

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup golden raisins

Dressing

1/4 cup evaporated canned milk

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup apricot preserves

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2  teaspoon pepper

Toss all ingredients and serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

Springtime in the Rockies can be rough. One week there’s snow on the ground but all the tulips are fully bloomed and peeking through. The very next week it’s 80 degrees with more snow in the five day forecast. It makes you crazy.

This year, on the first day that the temperature hit 80, I decided we needed to celebrate with a dinner salad that was quick, colorful, fresh…and used up alllll the extra carrots I had in the fridge. An invention, to be sure, but it turned out great. (Shocking, right?) I would totally serve this to company. And once again, here’s another way to use canned chicken so that it’s completely disguised and not offensive.

Both my husband and I ate two servings for dinner and then I had another serving before bed. Okay, one more small serving as I wrote this post, but that’s it. Maybe I’ll look like I had some sun. Wow! This recipe was another freak of nature.

SEE for yourself–

Fresh Ingredients

1/2 cup Feta cheese, diced (I like the basil and sun-dried tomato variety)

1/2 cup red onion, minced

1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped

1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs, minced (I like parsley, mint, thyme, and basil) plus some for garnish

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Storage Ingredients

3 cups cooked whole wheat berries

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, julienne strips of drained bottled peppers, chopped

1/4 cup peperoncini salad peppers, chopped

1 tablespoon Kalamata black olives, pitted, brine-cured, chopped

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Stir together the wheat berries, Feta, onion, cucumber, roasted pepper, peperoncini, herbs, olives, and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Mix everything together. Garnish with herbs. Serves 4-6

This recipe comes from Charlene and was adapted from “The Best of Gourmet 1994″. Charlene says that this salad is one of her all-time summer favorites, especially because she grows the fresh herbs in her garden. She also suggested that it might be fun to experiment with adding some marinated artichoke hearts. Nothing says, “you’re worth it” like marinated artichoke hearts!

Fresh Ingredients

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large yellow or green bell pepper, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

juice of one lime

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, diced

Storage Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2  cans black beans, drained (15 oz. ea.) (”Or just pre-cook about 11/2 cups of dry black beans from your long-term storage.”)

2  cans diced tomatoes,  (14 oz. ea.)

1 or 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (”Only one or two peppers out of the can, not one or two cans - I didn’t pay attention and mine was a little spicy.”)

2 to 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth (”I just used the 32 oz. of boxed chicken broth.”)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 cups cooked wheat berries

Heat oil in a large pot, add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, chipolte peppers to taste, broth and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in cooked wheat berries and heat through about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in lime juice.  Garnish each serving with avocado and cilantro.

Here’s another great new recipe from my friend, Kris. In a completely normal way, this chili combines wheat and beans from your long-term storage with basic spices and canned tomatoes from your three-month storage. The fresh ingredients are a bonus.

Look how simple it is to use your food storage, and enjoy it!

Fresh Ingredients

2 cups cooked diced chicken *optional

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Storage Ingredients

2 cups cooked wheat berries

3/4 cup chopped and toasted walnuts

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup tart dried cherries, diced

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper together, set aside. Mix everything else together and toss with the olive oil mixture. ***The flavors in this salad really blend and taste so much better when prepared a day ahead of time. Also, you may want to consider adding 2 cups of cooked diced chicken for a complete meal.

My buddy Kris just returned from a family thing in Manti, Utah. She served this new salad recipe for the first time and said that everyone enjoyed it. I’ve found that wheat dishes are PERFECT for potluck dinners. They’re almost always better when prepared ahead of time, they travel and store well, and they add something totally new and interesting to the spread. No more frog eye salad for me. There’s a new Mayor in town!

Thank you for sharing this recipe, Kris! I hope to post your Zesty Wheat Berry And Black Bean Chili next! Are we getting healthy or what?