love this multigrain hot cereal

I picked up some Bob’s Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal the other day.  I have been a fan of Bob’s Red Mill brand of grains, pancake mixes, hot cereals, vegetable soup mixes and other baking products for quite some time, and this multigrain hot cereal is no exception.  It is thick, but not as thick as Bob’s Scottish Oatmeal, and presents a hearty, dense texture when cooked over the stove with raw whole milk.  In addition, I add cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts or pecans, along with a touch of salt. Topped with some fresh berries, Bob’s 7 Grain Hot Cereal is all anyone could ask for in a quick and easy breakfast.  As an added bonus, and for those who pay attention to the quality of merchants with whom they do business,  I understand that Bob’s Red Mill is employee-owned!

Give this fine, high quality multigrain hot cereal a try.  I thought enough of it to buy it in bulk, and will be enjoying this hot cereal for quite a long time in the future.

10000 Vinyasas Review of Bob’s 7 Grain Hot Cereal

Wilted Spinach Salad with Kamut and Sauteed Vegetables

Ingredients:

* 1 cup uncooked kamut, soaked overnight in cold water
* 3 cups fresh baby spinach
* 1 medium red onion, sliced 1/4″
* 3/4 lb yellow squash, sliced 1/4″
* 8 oz mushrooms, sliced thinly
* 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
* 1/4 cup cubed Pecorino Romano
* 6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
* 1 red pear, cored and sliced thinly
* 2 tsp Kosher salt
* fresh ground pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to saute
* 2-3 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

1. Place the kamut in 4 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 50-60 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly at room temperature.
2. Place the sliced squash in a medium bowl and toss with 1 tsp kosher salt. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This will draw out much of the water which would otherwise prevent the squash from caramelizing. Drain the squash and pat dry.
3. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauteuse over medium heat. Add the squash and saute for about two minutes until one side begins to brown, turn over and saute the other side for an additional two minutes, or until lightly brown. Remove from pan and set aside in a large bowl (you will build your salad in this bowl).
4. Add the sliced onion to the pan and saute until it begins to caramelize. Remove from pan and set aside with the squash.
5. Repeat step 4 with the garlic. Reduce the heat slightly.
6. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the sliced mushroom and stir in pan for one minute. Add one tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar and stir. Allow mushrooms to lightly brown and then remove and set aside with the squash.
7. Remove the pan from the heat. Add up to 1/4 cup of olive oil to the pan (*you might scale this back a little if you were heavy handed with the oil while sauteing) and 1-2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar. Stir to incoporate the brown bits into the warmed dressing. Pour over the sauteed vegetables. Add the pine nuts and kamut. Toss well.
8. Add the spinach, sliced pear, and 1 tsp of kosher salt and toss well, allowing the spinach to wilt.
9. Garnish each serving with some of the cubed Romano. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper, and salt if desired, to taste.

I left out the spinach and pear, and changed the cheese to something I had already, but overall, this worked out extremely well. Give Kamut a try; it’s available, probably, in your local bulk bins.

4 cups oats (3 regular, 1 rye)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
a bunch of mixed nuts (cashew, almond, pecan, walnut, macadamia)
a bit of vanilla
1/3 cup flax seed
some salt
cinnamon
about half a cup of shredded coconut

mix oats, nuts and flax seed together, spread out on nonstick baking pan. Melt coconut oil, add to maple syrup along with vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Add this to the pan of oats and stir. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes, stir, and bake again for 15 minutes.

Ok, this turned out really well, and is yet another item you don’t need to buy at the store. Just get the ingredients and mix it up!

Menu for dinner tonight: Wild Sockeye Salmon,topped with pecans and raspberry chipotle sauce, accompanied by green beans, mushrooms and quinoa.

2tsp butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 lb. zucchini, sliced
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to garnish

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook about 3 minutes until it begins to soften.
Add the zucchini, stock and curry, along with a large pinch of salt, if using unsalted stock. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let cook gently for about 25 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Allow the soup to cool slightly, then transfer to a blender or food processor and blend, just until smooth (there should be green flecks present).

Return soup to sauce pan, stir in sour cream, and heat gently.

Serve with sour cream garnish on top.

Yield: 4 servings.

I modified this with goat butter and plain yogurt instead of sour cream. Very nice.

9. Alcoholic beverages are outrageously priced. Generally, a glass of wine sells for about as much as you can buy the entire bottle in the store. Some establishments resist the temptation to vastly overcharge, but they are rare. Get ready to pay out the nose if you want to drink.

8. Actually, there’s really no telling what could be in that dish you just ordered. The people in the back (see rule #7) might pour a bunch of sugar or corn syrup in there, just to make it taste “better.” Too much salt is also entirely too common.

7. Generally, felons are employed back in the kitchen. I’m not making this up; it’s one of the few areas where people with a criminal record can still find work. Would you invite someone like this into your kitchen to serve you food? I think not.

6. Noise. Apparently, many many restaurant owners think an ear-splitting volume equates to a convivial atmosphere, so little or no noise-reducing materials are used. This does not make for an setting of tranquility and serenity.

5. The temptation to eat crap is too much, when it’s all around you. I’m talking here about white processed flour and sugar. You might be a saint at home, but when it’s staring you up at you from the bread basket, it becomes much harder to stick to your chosen dietary path of avoiding raising your glycemic levels.

4. Poor service and an expected tip for same. We’ve all experienced this one, I’m sure.

3. The sanitary condition of the establishment is also a concern. Periodic inspections by your local health department are necessary, but not sufficient. Do you want to take the time to examine the certificate and do other “homework” to ensure that you’re not risking infection before you decide to patronize a restaurant?

2. Did you know many of the dishes you think are uniquely prepared in the restaurant are in fact delivered frozen on a truck? Why not just skip the dining out and just go straight to the freezer at the grocery store? Google Sysco if you think I’m kidding.

1. If you take even a small amount of time and effort, you can create dishes at home that are much better and cheaper than you will find at almost any restaurant. You’ll know you’re getting to that point when your reaction to most of the offered cuisine at an establishment is “I could make this at home, better.”

Almond Squash Soup

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 leek, white part only, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
4 ounces (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup flour
4 medium yellow squash, diced into 3/4 inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
5 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1 cup half and half, or as needed
salt and pepper to taste

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in medium sized pan, then add onion, leek, carrot, celery and garlic, and saute gently until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
While vegetables are cooking, make a roux. Melt 4 ounces butter in separate pan, add flour, stirring in well. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Remove roux from heat and set aside until needed.
When vegetables are tender, add squash and saute 8 more minutes. Add rosemary and stock, and bring mixture to a boil. Add prepared roux, stir to blend, and allow mixture to cook and thicken about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and puree in blender, along with toasted almonds, until smooth. Heat half and half and add to soup until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Yield: 8 servings

I modify this recipe somewhat, depending upon (yes!) what I have in the kitchen. Also, in the past I’ve used skim milk instead of half and half and whole milk. I think the flavor doesn’t suffer.

Honestly, I don’t know why, but this was very very good. I’ve made pasta quite a bit in my life, but this Italian super premium stuff really is to die for. It improves your cooking immensely. I could be wrong about this, but I’ve done this twice now, and it’s been awesome. My best guess…

Ho ho ho…Thanks, doc. Just for reference, this product is 42% sugar by weight. As one commentator mentioned, surely the doughnut would be better than a tub of lard, so let’s give the doughnut the Smart Choices check too. Actually, I don’t really think you should be buying stuff that has a nutrition label on it; these are processed foods not deserving of your attention. Once again, it’s difficult to come to any other conclusion except that the industrial food system is untrustworthy and no one should buy their products. Here are some of the participants: Kellogg’s, Kraft Foods, ConAgra Foods, Unilever, General Mills, PepsiCo and Tyson Foods.

Just don’t buy. Just don’t.