Grain Power! Coming to a store near you.

In India, we eat a lot of different lentils and grains. Partly because we are an agrarian economy and also because a majority of population is vegetarian (although that’s slowly changing!), and grains are a great source of protein. 

Since I continue to be vegetarian 10 years after moving to the US – I am still a big lentil-and grain-person! If you were to look at my pantry shelves, you will see a whole lot of different grains on it – different colors, textures and sizes!

I saw a recent Bon Appetit article called ‘Grain Trust’ and I thought I should first write about the grains that they’ve discussed in their article – and probably add to that.

Most of these grains and lentils are available at several regular and specialty grocery stores. In this blog, my intention is to share their packaging (that’s really the only reason I have a Cook Aunty store), and links to a recipe each that you can use to cook them. I havent tried all the recipes, so if you try them – do comment. 

Here we go:

• Red Quinoa: Full of iron and lots of fiber too! [Red Quinoa with Butternut Squash, Cranberries and Pecans]
• Basmati Rice: Long-grain rice, perfect for salads and pilafs [Herbed Basmati Rice]
• Black Barley: Hearty and chewy Ethiopian grain, ideal for soups and stews [Black Barley, Fennel and Radish Salad]
• Pearled Barley: Adds body and richness to soups or salads [Barley and Black Bean Salad]
• Black Rice: Chinese heirloom grain with cancer-preventing antioxidants [Black Rice Risotto]
• Spelt: Sweet, nutty variety of wheat [Curried Spelt Salad]
• Bulgar:  Parched, crushed wheat [Lentils with Bulgar Wheat and Caramelized Onions – uses green lentils too!]
• Israeli Couscous: Pasta-like granules made from semolina and wheat flour [Israeli Couscous with Asparagus, Peas and Sugar Snaps]
• Spanish Lentils: Pardina lentils with a nutty flavor, hold their shape when cooked [Spanish Lentil Soup with Chorizo]
• Black Beluga Lentils: Glisten when they cook, great in soups and salads [Feta, Lentil and Cilantro Salad]
• Red Lentils:Turn golden when they cook, best in soups and purees [Mom’s Everyday Red Lentils]
• Moong Dal – Yellow: quick-cook, easy to digest lentils that are skinned, split and flat [Moong Dal – Indian]
• Moong Dal – Whole Green [Sprouted Green Gram Vegetables]
• Chana Dal: Sweet and nutty flavor, made by splitting chickpeas [Yellow Lentils with Spinach]
• Toor Dal: Mild, nutty flavor, sometimes sold with an oily coating that needs a quick rinse [Dal Fry]
• Black Lentils: Strong earthy flavors, used in curry [Dal Makhani – Low Fat]
• Kala Channa: Rust-colored chick peas with a nutty flavor. Needs marination for it to cook well [Snack/Starter]
• French Green Lentils: Great in salads, hold their shape once cooked, rich flavor [Sausage with French Green Lentils]

I am sure I missed a few!

So many grains out there….and so many ways to cook them!

Power to the grain. Happy cooking.

A food program that worked for me!

In 2008, I lost 16 pounds in 6 weeks and kept it off until I got pregnant. Today, someone who met in last in 2008, asked me (like many others who have in the last few years) – How did you do it?

So, here goes.

No, I did not starve myself. I admit that the first week was hard, but completely worth it.

My first rule was self-control. The secret, small portions. And the second rule – Keep trying, don’t give up.  It’s all about telling yourself how sexy you would actually look if you were to wear a bikini on the beach this Summer!

These are my suggestions:

1. First Week: Go on a fruit detox for the first three days. Eat all the fun fruits you want. The latter part of the week, continue a fruit diet, but add to it pulses (Indian pulses, Ethiopian pulses..). This is the hardest week. Forget about eating outside. Try and pack your own lunch to work, and give yourself a treat at the end of this week – How about some cereal and milk?

2. Second-Third-Fourth Weeks: Eat 4-5 times a day. Strive to have at least 3-4 servings of fruits and vegetables. Replace breakfast with watermelon or even a mango (130 calories). For lunch, stick to cooked pulses, with some greens. For dinner, replace a few meals with cereal, or have some low-sodium, low-fat soup with veggies, maybe some spinach soups. Try to get iron, calcium and protein in your diet. A walnut (has Omega), pistas, almonds, cashews once in a while is a good thing. Do not eat out more than twice a week, and even here, don’t have food that is oily or fatty (for example, avoid Chinese noodles, coconut milk or creamy gravies)

3. Fifth and Sixth Weeks: By now, its easy. Maintain the same diet. Maybe, split a tiny piece of brownie and have a spoon of icecream…Eat out no more than twice a week…Slowly add the restricted items in tiny quantities.

I did not exercise as much as I should have, but I still lost the weight. In the first few weeks, I played a round of tennis, went bowling once, took salsa lessons, and brisk walked for 20 minutes. In other words, kept active. In the last three weeks, I did not do much except light work-outs at home and 20 minutes of brisk walking during week-days.

Things that I completely cut down on in the first three weeks and slowly started including back in my diet were:
1. Pasta (started whole wheat pasta after 4 weeks)
2. Rice (started boiled rice after 4 weeks)
3. Oil (little oil after two weeks)
4. Sugar (still trying to stay away from sugar)
5. Cheese (fat free cheese shavings, few slices of pizza has light cheese on it in 3rd week)
6. Bread (started whole wheat bread after three weeks)

I am vegetarian and do not have any meat. Perhaps, that would be different for many of you. A change in diet however, often boosts energy levels.

It’s been a couple years since the baby, so my plan is to get back to this program soon and shed all my fat off again….and hopefully keep it off!

Happy Losing!

Psst. BTW, if any of my NYC-NJ readers want to lose weight, my way or any other way, and would like some help, visit Cook Aunty – Customized and affordable eat-at-home meal plans always work!