STRATEGY SESSSION: These recipes illustrate 2 of my strategies for making food healthier: 1)  I combine a lower glycemic element (barley) with a higher one (oats) to lower the glycemic load. 2) In both the cereal and the cakes I use the healthiest of all neutral oils, macadamia nut.  

 

Do you eat hot cereal for breakfast? If so, you probably know that whole grain consumption appears to decrease the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. But how whole are the grains in your cereal? If you’re eating instant oatmeal, the answer is–not very. Traditional rolled oats are better, and steel cut oats are better still. But if you want to attain true Wholier-than-thou status, you must be initiated into the mysteries of hulless barley.  

Hulless (also spelled hull-less) or “naked” barley is the whole grain and nothing but the grain; only the outer husk has been removed. (By contrast, pearled barley is stripped of its husk and bran, and then steamed and polished.) Hulless barley has the lowest glycemic index of any grain (http://www.glycemicindex.com/ ). It’s high in protein, as well as soluble and insoluble fiber. Finally, compared to oats, it has a higher concentration of beta-glucans– polysaccharides which appear to lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, and boost the immune system.

Two beautiful varieties of hulless barley, Treasure State and Purple, are grown in Montana, and I have been waking up to them every day for over 10 years. They have a nutty flavor and pleasantly chewy texture that add complexity to hot cereal. Although pure barley can be a digestive challenge (probably due to high fiber content), it’s perfect when mixed 50-50 with steel cut oats.

It has only one drawback: long cooking time. However, one batch of the following recipe makes over 6 cups of cereal and keeps a full week in the refrigerator. You can eat it right out of the pot on the first day and then cool and refrigerate the remainder. When fully chilled, it’s firm enough to be shaped into patties that resemble risotto cakes, about 3 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. I wrap them individually and refrigerate them in a covered plastic container. For breakfast, I season them lightly with salt and cook them in a tiny bit of macadamia nut oil to brown them nicely. (Recipe follows.) Crisp on the outside, and moist and tender on the inside, they’re tasty with an omelet and some sliced tomato. Sometimes I spread Valencia peanut butter on big round Fuji apple slices, plop the cakes on top, and eat these sweet and salty stacks with some broiled tofu or low fat Greek yogurt. If I prorate the cereal’s cooking time (90 minutes) over an entire week, it comes out to 12.8 minutes per day, which seems a reasonable investment for a shot of beta-glucans and a delicious accompaniment to my protein. I let it bubble while I read the Sunday paper.

One final note: Given the differences in BTUs among stoves and cook-tops, it is extremely difficult to give fool-proof directions for this cereal. First, the cereal has a tendency to boil over and you may have to use lower heat settings than indicated to prevent that. Second, it’s impossible to predict the exact amount of water required to achieve the Goldilocks consistency. You’ll have to experiment. The key adjustments are made during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Special Note: I’m very pleased to announce that this recipe made the Foodbuzz Top 9 on December 31st, 2009.