Great grains

Wearing T-shirts proclaiming the “Power of 3,” employees at Great Harvest Bread Co. are feeling vindicated. With the release of the much anticipated new food pyramids, U.S. government officials declared what Great Harvest has been saying for more than 25 years: Whole grains are good for you.

The pyramids recommend that most individuals get at least three servings of whole grains every day. A single slice of a 100-percent whole wheat bread typically equals one serving of whole grains.

“It’s nice to feel like we’re not the disease. It’s nice to see the light,” says Marsha Loiacono, manager of Great Harvest on 29th Avenue. “We rode out the low-carb phase. It was a very bumpy ride.”

Despite the short-term damage that low-carb diets such as Atkins and South Beach did to area bakery business, Loiacono and others say the diets taught people that not all carbohydrates are created equal. And that is one message the government and the recently formed Whole Grains Council are pushing people to understand.

“If you’re in phase two and three of that diet (South Beach), you’re eating whole grains,” says registered dietitian Elaine Reid. “You cannot fault it. It’s opened peoples’ eyes.”

Frank X. Pigott, president of HearthBread BakeHouse, said he saw the whole-grain trend coming a year ago as he traveled around the country. The company makes a popular eight-grain hoagie and a three-grain bread, and more whole-wheat products are on the way.

Pigott says that as HearthBread officials solidify their alliance with Shepherd’s Grain wheat products produced by a group of Northwest family farmers who practice sustainable agriculture, they are developing a whole-wheat flour to use for more whole grain breads.

He says consumers are definitely starting to talk about whole grains and are much better educated and inclined to read product labels.

But reading labels can befuddle even the most conscientious shoppers. Just because a loaf of bread is made with wheat or rye flour doesn’t mean it’s a whole grain. As Reid puts it, “Just because it’s brown bread does not mean it has fiber.”

That’s where the Whole Grains Council comes in. The consortium of industry, scientists, chefs and the Oldways Preservation Trust was founded in July 2003. It reports that only about 10 percent of grains on supermarket shelves are whole grains.

To make it easier for consumers to reach for whole grains, the Council in 2004 developed whole grain stamps for grain products. Great Harvest was one of the first companies to roll out the new black-and-gold stamps this past winter, identifying products as either a “good” or “excellent” source of whole grains. One serving of a “good” source of whole grains provides about half of a whole-grain serving while one serving of an “excellent” source equals a full serving of whole grains.

“The Great Harvest franchise is based on healthy grains,” Loiacono says, adding that about three-fourths of what Great Harvest sells is whole grain. The Honey Whole Wheat bread is by far the favorite.

The store also sells five-pound bags of the company’s whole-wheat flour, milled directly in the store.

“I would like to see everyone bake their own bread,” Loiacono says. “If they don’t want to, I would like to make it for them.

“My hope is that this way of eating will become mainstream, people will reach for a loaf of whole grain bread. We don’t want to be the specialty people.”

Reid is optimistic that things will change. Already whole-wheat flour is moving up on grocery-store shelves to more prominent positions, and whole-wheat pastas and tortillas are starring in restaurant dishes. Food manufacturers are getting in the game, also, promoting whole-grain versions of popular products, such as breakfast cereals.

“I do think it will change, but it will take some time,” Reid says.

The Whole Grains Council recommends eating a whole grain at every meal. To get you started, here are some recipes for each meal of the day:

Many people who think they don’t like oatmeal find the nutty, chewy consistency of steel-cut oats irresistible. A bowl of steel-cut oats will stay with you all morning!

Irish Oatmeal with Apples

From Whole Grains Council

1/2 cup steel-cut oatmeal

2 cups water

2 apples, washed, cored and chopped (no need to peel them)

Dash cinnamon

Dash nutmeg

1 handful walnuts or pecans (optional)

Milk to taste

Measure oats into saucepan and add water. In general you want about 1/4 cup oats and 1 cup water per person. (Use less water next time if you like drier oatmeal.) Bring to a boil, then simmer actively – keep temperature where the oatmeal will bubble a lot but won’t start rising up the pan. Keep pan uncovered and stir every 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, core and chop apples into two microwave-proof cereal bowls. Add a little cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, then microwave uncovered bowls on high for 4 minutes.

When the oatmeal has thickened as much as you like (takes about 15-20 minutes), spoon it into the cereal bowls, right on top of the apples.

Sprinkle with nuts; add milk as you eat it, to keep the thickness just the way you want.

Variations: Try different fruits such as cooked pears, raw blueberries or peaches.

Yield: 2 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving (not including milk): 329 calories, 12 grams fat (1.2 grams saturated, 33 percent fat calories), 10 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 8.7 grams dietary fiber, 8 milligrams sodium.

Brown Rice Salad with Apples

Recipe by Tyler Florence/from www.foodnetwork.com

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 Granny Smith apple, diced

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 cup walnut pieces

1 cup cooked chicken, cubed

3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a mixing bowl, combine cooked rice with all other ingredients. Toss mixture lightly. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per 1/6 recipe: 297 calories, 15.4 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 47 percent fat calories), 12.6 grams protein, 29 grams carbohydrate, 19.6 milligrams cholesterol, 3.4 grams dietary fiber, 134 milligrams sodium.

Whole-Wheat Penne with Braised Garlic and Radicchio

From “Williams-Sonoma Pasta”

Cloves from 2 heads of garlic, peeled (about 20 cloves)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

4 heads radicchio, cored and thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Leaves from 2 or 3 small fresh rosemary sprigs, minced

Splash of balsamic vinegar

1 pound whole-wheat penne pasta

1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

3/4 cup shredded young Asiago or grated pecorino romano cheese

Handful of fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the garlic cloves with water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the cloves are soft enough to pierce easily with a knife, about 5 minutes. Drain well.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan or flameproof casserole dish over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic cloves and sauté until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the radicchio, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and sauté until the radicchio just starts to wilt, 3 to 4 minutes. Add a splash of water to the pan and continue cooking until the radicchio is tender, about 4 minutes. There should be some liquid left in the pan. Add the rosemary and balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute to blend the flavors.

Generously salt the boiling water, add the penne and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain. Add the paste to the frying pan and toss over low heat to mix well. Pour the past mixture into a warmed large shallow bowl. Add the pine nuts, cheese, parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss to melt the cheese and to mix all the ingredients. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per 1/6 recipe: 487 calories, 20 grams fat (4.8 grams saturated, 37 percent fat calories), 19 grams protein, 64 grams carbohydrate, 12 milligrams cholesterol, 7.45 grams dietary fiber, 149 milligrams sodium.

Whole Wheat Coffee Cake

From A. Haley of Mukilteo, Wash., courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill

This recipe won the 1992 Bob’s Red Mill/Fred Meyer Baking Contest.

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups whole-wheat flour

1/3 cup wheat germ

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup chopped pecan halves

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease well a 12-cup plain or bundt cake pan, set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Stir together flour, wheat germ, baking soda and baking powder. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture. Blend well.

For filling, combine all ingredients.

Spoon 1/2 of batter evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle with filling. Top with remaining batter. Bake for approximately 55 minutes, just until cake begins to pull from pan sides. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 16 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 311 calories, 15.5 grams fat (7.9 grams saturated, 45 percent fat calories), 5.8 grams protein, 39.6 grams carbohydrate, 72 milligrams cholesterol, 3.3 grams dietary fiber, 326 milligrams sodium.