Our Christmas was full of family (had both of my sisters and their respective families); attended a Hanukkah party at my neighbor Rhoda's home and got to try her famous and delicious latkes; talked to Rose in Iraq and she received an outpouring of much appreciated generosity this Christmas, in part to the readers of this blog; made a quick trip to Tahoe to play in the snow; and got everything on my wish list, (view here) including the Nutrimill, a big daddy flour mill.
Freshly Milled Oat Groats
Milling whole grains into flour is another way to connect with our food and traditional methods of food preparation (albeit a little different considering that I am plugging the mill into an electrical socket and not hand cranking!). The oils, in the freshly ground grains, give the flour a slightly damp feeling. It must be stored in the refrigerator or the freezer to prevent the oils from going rancid.
Here's another benefit: COST SAVING. I teach people all the time about the cost saving benefits of eating traditionally (click here for local classes). Here it is in action. A 1lb bag of Bob's Redmill Oat Flour at Whole Foods is $2.99. Compare that to 1 lb of Oat Groats at $1.59 which yields a lot more flour. According to Nutrimill, 13 cups of hard wheat produces approx 22 cups of flour and soft grains (like oats) produce even more! YUM!
You can bet with my new flour mill that I am going to be experimenting with all sorts of health promoting quick breads, yeast breads, snack bars, and pancakes.
Weekly Menu
Sunday- Beef, spinach, carrot stir fry over wild rice with Gina's Spicy Soy-Ginger sauce (see below)
Monday- Broccoli Soup
Tuesday- Baked Chicken, Roasted Carrots and Brussels Sprouts
Wednesday- Chicken Tamale Pie
Thursday- Halibut, Roasted Potatoes, and Creamed Spinach
Friday- Cabbage Soup and biscuits
Spicy Soy-ginger
Note: I doubled this recipe for the stir fry (it's very spicy so you might want to hold off on doubling the chili sauce)
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
2 T rice wine vinegar
2 T brown sugar (or honey)
1.5 T soy sauce
1 T Asian red chili sauce (such as Sriracha)
1.5 tsp grated fresh ginger
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5 comments:
One pound of oat groats will yield one pound of flour, since the weight is independent of the volume, and is fixed while the volume might change.
A sack of groats the same volume as the sack of flour will yield more, but the weight of the flour you just milled will remain equal to what it started at.
Of course, its still a lot less expensive and healthier to mill it fresh!
Correct Andrew, while the weight remains the same the volume changes/grows. Milling flour saves money, produces fresher flour, tastes great, and connects us with food.
What an awesome gift! I could totally be persuaded to mill my own grain.
I'll definitely look forward to hearing more about your milling adventures... so great to connect with your food in a new way!
Great looking menu for the week. I just may be making a few of the entrees on your list.
How adventurous to mill your own whole grains.
amanda - thanks for stopping by my blog!! yours looks great! i am SO jealous of the flour mill. how incredibly cool and what a great way to "get to know your food" better! i look forward to reading more from you :)
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