Great Grains

I keep a lot of different varieties of grains on hand at home and I love to mix them together. All grains take about 2x the amount of water to dried grain volume. And although some grains take a bit longer to cook, if you mix them together and cook long enough for the longest, you'll get a very nice resulting mixture, I'm sure.

Barley, Wheat Berry and Rice Pilaf
1 large carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
½ cup brown Basmati rice
½ cup white Basmati rice
¼ cup pearl barley
¼ cup wheat berries
2 Tbsp red quinoa
3 cups water or broth
½ tsp salt

Sauté the carrot and onion in a bit of canola oil in a pot for 5 minutes. Add the grains and sauté until the white rice turns from translucent to white and the grains give off a nutty fragrance, about another 5 minutes. Add the broth and salt, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook about 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.

Sweet Potato and Rice Pilaf
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced ½ inch
1 onion, diced
2 cups cooked rice, fluffed
palmful of parsley, minced

Sauté the potato in a bit of olive oil in a large skillet for about 10 minutes. Add the onions and continue cooking another 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes soften, brown a bit, and the onion is beginning to turn golden. Add the rice and heat through for another 5 minutes or so. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the parsley and stir.

Dilled Brown Rice and Celery1½ cup short grain brown rice
3 stalks celery, diced
½ tsp salt
3 cups water or broth
½ tsp dried dill weed

Sauté the celery in a medium pot until the celery is fragrant and begins to soften, or better yet, brown. Add the rice and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the water or broth and bring to a boil. Add salt and dill, stir and turn heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork.