I'm trying to use up some things from the pantry that have been around too long (and save some $ on groceries since things are a bit tight right now....)

I'd love some tried and true - yeah, I know I can search allrecipes.com but that hasn't motivated me yet. lol So what are your favorite things to do with:

millet
hulled barley
red lentils (I make a great soup but I have a LOT of them!)
toasted buckwheat
bean thread noodles (the super thin ones)
split moong beans
quinoa

Perhaps you can see why these things are still in my pantry! :lol:
Thanks for any ideas :)

Bean thread noodles are fun with any kind of stirfry and sauce.

The lentils, I'd probably cook up a bunch, add onions, garlic, cooked rice even, whatever you like, mash or process them and make burritos, add to soups, spaghetti sauce, stews, etc. I like beans and lentils because you can disguise them, and they thicken stews and add easy protein. I know there were a couple of good recipes in the tightwad gazette that they had tested on lots of non-bean lovers and got a thumbs-up. I'll look them up in a second.

Quinoa and barley you can cook and use like rice with other dishes, in soups, in the burritos mentioned above, etc. I'll look for more recipes.

http://www.bigoven.com/27142-Tightwad-Lentil-Burgers-recipe.html

Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole Recipe | Recipezaar (http://www.recipezaar.com/74629)

Lentil Stew (http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/lentilstew.htm)

Taco Style Lentils & Rice (http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/tacolentilsrice.htm)

I've been adding cooked lentils lately to everything! I never really liked lentils alone but added into stuff they are really good!

Thanks you guys!! It will be good to try new things with the lentils, but honestly, they are the easiest things for me to use because I like them and have recipes - it is the grains that are giving me the most trouble! Any ideas for those?

millet
hulled barley
red lentils (I make a great soup but I have a LOT of them!)
toasted buckwheat
bean thread noodles (the super thin ones)
split moong beans
quinoa

Perhaps you can see why these things are still in my pantry! :lol:
Thanks for any ideas :)

Quinoa you could serve as a side in place of rice
could the barley & buckwheat be made into a porridge type breakfast cereal?
I'd make an asian style soup & add the noodles & mung beans
could the buckwheat be used in baking? muffins maybe?
I think you can toss the barley in with chili, let it cook until soft for extra texture.

Chole

You need to add quinoa to the title so Lauren, our resident quinoa pimp, can give you good ideas.

Millet adds a neat texture to a lot of things, like muffins and pancakes. Or you can make millet breakfast bars, which I think were in a Vegetarian Times cookbook I no longer have. Big help, huh? Millet cakes (kind of like polenta) are good, too.

Can you use the buckwheat in pancakes if it's toasted? Buckwheat pancakes are yummy.

hehe, OK I added the quinoa to the title :p I've made pilaf with it before but it wasn't 'great' so I am hoping someone who uses it often will have suggestions!

I actually have the Vegetarian Times cookbook somewhere around here - I'll check for that recipe for millet! The only thing I've ever done with it is make a breakfast porridge but I didn't do a very good job..... I could probably do better now since I eat hot cereals a lot more often these days. Millet cakes sound great!!! I like that idea a lot....I'll search for recipes on that ;)

I loooooove buckwheat pancakes but I'd have to grind this to do that I think. Maybe I could soak it and then blend it to make a batter.....I bought it to try to make these vegan energy bars my HFS makes that are SOOOO good, but I don't have a recipe (just an ingredient list) and I still haven't tried. I guess I could just try those....I might have all the stuff still....

Chloe the barley in chili sounds pretty good. I've heard of beef barley soup too but I've never made it, so I don't know what makes a 'good' recipe.....


Kerri - I've got to try the lentil tacos!!! I eat beef but for some reason beef tacos gross me out, but lentil ones sound good!


Ok good ideas everyone, thanks! More are welcome if anyone is feeling creative!

pumpking quinoa muffins (recipe is on bob's red mill site)

quinoa in the rice cooker- with pre-sauted onions and peppers then throw in a cup of cubed fresh tomato when it's cooked

quinoa chili- search the market board, I posted the recipe here somewhere

~jo

oooh , the toasted buckwheat- make buckwheat croquettes!

onion, pepper and carrots shredded and sauted with cumin, salt and curry powder to your taste. I use about 2 tsp of each give or take.
add 2 cups of broth and 2 cups of buckwheat, cook until soft. (20 min?)
cool somewhat and add a cup of whole grain flour (any type) to bind

shallow fry in an oiled cast iron pan... they are delish!

bean thread noodles:

boil in water for just a couple minutes (test them- do not over cook)
add them hot to this mix:
feta cheese
fresh tomato chunks
basil
olive oil

I live on this in the summer

~jo

Yum - great ideas Jo, Thanks! Those toasted buckwheat croquettes sound fantastic!

christy - I didn't find that recipe for the millet bars in the Veg times cookbook :( Can you describe it? What about your millet cakes? They both sound really good! :)

I copied this from Meeshi's blog. I figure she put it on there to share, so it would be okay?

Honey Baked Lentils
1 cup lentils
2 cups water
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soysauce (I used Braggs)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ginger (I omitted this)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
salt & pepper
In a baking dish (I use a loaf pan) combine all ingredients. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 until tender, about an hour. I stirred at least once during baking because the onions tend to rise to the top. We serve with rice and like it all stirred together.

Thanks Kerri :) - I've made those, it is an awesome recipe! I actually have some leftovers in the refrigerator right now LOL

Ah quinoa! ;) I will try to dig up my recipe and paste it into this thread...it was on this forum that I posted it. Oh I have to make it again now that I can eat carbs. :D Oh wait - it has so much calcium in it I have to be careful with my antibiotics. :( Hopefully soon I can indulge in it again...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS!

Quick Lemon & Garlic Quinoa Salad
Contributed by Cynthia Lair for Mothering Magazine

Quinoa has an excellent nutritional profile (10.5 grams of protein per cup). This unique whole grain, which was the staple food of the Incas, is also rich in calcium and iron. It has been used in Africa and Peru to aid women in producing a good supply of breastmilk.

Salad:
1 cup dried quinoa
8 cups water
Pinch of sea salt
½ cup carrots, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, minced
¼ cup sunflower seeds
Dressing:
2–3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari or shoyu

Rinse quinoa with warm water and drain through a fine strainer. Place quinoa in a 3-quart pan and dry-roast on low heat (about five to eight minutes). Stir grains constantly until they begin to change color and give off a nutty aroma. Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add salt and toasted quinoa to boiling water. Boil for seven to eight minutes. Remove from heat and drain quinoa in a large strainer, in the same way you would prepare pasta.

Prepare vegetables and dressing. Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add carrots, seeds, and parsley to quinoa. Mix thoroughly. Combine garlic, lemon juice, oil, and tamari or shoyu; pour over quinoa and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Preparation time: 15 to 20 minutes

Makes four to six servings

Also wanted to say that if you can grind the grains, you can add small amounts to any of your traditional recipes like muffins or breads etc... in place of regular flour.

Aileen

I'm not 100% sure it was a VT cookbook with the millet bars, but they've put out more than one. I borrowed a friend's to look for a cupcake recipe, and it wasn't in the one I borrowed. :( I'll see if I can find anything in any of the cookbooks I have.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS!

Quick Lemon & Garlic Quinoa Salad
Contributed by Cynthia Lair for Mothering Magazine

Quinoa has an excellent nutritional profile (10.5 grams of protein per cup). This unique whole grain, which was the staple food of the Incas, is also rich in calcium and iron. It has been used in Africa and Peru to aid women in producing a good supply of breastmilk.

Salad:
1 cup dried quinoa
8 cups water
Pinch of sea salt
½ cup carrots, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, minced
¼ cup sunflower seeds
Dressing:
2–3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari or shoyu

Rinse quinoa with warm water and drain through a fine strainer. Place quinoa in a 3-quart pan and dry-roast on low heat (about five to eight minutes). Stir grains constantly until they begin to change color and give off a nutty aroma. Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add salt and toasted quinoa to boiling water. Boil for seven to eight minutes. Remove from heat and drain quinoa in a large strainer, in the same way you would prepare pasta.

Prepare vegetables and dressing. Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add carrots, seeds, and parsley to quinoa. Mix thoroughly. Combine garlic, lemon juice, oil, and tamari or shoyu; pour over quinoa and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Preparation time: 15 to 20 minutes

Makes four to six servings

Ah Aileen! My long-lost sister. :) That is the recipe that is the basis of many of my quinoa creations. :D

With that garlic, lemon juice, oil, and shoyu base you can do lots...I add ginger and rice vinegar, carrots and peas for a quinoa "fried rice"...or switch up which veggies I put in the above recipe just based on what's available or what we're in the mood for.

This has started a huge quinoa craving...;)

Mmmmmnnnn, such great ideas! I didn't even think to do a search for recipes :o I think I have everything on hand to make the recipe Aileen posted so I'll try that first!

XT - yeah, I was wondering if maybe I had a different version of the VT cookbook. I've had mine forever - geesh, like 15 years or more....so that might be why! lol