great grains

One of the things I love about writing about food is trying new ingredients. When I run across something at the farmers’ market or in the grocery aisle I haven’t cooked before, it almost always ends up in my cart. When amaranth (pronounced ah-mah-ran-th) found its way into my kitchen last month, I was skeptical but curious about what this tiny grain had to offer.

Trying new ingredients usually ends up one of three ways in my kitchen:

This is the thirteenth post in the series Great Grains, highlighting unusual whole grains and easy ways to incorporate them into your diet.

This is the twelfth post in the series Great Grains, highlighting unusual whole grains and easy ways to incorporate them into your diet.

If quinoa had a résumé, I’m pretty sure that every one of us would have to hire it for whatever job it wanted. Ten seconds on Google pops up enough qualifications to make me wonder why I ever eat anything else:

This is the tenth post in the series Great Grains, highlighting unusual whole grains and easy ways to incorporate them into your diet.

This is the ninth post in the series Great Grains, highlighting unusual whole grains and easy ways to incorporate them into your diet.  Check out posts on bulgur,

This is the eighth post in the series Great Grains, highlighting unusual whole grains and how to incorporate them into your diet. Check out recent posts on Whole Grain Thanksgiving, teff, and barley.

This is the seventh post in the series Great Grains, highlighting unusual whole grains and easy ways to incorporate them into your diet. Check out recent posts on teff, barley, and rye.

This is the sixth post in the series “Great Grains," highlighting unusual whole grains and easy ways to incorporate them into your diet. Check out posts on barley, bulgur, millet,

This is the fifth post in the series “Great Grains," highlighting unusual whole grains and easy ways to incorporate them into your diet. Check out posts on bulgur, millet, rye, and

This is the fourth post in the series “Great Grains” highlighting unusual whole grains and easy ways to incorporate them into your diet.  Check out posts on bulgur, millet and rye as well. 

Is it a grain or is it a vegetable? Is maize the same thing as corn? What counts as the “whole” grain form? Corn gets such a bad rap—Is it even healthy for you?