Add first…

…subtract later never.

That’s my version of the improve-your-diet rule, at least.  I like trying new things, but I also like keeping the old (can you tell I was a Girl Scout?). 

New: Israeli couscous & French Whole Wheat couscous

Old: Quinoa

And so the three-grain pilaf was born…

Into the pot went:

• 1/3 cup Israeli couscous
• 1/3 cup French WW couscous
• 1/3 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water

I left it to soak in the pot while I went on a run, showered, and answered emails (~1.5 hours).

When I returned to the stove, almost all the water had been absorbed.

Having over an hour to soak first made the cooking process WAY faster.  Soaking also has numerous other benefits (although these aren’t quite as valid in this case, since I cooked the grains afterwards).  Still, soaking improves nutritional bioavailability and makes digestion easier.  This is more important in nuts, beans, and seeds, but also applies to grains and pseudograins, too. 

I added another 1/2 cup water (to just cover the grains) and then turned on the heat.

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble.  10 minutes went by and it was beyond done.  Because I was aiming for a more mushy rice pudding-like consistency, I purposefully left it on longer than necessary.  For it’s last minute on the stove I added TVP.

What, you ask, is TVP?  Textured vegetable protein is made from reduced-fat soy beans and is most commonly used to replace meat in vegetarian dishes.  It’s super easy to use – all you need to do is add water – and voila! instant (vegetarian) ground meat.  I mostly use it in chili (recipe here), but today I decided to make a “meaty” grain-filled salad.

• 3/4 cup TVP
• 1 tsp onion powder (or sub 1/2 yellow onion sautéed)
• 1/4 cup Bragg’s liquid aminos
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water

The TVP really only needs 30 seconds to soak up the liquid, but I gave it a few minutes to get it extra mushy while melding with the other flavors.   

Once it cooled, I served it up alongside a simple raw veggie salad.

Simple summer veggie chop:

• 4 baby carrots
• 1 tomatillo
• 1/2 tomato
• 20 snap peas
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1 tbsp Bragg’s liquid aminos

Lately I’m loving tomatillos as a sweeter contrast in my salads.  And aren’t they pretty? 

Yes. 

I actually don’t know which dish I liked better. 

The battle of the summer: on the left we have the crispy crunch of fresh summer veggies and on the right we have the nutrient packed grain pudding with wholesome protein galore.

It’s a tough call for sure.  You try and let me know which you prefer.

I definitely had seconds and thirds of the 3 grain protein pilaf. 

Do yourself a favor and get on this recipe like white on rice me on hummus.

How sad that ten different foods just came to mind to plug into that last phrase.  Or maybe that’s not sad at all…I’m going with awesome.  Instead of hummus, I could have said a number of things, starting with coffee and ending with bread.  How would you fill in this sentence for yourself?