Cooking Club

The April Cooking Club Theme was cooking and working with whole grains.  Many people are interested in changing to consuming more whole grains, but just aren’t sure how to go about it, and are unsure if they will like it.  The whole grains that most of us are familiar with are popcorn, sweet corn, rice, and oatmeal.  Nothing too scary there, right? 

Our group tackled some of the lesser known whole grains and preparations of them. 

Wild Rice, Barley and Wheat Berries.

The goal of the cooking club is to learn something, cook together and relax over the delicious meal we prepare together.  The focus is on Fun!  Most everyone who enjoys cooking misses out on making this into a social and educational venture, and that is exactly why cooking clubs are formed. 

In our discussion about whole grains, we talked about reading food labels and the tricks manufacturers play with the consumers.  This may look serious, but we all were having a lot of fun learning how to be more informed about whole grains when making our food choices.

Talking about whole grains with Patricia, Betty and Mandi.  You can see the delicious whole grain bread we made by grinding spelt and wheat.

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We worked with a fabulous grain mill and saw how to grind flour and spelt for a rustic whole grain bread. A grain mill can also turn oats into oatmeal, rolled or cut.  This was a great learning experience!

Without following a recipe, we tossed together a delicious salad using a variety of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and a delicious vinaigrette.  What a difference fresh ingredients make, and a homemade vinaigrette cannot be beat!

Start with leafy greens, and add lots of color!  Thanks Kim and Betty!

Cooking up a few wild rice burgers.

We tried a veggie burger made with wild rice, and enjoyed tasting something prepared a little differently than the wild rice soups and salads we see all the time.  We also adapted the recipe to be gluten-free without compromising taste, and even for those who usually enjoy gluten this was a wonderful meal. 

Serving up the wild rice burger topped with tomato (no bun) with salad and some iced tea. 

Everybody worked together to create our delicious meal, and we spent time getting to know new friends!  It was wonderful to meet and spend time with others who share our love of food!

Working on oatmeal, Salad, Dishes, and having fun with Sheri, Kim, Mandi and Betty.

What a great day we all had!