Start by rinsing your grains. Place your dry grains in a strainer that fits inside of a bowl and rinse a few times until the water in the bowl is clear. Drain and you’re ready to cook.
When I cook grains, I like to make a big batch and store extra in the fridge for handy quick-cooking meals throughout the week. You can use most grains interchangeably—for instance, a recipe that uses farro will also work with wheat berries or brown rice. If you’re gluten-free, use quinoa or millet in place of other grains.
A note about rice: I prefer to use a rice cooker. Even with an inexpensive rice cooker, you can walk away and forget about it and have perfectly cooked rice.
1 cup (250 mL) dry + pot full of water = 3 cups (750 mL) cooked
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the rinsed farro. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
1 cup (250 mL) dry + pot full of water = about 3 cups (750 mL) cooked
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the rinsed wheat berries. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 to 90 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
1 cup (250 mL) dry + 2 cups (500 mL) water = 3½ cups (875 mL) cooked
Add the rinsed millet to a dry pot. Over medium heat, toast for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir, add water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork.
1 cup (250 mL) dry + 1¾ cups (425 mL) water = 3 cups (750 mL) cooked
Add the rinsed quinoa and water to a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork.
1 cup (250 mL) dry + 2 cups (500 mL) water + 1 teaspoon (5 mL) extra-virgin olive oil = 3 cups (750 mL) cooked
Combine the rinsed rice, water, and olive oil in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork.
1 cup (250 mL) dry + 3 cups (750 mL) water = about 3 cups (750 mL) cooked
Bring the water to a boil. Add the rinsed wheat berries. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain any excess water.
1 cup (250 mL) dry + 1½ cups (375 mL) water + 1 teaspoon (5 mL) extra-virgin olive oil = 3 cups (750 mL) cooked
Combine the rinsed rice, water, and olive oil in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork.
1 cup (250 mL) dry = 2½ to 3 cups (750 mL) cooked
Place the beans in a large bowl and pick out and discard any stones or debris. Cover the beans with 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) of water and discard any beans that float. Soak at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the beans well and place in a large pot. Cover the beans with 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) of cold water. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the beans have softened. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. The age of your beans, the variety, and the size can all affect the cooking time. Begin checking for doneness after 1 hour. The beans are cooked when they are soft enough to mash easily with a fork. Drain and cool.
In a small skillet over low heat, add the nuts and a pinch of sea salt. Toast, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are golden brown. Depending on the intensity of the heat on your stove, allow about 2 minutes for larger ones (almonds, walnuts, cashews), 1 minute for smaller ones (pistachios, peanuts), and about 30 seconds for pine nuts.
Hazelnuts: Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Place the nuts on a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the skins crack open and their texture softens. Shortcut this step by buying pre-roasted unsalted hazelnuts or blanched hazelnuts.
¾ cup (175 mL) warm (105 to 115°F/40 to 46˚C) water
1 teaspoon (5 mL) honey or cane sugar
1 packet (¼ ounce/7 g) active dry yeast
1 cup (250 mL) spelt or whole wheat flour, plus more as needed
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 mL) sea salt
2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup (60 mL) cornmeal
In a small bowl, stir together ¼ cup (60 mL) of the water and the honey, then sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. If it doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attached, combine the spelt flour, all-purpose flour, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, the remaining ½ cup (125 mL) of water, and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of the oil. Mix on medium speed until the dough forms into a ball around the hook. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth ball.
Brush the inside of a large bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set the bowl in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Punch it down and form it into a ball. Cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 more minutes.
Stretch and bake according to the pizza recipe you are using (roasted cauliflower and pear pizza, or spring onion pizzas).
If not using immediately, seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.
Yield: Makes 1 pound (450 g) dough, enough for one large or two small pizzas.
VEGAN: Use maple syrup instead of honey.
SAUCES, SPREADS, DRESSINGS, ETC.
1 cup (250 mL) raw unsalted cashews, soaked 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight, drained and rinsed
½ cup (125 mL) water
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon (2 mL) sea salt
Blend until smooth.
1¼ cups (300 mL) hulled sunflower seeds, soaked 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight, drained and rinsed
1 cup (250 mL) water
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons (30 mL) white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lemon juice, plus a bit of zest
½ teaspoon (2 mL) sea salt
Blend until smooth.
Variation: Add 1 to 2 peppers from canned chipotles in adobo sauce to make chipotle sun “cheese.”
3 tablespoons (45 mL) natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 tablespoon (15 mL) toasted sesame oil
1½ teaspoons (7 mL) tamari
1 teaspoon (5 mL) freshly grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon (5 mL) sriracha
2 tablespoons (30 mL) water
In a small bowl, stir to combine.
Variations: Substitute with almond butter or cashew butter.
7 ounces (200 g) Greek yogurt
⅔ cup (150 mL) chopped leafy herbs and stems (e.g., cilantro, basil, tarragon)
2 scallions, chopped
½ garlic clove
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon (2 mL) honey (optional)
Pulse in a food processor.
Vegan option: Use maple syrup instead of honey and cashew cream or sun “cheese” in place of yogurt.
½ cup (125 mL) Greek yogurt
1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 mL) chili powder
2 teaspoons (10 mL) fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon (1 mL) honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, stir to combine.
Vegan option: Substitute maple syrup for honey and cashew cream or sun “cheese” in place of yogurt.
2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, stir to combine.
1 tablespoon (15 mL) tamari
2 tablespoons (30 mL) water
1 tablespoon (15 mL) cane sugar
2 small garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons (10 mL) fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons (10 mL) rice vinegar
½ teaspoon (2 mL) red pepper flakes
In a small bowl, stir to combine.
1 cup (250 mL) chopped raw carrots
1 garlic clove
¼ cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (30 mL) tahini
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon (5 mL) minced ginger
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh orange juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a blender, puree the carrots with the garlic, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, ginger, and orange juice. Season with salt and pepper.
2 (14-ounce/414-mL) cans full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
⅓ cup (75 mL) sifted powdered sugar
Few drops of vanilla extract
Remove the coconut milk from the fridge and carefully scoop the thick solid part off the top. Save the watery part for another use. Use an electric mixer to whip the coconut cream until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix again.
Variations: Add ½ teaspoon (2 mL) cinnamon, ½ teaspoon (2 mL) lemon zest, or a few drops of lemon oil.