I’ve been on a mission recently to add more whole grains to my diet; several weeks ago I decided that I would try a new grain each week. I’d be like the Tony Bourdain of grains, trying anything and everything. OK, so trying a grain isn’t all that adventurous but I have always had this prejudice against grains (other than rice, of course, which I eat all the time.) Because whole grains are so healthy, I have always assumed they must have the taste and texture of rabbit food. I know I shouldn’t feel that way but, I do. So my mission would be to find a grain that gets me to overcome my prejudice and, if I’m very lucky, one that I might even consider eating nearly as often as rice.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought some organic quinoa from Trader Joe’s and made a salad of quinoa, black beans, corn and bell pepper in a lime-cilantro vinaigrette. Quinoa is an ancient grain from the Andes; it is very high in protein and amino acids. My salad was very good. The quinoa was surprisingly light (very un-rabbit food like), making it an ideal substitute for rice. The next week, I made tabbouleh using bulgur, a form of quick-cooking whole wheat. It wasn’t bad but the bulgur could have been a bit softer. I might try using it in a recipe where it is actually cooked rather than steeped as in the tabbouleh. I’ve seen recipes for bulgur pilafs or even chili with bulgur. Last night, Robert and I went to 22 Doors and I ordered the farro “risotto.” It was made with Bluebird Farm’s Farro, caramelized fennel, walnuts and golden raisins and was topped with pea vines and ricotta salata. Farro is a form of wheat and it is used a lot in Italian cooking. It was pretty tasty but they gave me a huge serving and, after a while, it began to feel very heavy and started to taste like, you guessed it, rabbit food. But, I actually think the grain itself was much better than that dish and I would really like to try using it in something at home. It was crunchy and very nutty in flavor and I could see it being good in a pilaf or salad. There are a couple of recipes for farro in Lynn Rosetto Caspar’s “The Italian Country Table” that I might need to check out. So, although none of these grains has completely blown me away, I do feel like I have found a couple of new foods that I would be willing to experiment more with and ultimately incorporate into my cooking. If any of you have recipes for whole grains that you love, please let me know.