If you don't have a rice cooker, I highly recommend that you make the small investment. I bought mine at Target, but they can be found anywhere kitchen gadgets are sold. They make cooking your whole grains so much easier. For those of you working with me, you know how important it is to include whole grains in your diet - brown rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, barley, amaranth - the list goes on! However, these grains do take longer to cook and you really do have to watch the pot to make sure nothing boils over or dries out. That is where the rice cooker comes in. You simply measure your grains and water with the measuring cup provided with the cooker, add to the pot, cover, push a button and let it go! No need to keep an eye on it, and usually it takes less time to cook.
For instance, this morning, I combined millet, steel cut oats and amaranth in my little rice cooker, added water and let it do the work while I hopped in the shower, got dressed and ready for my day. I came downstairs to the wonderful smell of my grains, ready to eat...just scoop some in a bowl and add real maple syrup, cinnamon, nuts, berries, dried fruit, coconut - whatever you like. This is a pretty common breakfast for my husband and me. It's also a great way to prepare whole grains, like brown rice, for dinner.
Try to steer away from processed pastas and breads and include some more whole grains in your diet - get yourself a rice cooker and you'll see how easy it is!
