Heidi,
I recently came across your site and I love it. Would this recipe work in a slow cooker? If so, how long do you think?
to Paula, the nearest equivalent to half-and-half would probably be single cream.
nicky

Thanks for sharing this recipe. This is great.
http://www.foodista.com

Tganks for your tips about cooking even though ive never cooked but i will have to try.thx

Love your cookbooks

YUM. I can’t think of a better breakfast. Maybe drizzled with maple syrup and topped with blueberries…
It might also make a great base for a veggie burger – especially with the walnuts. Yum.
Thanks for all your inspiration!

Whoa – that is way too much salt for a breakfast cereal! I definitely recommend cutting back to one teaspoon, not two. Hope molasses will balance out the salt tomorrow morning …

mmmmmmmmmmmm…. Unfortunately I have very few of these ingredients, but it looks so delicious I really think I’ll be doing some shopping soon!

You come up with some of the most delicious and amazing recipes. Keep them coming.

What a wonderful idea. I have a 3 year old son called Jason and he loves food like this. Being a single mum, it`s something we can do together and cook for his grandma. We are looking forward to cooking them.

Wow I didn’t know you could do this, I always make single grain dishes. This sounds wonderful though and a great way to add multiple textures to a sidedish. Thanks for the inspiration!

WOW! I’m eating my second bowl of this for the day and couldn’t be happier! I dressed mine with soy milk, raw sugar, roasted macadamia nuts & just a drizzle of agave nectar – divine!
I didn’t have millet in the house, so I subbed whole amaranth seed – mmmmm! Those tiny, delicate beads look beautiful mixed in with the bigger, heartier grains.
Finally – a recipe that not only justifies, but requires, my binges in the bulk grain bins of whole foods!

Paula-Do you have something where you live called single cream? If so, I think that is similar to what we call half and half.

I agree with Liz that the “handful” measurement is troubling. My hands are the same size as the average 8 year old’s. I doubt that the heaping tablespoon they hold would work out well in this recipe!

To the questions about handful size – my thinking is that a recipe wouldn’t use such imprecise measurements if the exact amount was really important, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

Please can someone tell me if half and half,is half milk, half cream,and if so what cream.
We have no such thing in British cooking

Heidi,
Thank you for your wonderful blog. I recently took your book out of our public library and found so many recipes in it that I wanted to make – I’m going to buy my own copy for sure.
I just posted about a multi-grain breakfast cereal at my blog as well – http://www.Iamglutenfree.blogspot.com. It’s amazing how great I feel after eating it and how long the good feeling lasts! I will definitely give your combo a try (with some modification, since I am gluten free). Thanks for your inspiration and great blog!

The only mixed grains we get here are those that get sprinkled on top of your rice. Missing this type of food.

I am inspired by your photographs and your recipe. Sometime something simple like a bowl of mixed grains does not need anything else to make it great. Generations of people made do with this, so it must be genetic.
Your photographs make me want to pull out the posts and dig through my pantry and get going.
One thing that might be a nice addition is to serve this as a starch to something wonderful. I might even be tempted to stir in Oka cheese at the end and call it a mock rissotto. Aww gee, thanks a lot, I am not super hungry. Time to go sort out the pantry.

Hi Heidi! I just saw your book at Borders! I’ve been following your recipes for a while so it feels like I know you personally!

Delightful! I have also always fretted over the varying cooking times. This is an exciting tip. Thanks to your reader to sharing!

I’m eating your curried egg salad with apples on pita bread while reading this….and plotting this next meal!

What is arancini?
Thanks!

peterd–you’re right. What I meant to say was barley with the hull still on! Hulled and dehulled barley both have the hull removed.

I like the knuckle instruction. I have been living in Korea, and my housemate would laugh at me when I measured my rice and water, since everyone knew that knuckles are the only way to get it right.

Heidi,
What are your pointers on keeping your kitchen stocked with all your fresh produce? Do you shop 3 times a week?! I can’t make it through a week without running out of food, then that’s when the take out and pizza starts creeping in.
Any tips?

John! That’s amazing, we post just minutes from each other! I can’t say I wouldn’t think others might tap this resource for help with intense nutrition plans as that of MMA fighters as I have. What other recipes in Heidi’s blog have you found to help you fill your required caloric intake? I’m trying to feed this man 6 to 7 times a day but it’s too much! He’s a horse! I find it hard to keep the kitchen stashed with all I need for a mere week!
What weight class do you fight in? What are your specialties? Do you find one needs to alter their food intake much depending on their weight class (in terms of what you eat, not how much)? Sorry for the bazillion questions, but my boyfriend lived off a diet of lettuce, boring chicken, and protein shakes for about 3 years until I decided enough was enough.
Good-for-you food doesn’t have to be boring food, and recipes like Heidi’s exemplify that. Now… to just have enough to feed him with!

What a wonderfully simple and delicious recipe! I made a pot of it yesterday, served a heaping spoonful in half an avocado as a side with dinner, this morning reheated some with raisins, cinnamon and barley milk for breakfast – delicious either way. And there is still so much left to be creative with 😉
I tend to cook grains a little differently if I have the time, i.e. if I think and plan ahead. Bring them to a boil, then cover and let sit for an hour or so (or however much time you have). When you resume cooking it takes less actual cooking time till they are soft.

Just want to second Lee-Sean above that in Asia we are very familiar with this dish, cooked easily by a rice cooker. The macrobiotics movement is big here in Thailand and this is like their main staple. 🙂
I recommend adding brown rice (from Thai jasmine rice) to the recipe. It smells georgeous!
We also have the “knuckle” measurement here when cooking rice! Some family would teach their daughters to press their palm lightly over the rice in the pot or cooker and the water level should be over their palm. Well, that’s for white rice, though. For multigrains, we need more water here! 🙂

I’m not too much of a cook but the person who wanted to know which knuckle to measure by? It was clarified by saying “about 2″ above the grains”. How much is a handful? I think the best thing to do would be to grab a handful put it in a measuring cup and see what you have. That would be about a handful. My guess is this is a flexable dish.

Very nice! I’m looking forward to adding this to the regular morning mix when the weather chills down a bit. And I totally understand what Laura is saying (above) about trying to feed an athlete. They just don’t stop eating. Ever. They’re bottomless. But I think this will slow him down just a bit. 🙂
Thanks, and cheers!
Miss G.

I know what you mean about the grain pots – they’re so hard to scrub! I usually default to instant oatmeal, which is easy to make but doesn’t taste that great. It’s nice that there is a grain dish out there that actually gets kids excited and looks good to eat.

I use a rice cooker for all grqains and often toss them in together. Red lentils along with rice, quinoa, barley, wild rice etc are wonderful and if you add a teaspoon of stock powder to the water can be eaten straight from the bowl.

I make grains, mixed, as this recipe, and single shots. I freeze the grains in bags, individually. When I need ’em, I reheat in the micro (which I use for storage most of the time). It is a quick fix when unexpected company comes. Mix two or three grains, toss in a pan, add veg stock, and enjoy! Good with a side of fresh veggies, steamed and flavorful, adds color and vitamins. I live alone, and is easy to have on hand, and not dirty pans that I have to soak and wash after they leave.
I love easy!

I have been doing this for some time now, and it is a wonderful way to get youngsters to eat a variety of whole grains. Most people seem to love barley and it seems to make the others go down easier.

I wanna try this, but I’m a young man and relatively new to cooking for myself.
Let me continue…
I have big hands, so you when you use handfuls as a measurement, I’m thinkin’, that’s gonna be a lot. So to put my soul at rest could you give an accurate measurement of how much a handful would be, or does it even matter?
And also, does the wild rice cook all the way in 35 minutes or does it stay a bit hard? Maybe hard is the point, so it’s like cereal???

Oh, that looks so satisfying! I am not asking for an early winter here, but it makes me think of cold mornings with hot cracked wheat cereal. I will be trying such a simple, filling, nutritious dish out! Thanks.

I really heard the comment about cleaning saucepans! but I have got round that problem with by using a china pudding basin (the type for steamed puddings) in the microwave. I have cooked some of these grains – separately (and scrambled egg too) without horrible pans.
For the grains, they all need the same sequence of full blast for time ‘x’ to bring them to the boil without boiling over and then very low power for time ‘y’ to cook – again without boiling over.
Of course, microwaves vary and grains vary and quantities vary so there is an experimental mode required, but for instance, on my microwave; for two people:
Oats: 1:55 Full, then 5:00 power 3
Basmati Rice 3:00 Full then 8:00 power 2
Full Brown Rice 4.00 Full then 22:00 power 2
etc
Of course, scrambled eggs require stopping and stirring a couple of times to get them just right
But in every case the ‘no saucepan to clean’ is a joy and the china pudding basin washes very easily.
Now to go and try that Grandma’s mix…

Oh, cool! I love how you used a readers recipe, particularly a grandma’s, and particularly one that is a big pot of grains! I’ve never cooked grains together except in a soup, so this gives me more courage. It’s also reassuring that her grandkids love it. Being that most kids today live on a diet of gummy worms and bunny shaped cookies, this gives me hope:)

Oh, cool! I love how you used a readers recipe, particularly a grandma’s, and particularly one that is a big pot of grains! I’ve never cooked grains together except in a soup, so this gives me more courage. It’s also reassuring that her grandkids love it. Being that most kids today live on a diet of gummy worms and bunny shaped cookies, this gives me hope:)

I once had a recipe that was handed down to me from my great-grandmother that was simmilar to this one. It was lost during a recent move to our new home. My grandmother used to make it for us kids when we were young and she called it “Breakfast Rice”.
Thanks for shareing this recipe, I am going to make it this weekend!! YUMMMM!!!

This is peculiar, having read the comment from Laura…but I’m an MMA fighter too (seriously!) as well as a weightlifter. I try to eat tons of oatmeal in the morning and hate it, so I can’t wait to try this!!
An earlier commenter asked, and I’d like to know too, how would you re-heat this throughout the week? I try to do a week’s worth of cooking on Sunday so I don’t have to worry about it later.
Love your blog (and from your videos, I think we’re neighbors…)
John

Heidi,
I am so excited about this recipe. My boyfriend is an MMA fighter who requires a LOT of food and good food at that. I have been obsessing over our nutrition lately (Since I’m doing it for him, I’m going to get in on my nutrition plan, too!) and have been so depressed at the thought of reading all these great recipes you post and no ingredients to make them with.
Well, that is over now, I found a teeny tiny family owned grocery store that sells all these grains by the pound… everything you use here! Barley, millet, quinoa, a wall of nothing but tubes filled with these. I was so happy to finally be able to recreate all of these at home!
This might sound a bit dramatic, but I have had several health problems, mostly gastrointestinal and pain related, and since I’ve started eating more along the lines of your food, my health has improved so much. I have something called Chest Wall Syndrome, and even that has improved in the mere month that I have been eating this way.
Since I put us on our limited new plan, we both have gotten so much healthier, and my boyfriend has been kicking MMA butt in his training sessions since he started. I cannot imagine how much better we’ll both be with this new world of food!
I really appreciate your recipes, and check your blog about 5 times a day waiting for another post.
THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
Laura

That looks both delicious and healthy!

I love mixed grains like this for breakfast, but am unsure of the best method to reheat it a few days later.
Should I add a little liquid (water, milk, or broth) and microwave, or in a pan on a burner?

Such a good idea! I love the idea that you can cook up a huge batch to nibble on through the week, sweet and savoury.
I’ve been experimenting with two grain recipes after deciding it was worth the hassle after making a recipe from the Ottolenghi cookbook, but it’s so much easier if you can cook them all together.
Many thanks to you and your lovely reader for sharing!

This looks so yummy and filling. I love grains!

I am surprised that you’re cooking this with wild rice for only 35 minutes. Most available wild rice is paddy-grown, which takes longer to cook (45-60 minutes).

This is beautiful…. we love whole grains at our house and this is a gorgeous, wholesome idea.
Multo grazie!
🙂

Thank you again. You’ve just given me more UnFun Mom ammo! This is very similar to a recipe I have from an old church cookbook. Looking forward to making my kiddies eat it…MUAH AH AH! 😉 C.

THANK YOU DEAR HEIDI FOR SENDING ME THIS WONDERFUL RECIPES. I WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE A EMAIL FROM YOU… MAY GOD BLESS YOU FOR SHARING YOUR PRECIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF COOKING, AND DELICIOUS RECIPES WITH ALL OF US..YOU ARE A GIFT FROM GOD TO US..

Great recipe! I cook mixed grains all the time using my rice cooker, which makes things even easier.
I have this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-NS-ZCC10-Cooker-Warmer-Premium/dp/B00007J5U7/ref=sr_1_3/104-6423687-7953506?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1218734197&sr=1-3

This looks great- I would like to post a warning about improvising with the grains- do not use buckwheat. It falls apart in a bad way. I tried to cook buckwheat with brown rice once and it did not get creamy like millet, but slimy and grey. I think french lentils would work well with this, though, for the savory version.

could you cook this like steel cut oats – the overnight method?

Hello,
first of all: my vegetarian housemate will LOVE this recipe. She’ll loveitloveitloveit 😉
AND … I’ve figured the covered/uncovered bit out ! It’s ‘cover with water’ and ‘simmer uncovered’ ! Woohoo !
Heidi, your food, your pictures and your thoughts about food and life make me just happy. I have been admiring your work secretly from far away Singapore for years – and it is about time I tell you … You’re fabulous !
Thank you for your creative mind, your posting-discipline and for loving what you’re doing.
Deeply inspired
Andrea

Looks wonderful! I love mixed grain dishes. For breakfast today we are having a mixed grain hot cereal I ground myself in my home grinder. I find that the different grains add such a variety of texture and flavor. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will be sure to try it. 🙂

Madelaine,
Hulled barley sure is edible and nutty tasting. Just must cook it for longer, perhaps an hour if I am recalling correctly.

I find the recipe very interesting. I am trying to work on a grain mixture for my son, who has Crohn’s disease. Especially interested in quinqua for nutritional value.

The knuckle questions remind me of my Grandma’s instruction for how hot the water should be to proof yeast. “Run the faucet until you can only keep your finger in it while you count to two, but count to three when you’re my age (80).”

Yup, yet another lurker is impelled to leave the shadows by this fabulous recipe. Absolutely can’t wait for Saturday breakfast…

I don’t doubt that this recipe works, but doesn’t it break every rule in the book? I thought adding salt to uncooked grains, putting the grains in cold water, and cooking them uncovered were no-no’s.
I have to add my agreement that, without a specified pot size (or knuckle number) the amount of water is wholly arbitrary, especially with inexact amounts of variously sized grains.
This said, I’m intrigued that it works.

This reminds me of the breakfast porridge we make in my house almost every day. We use a slightly different mix of grains — equal portions on millet, quinoa, rye, barley, wheat berries, and brown rice. After rinsing the grains (1/4 c. per person) we add water in a 5:1 ratio with the grains (more or less to taste), with a drizzle of sesame oil, a little salt and about a tablespoon of honey, molasses or brown sugar. We let it cook overnight on low in the crock pot, and the porridge is ready when we get up in the morning! We usually top it with yogurt, applesauce, walnuts and a drizzle of honey.

Absolutely lovely recipe and photo, as always, but do I see walnuts in the picture? As a former editor of recipes (yep, for a newspaper food section), I would request that you please, please, please include all garnishes as ingredients, for the sake of my shopping list!!
HS: Hi Barb, you can add whatever you like to the basic grain recipe – I mention up above that I drizzled this serving with a bit of of half-and-half, and sprinkled with a bit of raw sugar and toasted walnuts. There are a few other suggestions in the main body of the post as well… “For lunch I might go for a scoop with a poached egg and a little side salad. Or I could use it as the backbone of a “fried-rice” type dish with tofu. Or a baked version of arancini in place of day-old risotto.” Sorry for any confusion – you can really use the base grains 100 different ways.

In the UK ‘whole barley’ is called ‘pot barley’. You can get it in healthfood shops. Supermarkets seem to sell pearl barley only.

I love this recipe. The best part is that it is written just like a gramma recipe – “handfuls” and “water to your knuckle”. These gramma precise recipes are the best. It reminds me of writing down my gramma’s recipes – no cups, no tablespoons…just splashes or a lot or a little! 🙂

Now THESE are whole grains. That’s what I’m talking about, the real deal. Thanks, Grandma!

I couldn’t wait to try this as I’ve been itching to use more of the grains I have on hand. Rather than oats and barley, I used quinoa and teff (to boost protein).
I’m fresh from reading a book on food/health and that author suggested soaking all grains for an hour and while cooking, adding a thumb sized piece of the sea vegetable, Kombu (remove like a bay leaf – acts to increase minerals of grains and legumes). I obediently soaked, but was so excited about the dish, promptly forgot the Kombu.
The pot is still hot on the stove – it smells great and looks lush…. Yum – can hardly wait for lunch.
Thanks Heidi…. love the site. I’m relatively new to cooking and have enjoyed making many of the recipes you post.
Maureen

Kate,
Pearl barley is unfortunately not whole barley. Pearled barley has had the hull removed and then the bran removed. Hulled barley isn’t edible to my knowledge; dehulled barley still has the bran.
Heidi,
I made your peanut butter cookies last night and they were perfect! Such a nice treat. This looks like it might be a homemade substitute to my Kashi 7 grain pilaf.

I am also wondering what “up to the knuckle” means. There are three knuckles on a finger – which one? I can’t wait to make this! It sounds especially appealing as we head into fall – I’m envisioning it with all sorts of roasted squash and root veggies….
HS: Middle knuckle on your pointer finger.

It’s hard to think of eating grains in the hottest of the summer days, but this looks both complex and light — and, as you point out, easy! As the nights start to cool off I may just have to give this a try.
Looking forward to Chilean recipes and photos! Chile is one of my favorite wine-producing and pottery-making countries — excited to see what you saw there.

About how much is a handful? I always have a hard time with units like that… sorry!

I know what I will be having for breakfast for the next week! Sounds wonderful. Thanks so much, Rosemary

I’ve been looking for ways to use my bags of millet and red rice. This looks great!

When you say ‘ whole barley’ is that like pearl barley?
HS: It isn’t the same – whole barley is more intact and less processed than pearl barley which has had some of the nutritious bran milled off (for faster cooking).

This looks lovely. Can you get easy-cook wheat where you live? If so, I should think that would make a delicious addition to the pot, also quinoa….
Millet is high GI, so I’ve been avoiding it, but cooked with a mixture of low GI grains like this, it wouldn’t be. This definitely goes on my “to try” list, as do your Choco Coco Clusters from the other day!

Heidi,
I adore your blog-photography and recipes alike. I’m about to buy a better German-English Dictionary just to be able to look up all the ingredients – foodie words are not part of my regular workday English 😉 and I couldn’t tell apart the different types of grains even in German if it wasn’t for your inspiring recipes.
Greetings from Graz, Austria!

mmm… Looks like a hearty harvest breakfast. Just the kinda thing to top with applesauce and yogurt. My toddler might have fun eating some of this and using the rest of his share for hair product. He can’t seem to get enough rice or oatmeal. I’m sure the whole family will enjoy it!
Thanks Heidi and Grandma K.J.B.!

Mmm…
I’ll have to try this with a variety of different grains. I’m sort of trying to avoid gluten so I’ll see what I can come up with. Thankfully they now make oats that don’t come into contact with gluten.