Have you ever heard of Freekeh? I had not, until this past spring at Natural Products West. It is a roasted green wheat that originated in the Middle East. Like quinoa and farro, it is higher in protein than traditional grain products. It also has a relatively low glycemic index. Freekeh has been a bit of an underground favorite, but has recently been showing up in stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. It is great in pilafs and all things Mediterranean, simply use as the grain base in your favorite recipe. However, if you'd prefer, I'm posting a couple of recipes I found here for you to try. Here is a simple Freekeh breakfast recipe provided by the Greenwheat Freekeh people. You can also buy their product online " />
buy their product online if you can't find it in your local grocer. Freekeh(TM) Breakfast 1 or 2 Granny smith apples one box of 400gm Freekeh cinnamon any dried fruit you like (ie raisins and apricots) as much as you like. Method First cook the whole grain Freekeh (or cracked grain Freekeh for some variation). All you need to do is to empty the whole box of grains in a pot and cover with water plus a little more (Freekeh cannot be over cooked and is very resilient). Cook for about 35 minutes or so until the grains are soft. If using cracked Freekeh only cook for about 15-20 minutes. (One other possibility is instead of cooking the Freekeh to simply soak it overnight in the fridge with water with a towel on top) While waiting for the grains to cook, chop and dice one or two apples (no need to peel, and Granny smith are best). Place the diced apples in a dry pot on low heat and stir for about 1 -2 minutes. Add only less than 1 teaspoon of water. Add cinnamon and stir for one more minute. Wash as many dried fruits as you like (dried apricots and raisins are good) and add to the apples. Stir for 1 more minute or so. Tip the fruit mixture over the already cooked grains and mix well. Let cool. Place in the fridge. The breakfast cereal should keep for 10 days or even more. To eat. Take a scoop or two of the mixture add some milk and put some wallnuts or cashew nuts or both on top. Heat in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and place a dollop of vanilla yogurt in the middle. In the summer you do not need to heat in the microwave and only use the yogurt without the milk… but then again you may come up with new variations to this recipe! From Bon Appetit Magazine comes this recipe for Chicken with Kale and Freekeh-Lentil Pilaf Ingredients Vinaigrette 2 tablespoons cumin seeds 1/2 cup Sherry vinegar 2 small garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons finely chopped Hunza raisins 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Kosher salt Pilaf and Chicken 4 tablespoons (or more) olive oil, divided 1 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2"-thick cutlets Kosher salt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 garlic clove, smashed 1 pound kale, large center ribs and stems removed, torn into pieces 1 cup cooked freekeh 1 cup cooked lentils Preparation Vinaigrette Stir cumin in a small dry skillet over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add vinegar and garlic. Let stand for 30 seconds. Transfer to a blender; add oil and next 3 ingredients. Purée. Season with salt. Pilaf and Chicken Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt. Working in 2 batches and adding 1 Tbsp. oil between batches, cook chicken in single layers until browned on both sides and just cooked through, 2–3minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Remove pan from heat; add 1/4 cup water. Stir, scraping up browned bits. Whisk in 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Scrape sauce into a bowl. Melt butter with 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until just beginning to brown, 1–2 minutes. Discard garlic. Working in 3 batches and adding more oil as needed, add kale to skillet and toss until wilted, 1–2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a large bowl. Season lightly with salt. Cover to keep warm. Add freekeh and lentils to same skillet. Increase heat; stir until warm, 2–3 minutes. Spoon pilaf onto plates. Top with chicken. Whisk juices from plate with chicken into sauce; drizzle over chicken and pilaf. Top with kale.