Whole grains are a very healthy, high fiber, high protein, and alpha-gal safe breakfast!  Cook them in vegetable or chicken stock and top with an egg, some grape tomatoes, and some microgreens, and you have a delicious start to your day! 

Plan ahead

Grains can take a long time to cook. And, they definitely take more time than I want to spend on a weekday breakfast, so I cook up a batch of them on the weekend, and freeze in portions for a quick microwaveable breakfast, or lunch. 

A breakfast grain bowl can be just one type of grain, or a mix of several.  Some grains take longer than others, so adjust your cooking process based on the package directions.  I start with longer cooking grains, and then add the other grains in based on how much time they will need of the longest cooking grain.   So, for example, if wild rice takes 45 minutes, and brown rice takes 25, I’ll add the rice in when the wild rice has been cooking for 15 minutes.  Quinoa takes 15 minutes to cook, so I’ll add that at the 30-minute mark.

Don’t over think it, just watch your grains, add more stock or water if needed during the cooking process, and keep cooking until they’re all tender and the water is absorbed.  I add water as I go to avoid having too much liquid at the end, but if your grains are all cooked tender and you have excess liquid, just drain it off.  It’s perfectly fine!

Use What You Have

 A breakfast grain bowl can be as simple as a bowl of grains with olive oil, salt, and pepper; or dressed up with greens, eggs, veggies or nuts.  So, just use what you have on hand!

You can use a mix of grains, based on what you have in your pantry.  For this recipe I had wild rice, black pearl barley, brown rice, and quinoa.  But, you can also add in farro, lentils, or other grains.    Keeping a variety of grains in your pantry keeps your options open. Grains stored in airtight containers are shelf stable for a long time. 

Breakfast Grain Bowl Recipe

Ingredients:

½ cup wild rice (uncooked, rinsed)

½ cup black pearl barley (uncooked, rinsed)

½ cup brown rice (uncooked, rinsed)

½ cup quinoa (uncooked, rinsed)

4-5 cups of Vegetable or chicken stock, or water, more or less as needed during cooking

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

In a large sauce pan, add the wild rice and black pearl barley.  Stir in 2 cups of vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Add the brown rice, and 2 more cups of stock or water.  Return to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir in the quinoa and simmer for 15 minutes or until all grains are tender.  Add more liquid as needed.  When all grains are tender, remove from heat, cover, and allow to sit for about 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, if all liquid is not absorbed, drain off remaining liquid.

Serve grains in a bowl, seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper.  If desired, top with eggs, greens, nuts, or other veggies.  Enjoy!

If you try this recipe, please let me know in the comments here, or on my Susan by a Thread Facebook page. Follow me on Facebook for all the latest Susan by a Thread recipes.

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