Everyday Whole Grains

Okay, so. White carbs aren't so great for you. Whole grains are better, yah?

But they're haaaaaaaaard...and healthy things taste yucky and and and--!

Try this--start this rolling while you get the rest of dinner together, it should be done by the time the rest of it is. You will have lost some nebulous "healthful points", yah, but slightly-less-healthy things you're willing to eat have got to, IMO, be better than the wholly healthy thing you feel sentenced to eat before chucking down the disposal in self-loathing, right?

countgeiger like this enough to eat the leftovers.

Of his own free will.

And this is a man who'll freely admit that his favorite diet would be hamburgers and milkshakes if you left him to it.

So:

Savory Weeknight Whole Grains

3 parts whole grains of your choice: rye berries, wheat berries, hulled (not pearl) barley, brown rice--I've not tried this with quinoa, buckwheat, or whole oats, YMMV.
5 parts water

two Tablespoons unsalted butter (or other grease, but butter browns best) per 1 1/2 c grains
one onion per every 1 1/2 c grain, 1/2" dice
pinch of salt
one-half ounce dried mushroom per 1 1/2 c grain, torn or pounded to 1/2" pieces

Preheat oven to 375°

Melt butter in an oven-safe Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid large enough to hold the grains and water over medium heat. Once butter has melted and foaming subsides, add onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have softened and become translucent, about five minutes.

Pour water into a kettle or saucepan, and place over high heat as soon as the onions are cooked. Add grains to butter and onions and, while water is heating, toast grain in oil, stirring frequently. As the grain toasts, it will smell pleasantly nutty.

When water comes to a boil, remove from heat. Add one-fifth of the water to the grains, which will cause some thermal drama. Add the rest of the water and the crumbled dried mushrooms, cover, and place in the preheated oven.

Bake at 375° for 45 minutes, while you cook the other things. Grain will be chewy, but not crunchy.

Everyday Spinach with Mushrooms

Similarly, that same countgeiger likes his spinach this way, because it is "not wet".

Everyday Spinach with Mushrooms

Per person:

5 oz spinach (baby or adult, doesn't matter)
2 oz brown mushrooms, sliced
enough of your oil-of-choice to cover the bottom of a skillet
1/2 onion, diced to 1/2"
pinch of salt
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
splash tamari or soy sauce

Place sliced mushrooms in microwave-safe bowl and cook on high power for two to three minutes. Remove and press into a sieve or colander, extracting a lot of liquid, and set aside.

If using adult spinach, roll several leaves together into a cigar, and slice crosswise into 1/2"-1" long pieces. Baby spinach can be used as-is (but costs twice as much). In either case, place spinach into a bowl and microwave that too, 2-3 minutes per serving or until wilted (but not undead). Remove and press into a colander or sieve, extracting yet more liquid, and set aside. Your spinach will have reduced ridiculously in volume, 2/3, 3/4, or more.

While spinach is cooking in microwave, heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Once a drop of water sizzles in the pan, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, about five minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about thirty seconds. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are fully browned. Add spinach to skillet and combine with mushrooms, onions, and garlic until spinach is heated through, then add tamari or soy sauce and cook until the sauce is absorbed, perhaps two minutes more.

Serve immediately.