• 1 Tbsp Herb-Flavored Olive Oil
• 2 cups Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 cup Sweet Peas (I used frozen)
• 3-1/2 cups Broth (Beef, Chicken or Vegetable)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Today marks the launch of a new program at Bob’s Red Mill- Bob’s Birthday Club. We’ve partnered with Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, to bring birthday kits to children with autism. By making a minimum donation to Autism Speaks, adults can enlist an autistic child in the club, and in advance of that child’s birthday, the child will receive a Bob’s Birthday Club kit filled with gluten-free cake mix and other Bob’s Red Mill treats.

Here’s how Bob’s Birthday Club works:

• Anyone interested in signing up a child for Bob’s Birthday Club should visit www.autismspeaks.org/bobsbirthdayclub.
• With a donation of $30 or more made through the website, an adult can register an autistic child for the club.
• Then, as that child’s birthday nears, he/she will receive a special Bob’s Birthday Club kit, which includes:
  • Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix
  • A recipe card puzzle
  • A kid-size cooking apron
  • A measuring cup

The kits are limited to the first 1,000 people who sign up.

We couldn’t be more excited to support such an amazing organization and bring a little extra birthday joy to some deserving kids. We’ve partnered with Autism Speaks in the past and supported their “Light It Up Blue” campaign earlier this month by lighting up the Morrison Street Bridge in Portland, Oregon (see picture below).

This tasty, whole grain take on a Chinese classic comes from Jennifer Baldwin of Healthy Mamas and is just perfect for Meatless Mondays. Healthy Mamas is written by “just a few girls who happen to be moms, who are discovering and sharing ways to cook YUMMY and easy healthy meals!” They have loads of healthy, easy recipes so check ‘em out.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Corn Starch
• 8 oz. Pineapple Juice (or Juice from a 15 oz. can of Pineapple Chunks*)
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp fresh minced Ginger
• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 cups Sugar Snap Peas
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup Water Chestnuts
• 2 Carrots, sliced into thin pieces
• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 4.5 cups Water (or Chicken Broth)

This recipe comes from Pamela Braun who writes the blog My Man’s Belly.  She believes that the best way to a man’s (or woman’s) heart is through the stomach.  Food is something that is meant to be enjoyed and shared with those we love. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Mediterranean Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous with Scallops

Serves 4-6

• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous
• 2-½ cups Water
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 large Shallot (sliced thin)
• ½  – 3/4 Preserved Lemon
• 1 medium size Fennel Bulb (white part only – diced)
• 1-¼ cups Chicken Stock
• 8 ounces Bay Scallops
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• ½ cup chopped Fresh Parsley

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bring water to a boil in 4 quart saucepan and add in the pearl couscous.  Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and continue to cook until all of the water has been absorbed or for 10 minutes.  (Don’t cook it any longer than that.) Then remove from heat.

In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil until it shimmers.  Add in the sliced shallot and reduce heat to medium low.  Cook shallots until they begin to caramelize and turn brown.  You’ll need to stir them from time to time so that they don’t burn.  Continue cooking the shallots until they are a nice golden brown color then remove from heat.

Take the preserved lemon and cut it into quarters.  You’ll only use ½  – ¾ of it.  You can put the remaining lemon back into the jar.  Remove the insides of the lemon, so you are left with the yellow rind.  Rinse well under cool running water.  Finely chop the preserved lemon so that you have really small pieces.

Drain any remaining water from the couscous and return couscous to the pot.  Add the caramelized shallots and the oil they were cooked in, chopped preserved lemon, diced fennel and chicken stock to the couscous.  Stir to combine everything thoroughly.  Taste and then add some salt and pepper.  Make sure you taste first, before adding any more salt.  The preserved lemons already have quite a bit of salt in them, so you want to make sure it’s not too salty.

Pour this mixture into an 8”x8” pan and top with scallops.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and cook for an additional 7 minutes (this will brown the top a bit and give you some nice crunchy pieces of couscous).

Top with chopped fresh parsley.

Serve.

This fun breakfast twist on Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous comes form Tina of The Wandering Eater. Of her blog, Tina writes, “The Wandering Eater is devoted to food that tastes good. It ranges from restaurant reviews to recipes I’ve cooked at home that reflects my food preferences of being flavorful, interesting yet somewhat familiar.” While this recipe certainly seems geared towards breakfast, we think it would make a great dinner too!

Sometimes reading food labels can seem a little mysterious. Ingredients like milk, eggs, and whole wheat pastry flour are all pretty self-explanatory, but what about the other things that are sometimes found listed as ingredients? You know, the ones that aren’t readily recognizable as food or even that easy to pronounce. Today we’ll look at three such items: Maltodextrin, Dextrin and Dextrose.

Maltodextrin is a food additive that is created by taking corn or potato starch, boiling it down and then using acids or enzymes to break the starch down even further, leaving only a white powder. This powder is then used in many packaged foods like granolas, chips, and cereals, often times as filler, but also to create texture. In the US and Canada, Maltodextrin is always made from corn or potatoes, but in other parts of the world, it is sometimes made from wheat or barley. That is something to definitely keep in mind if you eat a gluten free diet.

Like Maltodextrin, Dextrin is also a starch, but with a slightly different function. In the US, it’s usually made from corn, potato, arrowroot, rice or tapioca but, also like maltodextrin, wheat is sometimes used elsewhere (so again, celiacs and those who don’t eat gluten, beware)!

“White dextrin” is the additive that is used as a binder to hold ingredients together or as a thickening agent (think cornstarch to thicken sauces).  It can also be found in batters, coatings, and glazes. “Yellow dextrin” is not used for food at all, but is a water-soluble glue, which is not appetizing at all (thank you, Wikipedia).

Finally, we have Dextrose. Dextrose is a simple sugar. It can occur naturally in some fruit and honey, but industrial-produced dextrose is usually made from cornstarch and…wait for it…is the main ingredient in corn syrup. Because dextrose browns when heated, it’s added to a lot of mass-produced baked goods as well.

Are there any other puzzling food labeling terms that you’re curious about? Let us know!

This lovely recipe for Curried Pearl Couscous comes from Hannah Voss-Surges of the blog Alimental and is part of our month long Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous celebration. Alimental is a candid account of her everyday life as she strives to balance all aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Alimental focuses on simple and delicious plant-based recipes inspired by a variety of cuisines. Hannah holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences and is currently studying Clinical Laboratory Sciences in San Diego, where she lives with her husband and cat.

Curried Pearl Couscous with Cranberries and Almonds

• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous
• 1 Tbsp Olive or Vegetable Oil
• 1 Tbsp Penzeys Maharaja Curry Powder (or other high quality curry powder)
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• Zest of one small Lemon
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Dried Cranberries
• 1/3 cup Almonds, chopped (or use sliced or slivered almonds)
• 1 small bunch Green Onions, sliced
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the couscous according to package instructions and allow to cool slightly. Add oil and lemon juice and stir to coat the couscous. Gradually add the curry powder, followed by salt and pepper.  Stir in dried cranberries, lemon zest, and almonds. Add green onion just before serving. Tastes delicious served warm or at room temperature.

This beautiful soup comes from Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic as part of our Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous celebration. Look for another delicious recipe from her next week. AnEdibleMosaic.com is a unique recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics, with emphasis on seasonal dishes. Tantalizing photography nudges you into the kitchen and easy to follow instructions make sure you stay there. Whether the occasion is breakfast, dessert, or anything in between, you’ll find what you’re looking for and hopefully be inspired to try something new. 

Indian-Spiced Cream of Tomato Soup with Whole Wheat Couscous

Serves 4

• 3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous (Israeli Couscous)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 medium Red Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 medium-large Onion, diced
• 3 large cloves Garlic
• 1-inch piece fresh Ginger, grated on a microplane
• 1 (14 oz) can petit diced Tomatoes, with juices
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 3 cups low-sodium Chicken or Vegetable Stock
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 dried Red Chili Peppers (optional)
• 2 tsp Garam Masala
• 1-1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 (16 oz) can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 3 Tbsp Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream
• Fresh Cilantro or Flat-Leaf Parsley (optional; for garnish)

Fill a medium-sized pot 2/3 of the way full with water and bring to a boil.  Add the couscous and a generous pinch of salt and cook until the couscous is al dente, about 7 to 9 minutes; drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat; add the bell pepper and onion and cook until softened, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.  Stir in the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, bay leaf, dried red chili peppers (if using), garam masala, sugar, salt, and black pepper; turn heat up to high and bring to a boil, then cover the pot, turn heat down to simmer, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Turn heat off, cool slightly, and remove the bay leaf and dried red chili peppers.

Transfer 2/3 of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth (or use an immersion blender).  Pour the pureed soup back into the pot, along with the chickpeas and lemon juice.  Bring up to a simmer over medium heat, then turn heat off and stir in the couscous and coconut milk or heavy cream.  Taste and season with additional salt, black pepper, sugar, or lemon juice as desired.

Serve garnished with cilantro or parsley if desired.

Congratulations to Jacquie who won a copy of this fabulous book, plus 5 lbs of our Organic Whole Wheat Flour and a package of our Active Dry Yeast. Jacquie was selected randomly from all who entered. Thank you to everyone who participated. As a reminder, if you’d like to buy your own copy of this book, you can do so on the Ryland, Peters and Small website here. Special thanks to Ryland, Peters and Small for providing this prize and the following recipe.

This wonderful recipe comes from How to Make Bread by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou. You can make this bread using Spelt Flour or Kamut® Flour, although I bet you could also use whole wheat flour if those two flours are hard to come by.

Kamut or Spelt Bread

Kamut and spelt are known as ancient grains. They have become popular due to their taste and digestibility. For the time being, spelt flour is more widely available than Kamut, but Kamut is often sold in health food stores.

• 2-1⁄2 cups Kamut (khorasan) Flour or (whole grain) Spelt Flour
• 6 g/1 teaspoon Salt
• 3 g Fresh Yeast or 3⁄4 teaspoon Dried/Active Dry Yeast
• up to 1 cup warm Water

6 x 4-in. loaf pan, greased with vegetable oil

makes 1 small loaf

1  In one (smaller) mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt together and set aside. This is the dry mixture.

2  In another (larger) mixing bowl, weigh out the yeast. Add the water and stir until the yeast has dissolved. (You will need slightly less water if you are using Kamut flour.) This is the wet mixture.

3  Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon and then your hands until they come together to form a dough.

4  Cover with the bowl that had the dry mixture in it and let stand for 10 minutes.

5  After 10 minutes, the dough is ready to be kneaded. Leaving it in the bowl, pull a portion of the dough up from the side and press it into the middle. Turn the bowl slightly and repeat this process with another portion of dough. Repeat another 8 times. The whole process should only take about 10 seconds and the dough should start to resist.

6  Cover the bowl again and let stand for 10 minutes.

7  Repeat Steps 5 and 6 twice, then Step 5 again. Cover the bowl again and let rise for 1 hour.

8  Punch down the dough with your fist.

9  Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour.

10  Remove the dough from the bowl and place on the floured work surface. 

11  Gently flatten into an oval. Fold the right end over into the middle, then the left.

12  Press down slightly to seal the dough together. You will now have a roughly rectangular shape. Pull and fold the top of the rectangle one third of the way toward the middle, pressing it into the dough.

13  Swivel it 180˚ and keep folding as in Step 12 until you have a shape roughly the size of your loaf pan.

14  Place the dough inside the prepared loaf pan, seam-side down.

15  Cover the loaf pan and let rise until slightly less than double the size – about 30–45 minutes.

16  About halfway through the rising, preheat the oven to 240˚C (475˚F) Gas 9. Place a roasting pan at the bottom of the oven to preheat. Fill a cup with water and set aside.

17  When the dough has finished rising, remove the bowl or covering.

18  Place the bread in the preheated oven. Pour the reserved cupful of water onto the hot roasting pan and lower the temperature to 220˚C (425˚F) Gas 7.

19  Bake for about 35 minutes, or until brown. Turn the bread out of the loaf pan and set on a wire rack to cool.

For April, we’re celebrating Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous. If you’ve not tried pearl couscous, also known as Israeli couscous, you’ll find it to be more pasta-like than its Moroccan relative. Couscous is simply a pasta made from wheat flour. Typically couscous is made from durum wheat in the United States, but it can also be made from semolina or regular hard red spring wheat flour.  You can read more about how couscous is traditionally made here. The main difference between Israeli couscous and Moroccan couscous is the size. Israeli couscous has much larger pearls closer to the size of tapioca pearls and the wheat flour is often toasted. Moroccan couscous is very small, closer to poppy seeds and is usually not made with toasted flour. Both are delicious, but for April, we’re focusing on our pearl couscous made with whole wheat flour. If you can’t eat couscous because you follow a gluten free diet or are sensitive to wheat, many of these recipes could be adapted to use quinoa or millet. They’ll be a little different, but the textures will be similar.

Today’s recipe comes from our good friend Janel of Eat Well with Janel, to kick off our month-long couscous celebration.  Janel is a Boston-based registered dietitian who loves helping people reach their nutrition goals, one bite at a time. Janel shares her culinary adventures in her blog Eat Well with Janel, Facebook fan page, and loves to tweet @DietitianJanel.

Lemony Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous with Broccoli and Salmon

Time: 30 minutes

Serves 5 (as an entrée dish)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous
• 1-12 oz bag Broccoli Florets
• 1- 6 oz can Salmon, skinless, boneless, no salt added
• 3 Tbsp Capers, drained
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Juice from 2 Lemons
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook couscous according to package directions. Meanwhile, steam broccoli florets in the microwave by placing them in a microwave safe bowl with two tablespoons of water. Loosely cover with a lid. Cook on high for three minutes.

When couscous is cooked, drain broccoli and add to the couscous. Add olive oil, lemon juice, capers, flaked salmon, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix to combine. Enjoy hot or at room temperature.