Modified Food Starch is made by physically, enzymatically or chemically altering starch to change its inherent properties. In this instance, modified does not necessarily mean genetically modified, however some modified starches are likely made from genetically modified ingredients. Modified starches are typically used in foods for the same reasons as conventional starches—thickening, stabilizing or emulsifying. Some of the properties gained by changing the original starch can include the ability to stand different temperatures (excessive heat, freezing, etc), increase the shelf life of the desired property (for example, it will keep thickening the sauce for a longer time than its conventional counterpart), alter their thickening ability and shorten the thickening time (for example a modified starch may thicken a sauce much faster than its conventional counterpart).

The most common types of modified food starch are made from corn, wheat, potato and tapioca. Typically labels will list the source from which the starch was modified as Modified Corn Starch, however unless it is derived from one of the top eight allergens (in this case wheat), it is not required by law to be listed this way. Most modified starches are gluten free, except for those that use wheat starch as a base. There is some controversy about whether modified wheat starch really does contain gluten, however. Our opinion? Why risk it?

Modified starches are often used in foods that promote themselves as “instant” and in foods that might need a certain temperature to thicken (during cooking or freezing). Think of gravy packets, instant puddings, and those meals that come in a box and require a minimum amount of cooking or simply need boiling water. These days you can find modified starch in almost every processed food. Check the ingredient lists- it’s there.

We hope this helps clear up a little label confusion for you. If you have any more label mysteries that you’d like us to solve, tell us in the comments.

For May, we’ve teamed up with Attune Foods to bring you Whole Grain Brunch. We challenged eight food bloggers to develop a whole grain brunch recipe using one of our flours and an Attune Foods cereal. Each week, two bloggers will post a great whole grain brunch recipe.  Here is the third of the eight recipes from Meg Steffy Schrier of Meg’s Food Reality.

Muffins are a wonderful transportable treat to bring to any brunch. They are also a great way to get some healthy whole grains into your day. I was challenged to develop a whole grain brunch recipe using a Bob’s Red mill flour and Attune foods cereal. I decided on crispy brown rice cereal and almond flour to conjure up a healthy muffin filled with healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates. I hope you enjoy it!

Cinnamon Date Muffins

• 1-3/4 cups Almond Meal
• 3/4 cup Brown Rice Cereal
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 2 tsp pure Maple Syrup
• 1 cup pitted Dates
• 2 medium ripe Bananas
• 3 medium Eggs
• 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Canola Oil
• 1/2 cup Soy Milk

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a food processor, blend brown rice cereal and coconut until fine. Place blended coconut/cereal mixture in a large bowl. Add almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine.

In a food processor place dates, bananas, soy milk, canola oil, maple syrup, eggs, and apple cider vinegar. Pulse until dates are full combined into the liquid.

Mix the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Using a ice cream scoop place portioned scoops into a paper lined muffin tin [note: recipe makes 12 muffins].

Bake for 22-26 minutes, depending on your oven. Let muffins cool on wire rack.

Enjoy these muffins with family and friends, perfect for a transition into spring.

They are power packed with healthy fats, fiber, and protein!

Meg is a seasonal inspired cook who blogs about her everyday life as a dietetic intern, living with Crohn’s and severe gluten intolerance, at Meg’s Food Reality. She looks forward to every day helping others find out how wonderful vegetables, fruit and whole grains can be! In her spare time, she is a personal trainer and tries to spend as much time outside with her dog as possible.

A simple salad from the Bob’s Red Mill Cookbook combining beautiful petite French Green Lentils and Golden Couscous. Pair this dish with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, hummus and warm pita bread for a hearty, Mediterranean-themed meal.

To make this gluten free, try cooked quinoa or millet in place of the couscous and be sure to use a gluten free Worcestershire sauce. See our notes at the end of the post for vegetarian substitutes to make this a truly meatless meal. This would also work well with our pearl couscous or your favorite brand of whole wheat couscous.

Couscous and French Lentil Salad

• 1-1/2 cups dried French Green Lentils, washed and carefully picked over
• 1 sprig fresh Thyme
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 whole Garlic Clove
• 1/2 small White or Yellow Onion
• 6 Tbsp Vegetable Stock
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup uncooked Couscous
• 1 cup Worcestershire Vinaigrette (recipe follows with vegetarian substitute suggestions)

Combine the lentils, 3 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, garlic and onion in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently until tender, but not soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the cooked lentils to a serving bowl and let them cool to room temperature while you prepare the couscous and vinaigrette. Rinse out the saucepan.

Combine the stock and olive oil in the saucepan and set over medium heat. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, stir in the couscous, cover the pan, and remove it from the heat. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes, while you prepare the vinaigrette.

Fluff the couscous with a fork to break apart any lumps. Allow to cool slightly.

Add the cooled couscous to the bowl with the lentils and toss gently to combine. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to coat. Add the dressing and mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Worcestershire Vinaigrette

• 4 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
• 4 Tbsp Lemon Juice (preferably fresh-squeezed, 1 to 1-1/2 lemons)
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce*
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried Oregano
• 1/2 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Or combine the ingredients in a jar and shake or use an immersion blender to combine.

*Most Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. To make this a truly meatless meal, look for a brand that does not contain anchovies. Trader Joe’s brand and varieties that are certified kosher should be vegetarian. If you want to go really simple and don’t mind the recipe coming out just slightly different, try soy sauce or balsamic vinegar.

For May, we’ve teamed up with Attune Foods to bring you Whole Grain Brunch. We challenged eight food bloggers to develop a whole grain brunch recipe using one of our flours and an Attune Foods cereal. Each week, two bloggers will post a great whole grain brunch recipe and host a giveaway of the two products used in the recipe on their blogs. We’ll post the recipe here and let you know where you can find the giveaway. Here is the second of the eight recipes from Mary Fran of Franny Cakes. Visit her blog to enter the giveaway. We think this recipe and the Cornbread Quiche from The Roasted Root would make a fabulous brunch for Mother’s Day. Enjoy!

• 150 grams (5 cups) Attune Foods Erewhon Brown Rice Crisps Cereal
• 90 grams (6 tablespoons) Butter
• 1 tablespoon Canola Oil
• 3 tablespoons Water
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

• 90 grams (6 tablespoons) Butter, softened
• 85 grams (2/3 cup) Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal
• 85 grams (2/3 cup) Confectioners Sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt
• 7 grams (1 tablespoon) Cornstarch
• 1 Egg

• 1/2 pound container of Strawberries, with tops removed and cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 cup (2 big scoops from a jar) Jelly

Preheat the oven to 410°F.

Shrimp and Grits, a classic dish of the American South.

For years, we’ve been told by our customers in the South that our grits are not “real” grits. The only “real” grits are white grits according to Southerners. Sure, they still like our yellow corn grits, but they’re just not the same. We’re happy to announce that we now offer White Corn Grits, which we’ve dubbed “Southern-Style” to let you know that these grits are the real deal.

Like our yellow grits, these white corn grits are milled from top-quality California corn and have a rich corn flavor. Most grits at the store have the bran and germ removed to allow them to cook more quickly. The process we use to grind these grits allows us to retain most of the healthy bran and germ without compromising the inherent fluffiness and stickiness of true grits.  That’s why, when you eat our grits, you’ll see little brown flecks (the corn germ) mixed throughout. Even though we’ve left these nutritious bits in, our grits still cook up in five minutes and are as creamy and delicious as any you’ve ever tasted. You can even use our white corn grits to make the Italian dish polenta.

Corn grits are wonderful any time of day. For breakfast, try adding shredded cheese and topping with an egg. Fried Corn Grits is a favorite dish at our Whole Grain Store where they are cooked and left to sit overnight in the fridge, then sliced and fried (recipe on package) and topped with *gasp* maple syrup. Trust me, they are wonderful. Use them to make the traditional Shrimp and Grits or top with marinara or gravy for a hearty dinner dish.  They’re so versatile, we find it hard to ever tire of them.

These White Corn Grits will be available in your local stores in the coming months. We’ve had a bit of a hiccup on our website, so this product is not yet available to purchase there. We don’t have a gluten free version of these white grits yet, but we do still make our gluten free yellow corn grits.

Giveaway

To help make up for the website hiccup, we’re giving away a package to five lucky readers! How to enter? Simply leave us a comment here on this blog post that tells us what you would make with these Southern-Style White Corn Grits. We’ll select five winners randomly from all who comment by 11:59 pm on Monday, May 14th.

For May, we’ve teamed up with Attune Foods to bring you Whole Grain Brunch. We challenged eight food bloggers to develop a whole grain brunch recipe using one of our flours and an Attune Foods cereal. Each week, two bloggers will post a great whole grain brunch recipe and host a giveaway of the two products used in the recipe on their blogs. We’ll post the recipe here and let you know where you can find the giveaway. Here is the first of the eight recipes from Julia of The Roasted Root. Visit her blog to enter the giveaway. Enjoy!

Let’s talk quiche.  Let’s talk quiche for a whole grain brunch! I was very excited when Bob’s Red Mill and Attune Foods asked me to be a part of the Whole Grain Brunch that they are hosting the merry month of May.  For the brunch recipe, I combined Bob’s Red Mill Cornmeal (medium grind) with Attune Foods Gluten-Free Corn Flakes cereal; out of this happy marriage came a cornmeal pie crust with a wonderful corn flake layer between the buttery flavorful crust and the sausage & veggie packed quiche filling.  Between the whole grains, protein and veggie vitamins, this quiche not only makes for a well-balanced meal, it is also a definite palate pleaser!

If you like quiche, you’ll love this. If you like cornbread, you’ll love this.  If you like food…..you’ll LOVE this!  The cornmeal crust with the cornflake layer definitely gives a sort of cornbread feel while maintaining the flaky composure that any great crust should have.  As far as I’m concerned, the word quiche translates to “brunch”…you just can’t have a brunch without quiche the way I see it. This one is packed with sausage, mushrooms, asparagus and sweet potato. Sound strange? I promise, it’s great! While I tend to make cheese-less quiches, Gruyere would work wonderfully in this recipe should you choose to add cheese.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, you can plan in advance for your mom’s brunch with this quiche.  It is still a classic recipe, but with a whole grain kick and a unique flavor punch. A lot of this recipe can be prepared ahead of time – for me this is a plus. It still takes me a hot minute to compile a pie crust, as I’m no pie crust baking whiz, so I prepared the crust the night before I made the quiche. You can even prepare the meat and veggie filling ahead of time for extra planning brownie points.

Whole Grain “Cornbread” Quiche

Ingredients:

For the Cornmeal & Cornflake Pie Crust

• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• ¾ cup Bob’s Red Mill Cornmeal (medium grind)
• ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Starch
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, chilled and chopped
• 7 tablespoons Ice Water
• 1 cup Attune Foods Erewhon Gluten Free Corn Flakes

For the Quiche Filling

• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
• ½ Sweet Potato, chopped into ¼” pieces
• ¼ cup Liquid, such as water, chicken or vegetable broth
• 6 stalks Asparagus, bottom 1” inch removed and discarded, remaining stalks chopped into ½” pieces
• 2 stalks Green Onion, coarsely chopped
• 5 Portabella Mushrooms, chopped into 1/8ths
• 4 small Breakfast Sausage Links, chopped into ½” pieces (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
• ¼ teaspoon Curry Powder (optional)
• 7 Eggs
• ¼ cup Cream (optional)
• ½ cup shredded Gruyere Cheese (optional)

To make:

For the pie crust

In a mixing bowl, food processor or mixer (I used my KitchenAid with the rounded whisk attachment), combine the cornmeal, whole wheat pastry flour, tapioca starch, salt. Pulse/mix until these ingredients are combined.

Slowly cut in the chilled chunks of butter, about a tablespoon at a time all the while mixing. Mix until little beads the size of peas (or smaller) form.

Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing between tablespoons.  The dough will begin to come together.  Once all of the water has been added, take the dough in your hands and form a ball. Place dough on a floured surface, kneed a few times and then press it into a disc about 1.5” thick.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour (or overnight. If you refrigerate overnight just be aware it will take a little longer to roll the dough out because the butter will re-solidify and the dough will be hard).

After the dough has chilled, uncover it and place it on a floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it about 1/8” thick. If the dough splits around the edges while you’re rolling it, simply press it back together.  It’s okay if you don’t end up with a perfect circle because there is enough dough to cover a 9.5” x 2” pie dish with a little extra.

Lightly oil your pie dish with olive oil. Carefully transfer the rolled out pie crust to the pie dish and gently pressing it into the dish, ensure the whole surface area is covered.

PRICK PIE CRUST WITH A FORK multiple times. This is an important step because it allows air to ventilate through the quiche – without this step you run the risk of your eggs spilling over and creating a big ol mess in your oven.

Spread the corn flakes over the pie crust evenly and now your quiche is ready to be filled.

For the quiche

Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees.

In a medium-sized skillet, add the olive oil and heat to medium.  Add the sweet potato first and sauté covered, about 4 minutes. Add liquid about a tablespoon at a time, waiting for it to steam off before adding more, keeping the skillet covered, cooking the potatoes another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the cover from the skillet and check the potatoes for level of “done-ness” – they should be softening up but still be al dente.  Add the sausage and brown 1 minute before adding the mushrooms and asparagus. Continue adding liquid whenever necessary to help cook the vegetables.  Sauté about 5 to 8 minutes until the sweet potato is soft. Add the green onion, remove from heat and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk.  Add the salt, pepper and curry powder.  Whisk until well combined. If you are adding cream and shredded cheese, do so now and stir until the shredded cheese is saturated with egg.

Pour the vegetable and sausage contents into the pie dish. You can fill it to the brim, but if there’s too much filling, simply save some of the sausage and veggies for later.  Carefully pour the egg mixture over the filling evenly. Gently tap the pie dish on a level hard surface a few times.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until crust and top are golden brown and the egg is firm but has just the slightest jiggle.  Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Julia is a self-taught cooking enthusiast who prioritizes using whole foods and high quality grains in her cooking and baking. She is the creator of The Roasted Root, a food blog where she shares recipes that are primarily meat, vegetable and fruit-focused, incorporating nutrition into each and every bite without sacrificing taste and satisfaction. When Julia is not working or cooking, she spends her time playing outdoors in the mountains. Cycling, mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking, and travel are her main hobbies; balancing health, fitness and fun with work is her approach to life.  Julia aspires to work with various companies as a recipe developer promoting nutrient-dense foods.

We’ve really been on a, ahem, roll around here lately and let me just say that we’re not done yet! We’ve got one more new item to tell you about later in the week and, yep, you guessed it, we’re going to give some away, too!

If you’ve never been able to try our extra thick rolled oats before, now is your chance. These oats are rolled extra thick, making them heartier and chewier than our old fashioned rolled oats and light years away from quick and instant rolled oats. Extra thick rolled oats are a truly old-fashioned oatmeal. As Bob would say, “This is what oatmeal should taste like.” Our conventional extra thick rolled oats have long been a customer favorite in our line, which is why we’re so excited to be able to offer them to our gluten free customers, as well.

As with our other gluten free oats, these are grown on dedicated farms that plant only ‘pedigreed’ seed stock in oats-only fields. Each delivery is sampled using the R5 ELISA Gluten Assay to ensure the absence of gluten and packaged in our gluten free facility. Please be aware, however, that a small percentage of people cannot tolerate even the purest of oats. If you are unsure whether oats are suitable for your diet, please check first with your health advisor before eating them. Read more about oat (or avenin) sensitivity here.

These oats will be available in stores near you in the coming months, but if you absolutely cannot wait (and you don’t win), they’re on sale on our website at 25% off through the month of May.

Giveaway

We’d like to giveaway a package of our new Gluten Free Extra Thick Rolled Oats to three lucky winners. To enter? Simply leave us a comment here on this blog post and tell us one gluten free product you that wish we would make. We’ll pick three winners randomly from all who enter by 11:59 pm on 5/9/12 (that’s end of day tomorrow).

This soup has a nice spring feel to it with green onions and ginger. It is a light, yet flavorful soup- perfect to keep you warm on those chilly Spring nights. Using our Whole Grains and Beans Soup Mix as a base, this soup is a meal unto itself, though feel free to pair with crusty bread.

Ginger and Onion Whole Grains and Beans Soup

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 cup chopped Yellow Onion
• 2 tsp minced Garlic
• 1 tsp minced fresh Ginger or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup sliced Carrot
• 1-1/4 cups sliced Mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 cup Whole Grains & Beans Soup Mix
• 8 cups Vegetable Broth
• Salt to taste
• 7 Green Onions, cut into 3-inch strips

Directions

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add yellow onions and saute until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add garlic, fresh ginger and carrots and cook until carrots are just soft, about 5 minutes. Then, add mushrooms and cook until they begin to release their juices, about 4 minutes.

Add the red pepper flakes (and ground ginger if using instead of fresh) and cook for a few seconds. Then add the whole grains and beans soup mix and vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 1-1/2 hours, until the beans are soft and the grains are toothsome. Season to taste with salt.

About 5 minutes before serving add the green onions to the soup. They will soften just slightly but remain bright green.

Serves 8

Steel cut oats have long been a favorite cereal at Bob’s Red Mill. Over the years, we’ve found that some people are daunted by the longer cooking time. Really, it’s not surprising. Steel cut oats take between 10- 20 minutes on the stove top and are near-impossible to cook in the microwave.  We have all sorts of tips and tricks to help you enjoy a hot bowl of steel cut oats in a hurry- everything from a slow cooker to a thermos. Still, the process is too complicated for some and not worth the energy for others. That’s why we’re happy to say that we now offer a quick-cooking variety.

These organic quick-cooking steel cut oats (also available as conventional) cook in 5 to 7 minutes on the stove top and are perfect for the thermos method*. Quick steel cut oats are made with the same high-quality oats that we use for our regular steel cut oats, but they are processed slightly differently to allow them to cook more quickly. These oats are cut on a specialized rotary granulator mill into slightly flatter pieces than our regular steel cut oats. They still taste wonderfully different than rolled oats, but they are a bit different than our regular steel cut oats. Their faster cooking time, makes them a great ingredient for baking and cooking. Try this wonderful recipe for Steel Cut Oat Fries with Cherry Dipping Sauce to see for yourself.

These two items will be on store shelves within a few months, but you can order them on our website if you simply cannot wait.

*Bob’s Famous Thermos Method: No joke, this is how Bob makes his steel cut oats when he’s in a hurry. Place 1 cup quick cooking steel cut oats and 3 boiling water in an airtight thermos at night. In the morning, you will have cooked steel cut oats. With these new quick cooking steel cut oats, we’re pretty sure you could do this when you first rise in the morning and have them ready by the time you get to work.

Steel Cut Oat Fries with Cherry Dipping Sauce

Yield 5 -7 servings

Steel Cut Oat Fries

• 1-1/2 cups Milk
• 1/2 cup Water or Stock
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1 cup Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats
• Sea Salt to taste
• Ground Black Pepper to taste
• 4 oz Chevre or other soft goat cheese
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups Olive Oil
• Oat Flour as needed

Line a 4 ½  x 6 ½ -inch metal baking pan with plastic wrap and set aside.

Bring milk, water and butter to a boil in a large heavy saucepan.  Gradually whisk in Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats.  Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until oats are very thick and start to pull away from the sides, about 8 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Immediately transfer the oats to the prepared baking pan, spreading evenly so height is consistent throughout.  Refrigerate until cool and firm, about 1 hour.  To store overnight, cover when cooled and keep refrigerated.

Turn oats out onto a cutting board and cut into ¾ x 3-inch rectangles.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to very low, about 200°F.  Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Place flour in a plate or pie pan.  Lightly coat the oat fries in flour, shaking off excess.

Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, fry oat fries until golden-brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.  Add more oil, if necessary, but make sure the oil has warmed to medium-high heat before continuing frying.  Transfer fries to paper towels with a slotted spoon and let drain.  Place fries on a clean baking sheet and keep warm in the low oven while frying remaining batches.

Serve with Cherry Dipping Sauce.

Cherry Dipping Sauce

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Shallots, minced
• 2 Tbsp + additional to taste Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 cup Chicken or Vegetable Stock
• 2 Tbsp Evaporated Cane Juice
• 1/2 cup Dried Cherries, chopped
• Sea Salt to taste
• Ground Black Pepper to taste

Heat oil in a medium skillet oven medium heat.  Add shallots and sauté until translucent.

Add balsamic vinegar and stir well for about 1 minute, making sure to scrape up any pieces stuck to the pan.

Add stock and increase heat to medium-high.  Add evaporated cane juice and dried cherries, stir well and let simmer until thick, about 10 minutes.

Let cool slightly and serve with Steel Cut Oat Fries.

Giveaway

We’d like to share a few packages of these great Organic Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats with you. We’re giving away a package of these new oats to three lucky winners! How to enter? Simply leave us a comment here on this blog post that tells us what you would make with quick cooking steel cut oats- could be plain oatmeal or some fancy oatmeal concoction! We’ll select three winners randomly from all who comment by 11:59 pm on Monday, May 7th.