Super Grain,Green Freekeh(wheat) Vegetable Pilaf


Green Freekeh(pronounced free-ka) ,the little known ancient grain of the Middle East(Eastern Mediterranean) has all the nutritive benefits to qualify as a super grain alongside Quinoa,Farro,Spelt and Amaranth.This green wheat is made by picking the wheat before its fully mature ; parching ,roasting and smoking in wood fire finally threshing and drying it.Since its picked young and involves less processing,Freekah has it all,to make a dieter's dream come true.Its a low carb(low glycemic index < 55) food high in fiber,has more protein, vitamins, and minerals than other grains commonly consumed like White rice,brown rice or wheat.The grain is also unbelievably rich in calcium and iron.
Discovered by chance during our monthly shopping at the Middle eastern store,this unique grain is also available in health stores.
Vegetable Pilaf is a flavorful recipe with this versatile grain,here is the list of many other ways to cook up freekeh.


Recipe
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
2 cups Green Freekeh,broken or whole(cooking time varies)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup Green or Red or Yellow peppers,chopped
1/2 cup chopped Broccoli(use any other like carrots,peas or green beans)
1 big clove garlic,finely chopped
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil,divided
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
pinch of turmeric
1/4 cup chopped cilantro and parsley
2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime\lemon juice

Method

Wash and soak the wheat in cold water for 15-20 minutes.Drain.In a large saucepan with tight lid place 4 cups of cold water and the soaked Freekeh with a teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.Cover and bring to boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally.Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes if using cracked grain, and 40-45 minutes for whole grain until all water is absorbed.

Heat a big skillet over medium flame. Add extra-virgin olive oil and onion,Saute until translucent about 2-3 minutes;before adding garlic and spices then add vegetables and season with salt,saute until vegetables are tender about 5 minutes.Mix in the cooked freekeh and allow flavors to infuse for about 2-3 minutes.Stir in the lime juice and serve with baked meat or lentils\legumes gravy.

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, host this week is Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Comments

FH said…
Totally new grain for me, green too, looks good. I used Quinoa only recently, God knows how many grains I don't know!! Great post Yasmeen! :))
Anonymous said…
Amazing grain,I'll look for it in health stores here.
Preety said…
i never heard about this b4, but it seems more healthy than other wheat.wow there are so many varieties available that we yet have to try
Ashwini said…
I have not heard about this grain..Where do we find these..Pilaf looks very colorful..
Wow-Yasmeen!This is great-I had never heard of it.Will hunt for it and try this :-)
Poornima Nair said…
Never heard about this grain..the pilaf looks delicious...
veggie belly said…
this is completely new to me, thanks for intruducing freekeh! the smoking on a wood fire sounds very interesting. i'd image the end result is a very earthy tasting grain..
Anonymous said…
Very healthy,I'll look for this grain for next time we go to Middle eastern store,we usually go there to buy meat.thanks
wwow.. yyummy yummy and healthy too.. great.
Manju said…
thats a totally new grain to me!! sounds very halthy though :)
Finla said…
Wow i didn't even know about green wheat, this isinded a new info for me.
Varsha Vipins said…
You bring up so many new info's all the time..Pilaf looks gorgeous..:)
Where do u buy all these from??I never sees anything new..i guess my hubby neva gives me enuf time..he he..:p
Susan said…
Wow! Nothing I've ever seen before! This begs further investigation. Too cool. : )

Thanks for the great WHB recipe!
AnuSriram said…
Looks colourful and delicious! Never seen this grain.. have to look for this in the store..
Cham said…
The color of the grain is pretty attractive. Interesting way to eat the healthy grain
Anonymous said…
Noted about the healthy grain,I do shop at Middle eastern store sometimes for Pita ,fresh dates,couscous,hummus...will look for this super grain next time.thanks.
Vikis Kitchen said…
I have heard from some of my friends about the healthy dishes in Middle East. This one is outstanding. your
Pilaf looks delicious.
Vibaas said…
Never heard of freekeh before. Actually, i just came to know of quinoa after i started blogging and now one more supergrain. Nice :) Pilaf looks awesome.
Selba said…
Whoaaa... it must be yummy and it looks like our Indonesian fried rice :)
Vijitha said…
This is something new to me. Brilliant efforts yasmeen! ur blog is very informative.
Lovely pilaf :-)
Uma said…
wow, I never saw this grain before. Amazing! Pilaf looks so colorful and yummy.
jayasree said…
Thanks for introducing a new grain.. Pilaf looks very colorful.
Good post.
Ivy said…
I've never heard of this type of grain before but it sounds amazing and I can imaging how good it would be in your pilaf.
Dershana said…
Never seen green wheat. New to me and sure does look delicious!
Priya Suresh said…
Green wheat is totally new to me, Pilaf looks gorgeous Yasmeen, OMG u r Great cook, really i love all ur healthy dishes..
Sunshinemom said…
My colleague was just telling me about this yesterday. He had been to his village and had these berries every day. Never tasted it myself though. I hear it is very delicious!
Pilaf looks very tempting. Green Wheat, never seen or heard about it. Maybe I need to look for it.
Anonymous said…
Thats totally a new one to me dear...But healthy pilaf..love to experiment the grain once.
notyet100 said…
this looks helthy,.nd delicious,..
Jaishree Iyer said…
This is completely new to me..looks delicious & very colourful.
Thank you yasmeen for the cute award. sorry for collecting it late dear:)
Anonymous said…
This looks delicious and very healthy! I love bulgur - have not had freak in a while - will try!
Grains are so good for you! I really like it; it's so tasty and so versatile.
Anonymous said…
I have never seen this before. the pilaf looks so delicious! I could just have this like a salad!
Sanghi said…
Very healthy one indeed yasmeen!! Where do you find these new lentils everytime. I admire you all time giving us new and healthy dishes in every post..! :)
sangeeta said…
amazing information yasmeen........i never knew about this grain , i'll yry n find out if something like that is available here........the pilaf is soooo my kind of food.........i feel good about following you here....truly..
Sharmila said…
I love your blog Yasmeen ... so many new things here. Pilaf looks wonderful. :-)
Uj said…
Totally new grain to me...There is so much to learn from your blog.. :) Looks yummy...
Malar Gandhi said…
This sounds like a wonder grain to me. Yeah immature grain are also less starchier...more of complex carb', just husked...least processed...wish I get some here!:)

Wow...what a colorful pilaf it is. Looks so nice, who would say no to healthy food like this!
Archy said…
I have seen this grain in vegan cook books,but never tried to make it.. These looks so colorful an healthy !! Nice tempting pic Yasmeen!!
Maria Verivaki said…
great pilaf, very healthy
Dori said…
Looks really healthy and good!
I've never tried this, but now I'm going to keep my eyes open for it as it sounds very good!
CurryLeaf said…
Love the pilaf Yasmeen.I missed so many of your posts.I am in the process of settling down here,so blogging on and off.Love this-very new to me.never knew about this grain
Rumela said…
Hey!! that Green grain Vegetable Pilaf looks gorgeous. It must the great to taste too. Yummm..I love vegetable pilaf. I am going to try this tonight.
Unknown said…
I've been cooking it in my rice cooker, using the brown rice cycle. Works great!
Linda Starr said…
I can't seem to find this anywhere near me, tried Trader Joes in Bakersfield and they don't have it, would love to try it I heard about it on Dr. Oz and now here and am intrigued.
Yasmeen said…
Linda ,you should try looking in a well-stocked Middle eastern store.I got mine from there.
sixstringkevin said…
Looks good enough to try, but I'm not clear on the directions.

Do you add the herbs/greens in with the vegetables, or later?

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