COOKING TIPS

A Few Cooking Hints & Tips

Organic Beans
  • Precooking your Organic Beans separately to keep their vibrant colors for bean and lentil salads then drain and rinse with cold water. For cooking, use approx. 3 cups of water to 1 cup of dried beans.
  • Pre-soaking your Organic Beans allows water to absorb into the beans thereby dissolving some of the starches and reduces the cooking time. Always drain the water from soaked beans, then add new water for cooking.
  • Cook Organic Beans for approx. 60 to 75 minutes (the larger the bean the longer the cooking time).
  • Rinse with cold water after cooking to bring out more vibrant bean colors for salads and other dishes. Blending various colored beans make beautiful meal arrangements.
  • Cooking your own dried beans is much more cost efficient than purchasing precooked beans out of the can. You also end up without the salt and preservatives.
Organic Steel Cut Oat Groats
  • Cook steel cut oats in a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio with water.
  • Include tasty additions like cinnamon, walnuts, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, puréed pumpkin or fruit such as bananas, raspberries, strawberries, mango or other fruits. The sky is the limit.
Easy and convenient ways to cook Organic Steel Cut Oat Groats:
  • Rice Cooker: put the ingredients into a rice cooker and let it cook automatically until done. This way there is no need to oversee the cooking process while you do other things…. like jump in the shower in the morning and your breakfast is done when you get out.
  • Slow cooker or crockpot: put the ingredients into the crockpot and turn to low. The oats will be tender and creamy overnight or in 7-8 hours.
  • Stovetop: (the conventional way of course) in a pot, bring water and oats to a boil. Turn to low and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally until done.
  • In cooking your own Organic Steel Cut Oats, you know you are getting excellent nutrition of the oats without the salts or preservatives, nor the additional cost of premixed oatmeal’s. Why not add your own walnuts, raisins, apples, or cinnamon? This way you, rather than someone else, gets to select the nutritional ingredients in your own breakfast.

 

Organic Flax Seeds

  • Milled flax can be used to replace or reduce oil or fat in recipes in a 3 to 1 ratio. Replace 1 tbsp. of oil, margarine, shortening or vegetable oil with 3 tablespoons of Organic Milled Flaxseeds.
  • Add flax directly to your food by sprinkling it whole or milled into your cereal, baking, yogurt, salads or smoothies. The sky is the limit. Stir Willow Creek’s Organic Milled Flax it into your soups, sauces, stews, or dressings for your Organic Omega 3’s and healthy fiber. Use it to increase the nutritional value of your meatloaf, patties, and burgers. Why not fight cholesterol when consuming some of it? Willow Creek’s Organic Milled Flaxseed helps you do that while adding even more taste to your meals.
Organic Hemp-Seed Oil and Flax Seed Oil
    • Use in salads for a heart-healthy, and tasty omega-3 nutritional boost as a salad dressing.
    • Incorporate into marinades or sauces.
    • You can use these oils in baking, but we suggest to a maximum of 350° degrees.
    • Do not fry with these oils! They have relatively low smoke-points, and at high temperatures form unhealthy bi-products.

(Stay tuned for more tips).

Other Healthy Hints & Tips

  • Reduce processed products from your diets as much as possible and choose to cook and bake with whole grains and oils as much as possible that have all the nutrition within them still intact without the preservatives.
  • Reduce your sugar intake and use less processed sugars in your meals. Add additional spices or flavorings to enhance the impression of sweetness.
  • Replace white flour with 100% whole wheat flour, at a conversion rate of 1 cup white to 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons 100% whole-wheat.
  • Increase your fiber intake by sprinkling Willow Creeks whole grain, raw Organic Pumpkin or Sunflower seeds, or other nuts, seeds, or dried fruits into cereals, yogurts, smoothies and salads. Also add these nutritional ingredients into baking whenever you can.
  • You may sprout whole grains or legumes for another interesting and nutritious way of eating them. Ensure you take adequate precautions when sprouting and storage of sprouted seeds.
  • All whole grains that have not been processed can be sprouted. The majority of Willow Creek’s Organic whole grain products can be sprouted. If they have a hull, chances are they can be sprouted. Even our Organic de-hulled Pumpkin and Sunflower seeds.
  • Eat nutritionally and have fun. It’s all about