CORE Savoury Grain-otto with Bacon and Lentils

Yummy risotto style grain dish is full of protein and fibre.
Great for mains, side dish or a yummy breakfast.

Vegetarians who eat dairy, just leave out the bacon

Serves: 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 100g (4 sl) lean shortcut bacon, sliced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1/2 cup soy grits
  (soybeans which have been toasted and cracked into coarse pieces) rather than fine
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 1/2 cup dried red lentils
• 2 cups frozen or diced vegies (1 used 1 cup each of frozen corn and mint peas)
• 200g cottage cheese
• your favourite herbs (I used 1 tsp each cracked pepper, cummin and paprika and 2TB dried basil)

Method:
Heat a nonstick pan without oil.
Add bacon and onion and cook on medium for a couple of minutes.
Add oats, soy grits and pearl barley and stir for a few minutes
Add 2 1/2 cups water and 2 tsp dry vegetable stock and cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes, until most the fluid has absorbed.
Add lentils and another 1/2 cup water and cook for about 15 minutes.
Like risotto, if it starts to stick you add a little water. I used 4 cups of water total and at this point it had a consistency like risotto or porridge - wet enough to hold it together without being sloppy
Add the vegies, cottage cheese and your favourite herbs
Cook on low until the vegies are cooked and cottage cheese melts (you can't see white lumps)
Serve and enjoy

CORE Slow Cooker 4 Grain Porridge

Serves: 6-8

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup long grain brown rice
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• 1/2 cup burghul
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 1 400g tin apricot halves in juice (I didn't drain)
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup Tone milk
• a dash of vanilla essence (about 3 tsp)
• 1 tsp mixed spice

Method:

Spray inside slow cooker bowl with cooking spray.
Throw all in on low at 9.30 pm, off at 7:00 am.

It came out really thick and "creamy". I added about 1/4 cup of milk on top of my serve and some Splenda as I like porridge slightly sloppy rather than like glue LOL

You could use other grains, but keep the proportions the same. I suggest using whole grains or steel cut grains, rather than the rolled type or it might all go to a mushy paste.

If leaving out the fruit, add another cup of fluid (proportion is 1 cup grain to 3 cup fluid, I figured the tinned fruit made up 1 cup).

BTW - the juice from the canned fruit is not technically Core, but was only 1/2 cup juice in the can, or 1 pt between 6-8 serves...

CORE One Pot Chilli with Barley

It's a bigger serve than it looks - about 2 cups worth (serving 4)

Serves: 4 - 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 500 g lean beef mince
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup pearl barley (or brown/white rice)
• 2-3 cups of mixed vegies, chopped to 1cm cubes
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 can kidney beans or mixed 4 beans, drained and rinsed (or baked beans)
• 3 tsp cumin
• 2 beef stock cubes
• chilli - amount depends on your taste - start with 1 tsp for mild, more for wild

Method:
Fry mince, onion and garlic with oil.
Add tomato and barley, stock cube and 1 cup water. Cook at medium (covered to stop the tomato volcano mess) for 25 mins, stirring occassionally and adding more water if necessary
Add vegies, including tinned beans, and stock and cook for 5 mins until tender.
Add chilli to your strength (I use 3 tsp crushed chilli for medium) and cumin and cook for another 5 mins

Optional - serve on a bed of bean sprouts or baby spinach

Not on Core? This recipe total is 23 points
(assuming the 2-3 cups vegies are "free vegies")

Serving idea (great for kids)
Get a bread roll (grain of course for Core peoples) and make a hole in the side towards the top with a knife or apple corer. Pull out some of the bread, fill with warm chilli mix and put plug back in (use a toothpick to hold in if needed). Put in hot oven for a few minutes until crunchy and serve on a paper towel/serviette.
PS - A great way to "hide" the vegies for kids
PPS - Great for party finger food, using dinner size rolls
PPSS - Freeze the bread gizzards for next time you need breadcrumbs