Get yo' Freekeh on by Emma

I wanted to pop a few recipes on here as well as waffling on about being a Mum and life in general. Full disclosure, I am terrible at following recipes. I am very much a “little bit of this... little bit of that” type of cook and I used recipe books for inspiration and rarely actually follow the instructions. Oh and I love experimenting and discovering new things. With that in mind, let me ask you a question... Have you heard of Freekeh??

Whole Grain Freekeh

No? Well, let me introduce you. Freekeh is the new super grain on the block and it is giving Quinoa a run for it’s money. Like Quinoa it has a confusing name (pronounced Free-Ka but if you’re like me then calling it freaky will make meals that little bit more exciting) but the similarities don’t stop there. Freekeh has a low glycemic index and is packed with protein. Ooops I haven’t actually said what it is... Freekeh is green wheat that gets harvested when it is young. Then like Nat King Cole’s chestnuts, the wheat get roasted on an open fire. As the inner grain is all young and moisture rich it doesn’t burn so the strawy bits and the chaffy bits can be removed by a process of rubbing l

Cracked Freekeh

eaving the yummy slightly smokey flavoured grain for us lucky buggers to cook and munch on! Taste wise I would describe it as a bit smokey, slightly nutty, a bit like pearl barley but stronger with a texture somewhere between a brown rice and a chewier, firmer pearl barley.

Anyway back to why you should get your freekeh on, so to speak. With it having a low GI rating it means that when munched it will release its energy slowly. Freekeh has up to 4 times as much fibre as brown rice and this fibre is mainly insoluble fibre. As you probably know, unlike carbs, fibre is not broken down in the digestive system so it just moves through your body. Now insoluble fibre is good for digestive health as it soaks up water like a sponge and then travels through you, essentially giving you a bit of a clean. This type of fibre is great for helping combat constipation and with conditions like IBS. Another awesome thing about freekeh is that it contains loads of lutein and zeaxanthin which helps  to keep your eyes health. Freekeh acts as a prebiotic, it is packed with calcium, iron and zinc and it is low in fat to boot. Brilliant!

So far I have found 2 brands that make freekeh; Artisan Grains and Merchant Gourmet. The Artisan Grains version is sold in a 200g box and it is dried, cracked freekeh. If you make this one according to the directions on the box (without adding oil) then it is synfree on Slimming World or 4.5 ProPoints on Weight Watchers for 50g dried weight. The Merchant Gourmet pouch is sold ready to serve (but you can heat it up if you want to) and is the whole grain. This one is 3.5syns on Slimming World or 10 ProPoints on Weight Watchers for the pack (125g).

I’ll quit waffling on now and just give you my recipe...

Freekeh Salad Recipe

(Serves 4)

Free if using Artisan Grains or 1 syn if using Merchant Gourmet

2½ProPoints for both types

Either 100g of Dried Artisan Grains Freekeh (cooked following the directions on the box and cooled) or 1 pouch of Merchant Gourmet Freekeh

3 Tomatoes, diced or a handful of cherry tomatoes, cut into chunks

¼ cucumber, diced

4 Spring Onions, diced

75g Sweetcorn

2 Carrots, coarsely grated

1 handful of Rocket, finely chopped

1 handful of basil lease, finely chopped

The juice of ½ lemon

Just chuck everything into a bowl, give it a good stir and then leave for a few hours for the flavours to cuddle. Serve with some cold cuts of meat and some salad leaves. Lush!

Bonus recipe, just because I like you

Freekeh “Porridge”

(Serves 1)

1.5syns  (or no Syns if you are using the Almond milk as your healthy A choice, this recipe leave

you with 675ml for the rest of the day)

5.5ProPoints 

50g Artisan Grains dried Freekeh

200ml Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened (long life one only)

1tsp Cinnamon (optional)

1tbsp Sweetner (or more or less depending on your taste)

Pop all the ingredients into a saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil. Give it a quick stir and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 15mins or until it is porridge like. Serve with fresh fruit and/or swirled with yogurt. Go wild!

Thanks for reading

xxx