Would you like to know about the new food trend coming down the line?
The star is the ancient grain Sorghum. Sorghum grows all over the world: Southern America, Africa, Asia, Mesoamerica and certain islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It’s a truly hearty and sustainable crop with great health benefits, and it’s awesome!
This wondergrain is resistant to drought, requires little water to grow and is listed as one of the most important crops in the world. It's resistant to pests, requires no fertilizer and can be largely harvested without the need of many farm hands.
The nutritional benefits are amazing. Just a 3.5 ounce serving has 7 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein. Its vitamin and mineral content make it worthy of any healthy diet, and did I mention it has a low-glycemic effect (to avoid that carbo crash) and only 325 calories? Plus, it's gluten free!
This tiny titan is a staple in rural cuisines globally, very forgiving to cooking, drying and freezing. It can be substitutes for any grain, especially rice. Sorghum molasses is a great alternative to traditional molasses and brown sugar. You can even pop it like popcorn!
You're going to see a lot of this wonderful ingredient in the near future, so why not try it for yourself today.
Serves 8
For the salad:
2 cups uncooked sorghum
4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
2 cups water
3/4 cup toasted cashews
2 large peaches, cut into cubes
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 sumac
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
3/4 cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 lemon
2 teaspoons honey
1 small shallot, finely minced (about 1 heaping tablespoon)
To cook the sorghum, combine the sorghum, vegetable stock and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 60 minutes, or until the grains are tender and have just begun to splay open. When finished cooking, drain away any remaining liquid.
To assemble the salad, spoon the warm sorghum into a large serving bowl. Add the coriander, cumin, sumac and salt and stir until spices are fully integrated into the grain mixture. Spoon the peaches, 1/2 cup of the cashews, and parsley over the sorghum and stir well to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, champagne vinegar, lemon juice and zest , honey, and shallot. Pour over the warm grain salad and toss well.
Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve warm, with the remaining 1/4 cup of cashews scattered on top.
Looking for more gluten-free options that taste good? Download The Chopping Block's free guide Gluten Free Gourmet. Don't miss our upcoming Gluten Free Desserts hands-on cooking class later this month at the Merchandise Mart.