ChopChop Magazine

the learning guide to this issue

LEARN THE KEY At the top of each recipe, you’ll find a key code. Here’s how to read it: ❚ HANDS-ON TIME: 30 MINUTES ❚ TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR ❚ MAKES: 6 SERVINGS HANDS-ON TIME This is how long it takes to work on the recipe, including gathering your kitchen gear and preparing the food. During hands-on time, you can’t do anything other than work on the recipe. TOTAL TIME This is how long it takes to make the recipe from start to finish, including the time for cooking and baking when you may be able to do something else—like clean up! In recipes that do not involve cooking, this may be the same as HANDS-ON TIME. MAKES This number will usually tell you how many people the recipe serves. But sometimes we’ll tell you how much the…

cornmeal griddle cakes

❚ HANDS-ON TIME: 20 MINUTES ❚ TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES ❚ MAKES: 4 SERVINGS KITCHEN GEAR Measuring cupsMeasuring spoonsLarge bowlLarge spoonLarge cast iron or nonstick skilletSpatulaPlate INGREDIENTS 2 large eggs1¼ cups milk or buttermilk2 cups cornmeal2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon vegetable oil INSTRUCTIONS 1. Crack the eggs into the bowl, add the milk or buttermilk, and mix well. Add the cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Mix until the ingredients are just combined. 2. Put the skillet on the stove and set the heat to medium. When the skillet is hot (a drop of water flicked onto its surface should immediately sizzle and evaporate), add half the oil. 3. Use a ¼-cup measure to add scoops of batter to the skillet, each about 2 inches wide. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes, then…

kitchen cash

HOMEMADE VERSUS STORE-BOUGHT The ingredients for making your own high-nutrition energy bars might seem expensive. But if you do the math you’ll see that they’re worth it. Imagine you’re making our Nutty Oat Bars (page 21) using the oats, the honey, 1 cup of shredded coconut, 1 cup of raisins, and 1 cup of peanut butter: 1. The oats and honey each cost about 50 cents. How much do they cost together?2. A 1-pound bag of shredded coconut costs $5. It contains 5 cups of coconut. How much does 1 cup of coconut cost?3. A 1-pound box of raisins costs $3. It contains about 3 cups of raisins. How much does 1 cup of raisins cost?4. A 1-pound jar of peanut butter costs $3.60. It contains 2 cups of peanut butter. How…

graeat grains

But what are they? Grains, also known as “cereal grains,” are small, dry seeds that are grown and harvested for people to eat; they’re often ground to make flour, too. Cereal grains are the edible seeds of a particular family of grasses, which includes rice, corn, wheat (including farro, spelt, and kamut), barley, rye, sorghum, and millet. There are also other seeds that we call “grains,” including quinoa, wild rice, and buckwheat; these aren’t true grains, but we cook and eat them the same way. “Whole grains” means that the grains have been minimally processed (as opposed to, say, white rice or white flour), which helps them retain more of their nutrients.…

do it yourself grain bowls

There are so many good reasons to start with a bowl of cooked grains or whole-grain pasta and build your own meal from there. For one thing, if you have plenty of different vegetables and toppings, it’s going to be good for your body. For another, it’s a great way to use the food you already have in the pantry and fridge. But a third thing? People just like putting together their own bowl of food—and, once they do, they’re likely to eat it, even if it’s filled with super-healthy stuff they didn’t know they loved! Create your own grain bowl with items from these categories. 1 COOKED GRAINS (SEE PAGE 16) • brown rice• oatmeal• barley• spelt, farro, freekeh, or kamut• wild rice• cracked wheat• quinoa• polenta or grits• whole-grain pasta 2 VEGETABLES • roasted…

how to: cook whole grains

❚ HANDS-ON TIME: 5 MINUTES ❚ TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES ❚ MAKES: 2 CUPS KITCHEN GEAR Measuring cupLarge pot with lidLarge spoonMesh strainer INGREDIENTS 1 cup brown rice INSTRUCTIONS 1. Fill the pot halfway with water, cover it, and set it on the stove. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. (You’ll know the water is boiling when you see bubbles breaking all over the surface.) Meanwhile, put the rice in the strainer and rinse it under cold running water. 2. Add the rinsed rice to the boiling water and stir, then cover the pot and boil for 30 minutes. (If it seems like it might boil over, you can turn the heat down a little bit.) 3. Pour the rice into the strainer in the sink and drain it really well. 4. Return…