How to Start Adding Wheat Germ to Family Meals
Boost the flavor and nutrition of your family meals by adding wheat germ. Wheat germ contains a large portion of the protein, vitamins, and minerals of the natural whole wheat berry. Grocery stores and specialty markets sell wheat germ, so you don't have to go out of your way to find it. Its delicious flavor will enhance many dishes once you learn how to buy and use it. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Buy only the freshest wheat germ. Choose the toasted variety in vacuum jars or raw wheat germ. Make sure toasted wheat germ has not reached its expiration date and that the vacuum button is down. You can buy raw wheat germ from bins or already in packages. Do a sniff test before buying raw wheat germ if the store allows it. Rancid wheat germ has a strong, unpleasant odor and bitter taste. Fresh wheat germ has a mild, sweet scent and a sweet flavor.
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Store your wheat germ properly. After opening a vacuum jar of wheat germ, keep it in the refrigerator or freezer.
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Add wheat germ to ready-to-eat cereals to boost the taste and nutrition. Two tablespoons of toasted wheat germ adds protein, vitamins, a nut-like taste and crunch.
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Add wheat germ to cooked cereal Add wheat germ to cooked cereals. Substitute raw wheat germ for two tablespoons of oatmeal or other cereal, and then cook as usual. Or add toasted wheat germ to hot cereal after cooking.
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Add wheat germ to baked goods Add wheat germ to home-made pancakes, breads, and other baked goods. Replace 2 tablespoons of flour with wheat germ in a standard pancake recipe calling for 1 1/2 cups of flour. Increase that amount if you enjoy the rich taste. Replace up to 1/4 cup of flour with wheat germ for each loaf of quick or yeast bread. You can also replace two tablespoons of flour with wheat germ in a cookie recipe.
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Use wheat germ to replace half the bread crumbs in your favorite meatball or meatloaf recipe. Keeping part crumbs gives you a more familiar, slightly coarse texture. However, if you enjoy a finer texture, replace all of the crumbs with wheat germ.
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Top casseroles with wheat germ Add wheat germ to toppings of all kinds, from casseroles to desserts. Instead of covering your casserole with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, use wheat germ and Parmesan. Or substitute wheat germ for only half the crumbs. When making potatoes or vegetables with a crumb top, mix wheat germ and Italian blend cheese to make a topping. The nut-like flavor of toasted wheat germ goes especially well with desserts. Convert your apple crisp recipe by substituting wheat germ for half of the flour in your topping. Mix wheat germ with ground or chopped nuts and use as a topping for ice cream sundaes. Whenever you add wheat germ to family meals, you make your food both nutritious and delicious.
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Tips & Warnings
Toasted wheat germ tastes best in dishes you do not plan to cook. Both raw and toasted wheat germ work fine for cooking.
Both traditional and health-oriented cookbooks contain recipes using wheat germ. Check your personal collection as well as your public library.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Wheat image by Winks from Fotolia.com oatmeal with brown sugar and blueberries image by David Smith from Fotolia.com bread image by Julianna Olah from Fotolia.com Sweet potato casserole image by PhotoDaniels from Fotolia.com
