Dairy substitutes: Soy milk, amazake, nut milks, nutritional yeast.
Fresh Foods: Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds; alfalfa seeds, lentils, garbanzos,
and green peas for sprouting.
Kitchen Basics
Washing grains: I like the swirling method I learned from Annemarie Colbin. It is more effective than running water over the grains in a colander. Put the grains in a bowl and cover with twice the amount of water. Swirl thoroughly and pour off all the floating debris and stray grains. Catch the rest in a colander. If the water is very dirty, repeat the procedure. Quinoa, amaranth, and millet need to be washed more carefully, several times at least.
Cooking grains: The following are some cooking times and grain-to-water ratios for the more commonly utilized grains.
Brown rice: Combine 1 cup rice to 2 cups cold water and a pinch of salt. The
salt is important even if you are on a salt-free diet because it brings out the full flavor of the grain. Bring to a boil, adjust the flame to low, and cook the rice in 50–60 minutes. If you are making rice with steamed vegetables, you can lay the cut up vegetables on top of the rice during the last 10 minutes and they will cook with
the steam from the rice. Rice connoisseurs suggest cooking the rice undisturbed for
1 hour over a low heat. The pot must have a tight seal so the steam does not escape, and to tell it's done, listen to the pot; it will stop bubbling and you will hear a slight crackling or popping sound of rice toasting. Many rice lovers will also prepare the rice with more salt, about 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon per cup of uncooked rice, and 1/2 – 1 Tablespoon of oil or butter.
Barley: Cook with the same amount of water as you would rice. I have found it takes slightly longer, 60 to 70 minutes.
Quinoa: 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer 15 minutes.
Millet: Another trick I learned from Annemarie Colbin is to dry roast this grain in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet until a few grains begin to pop, about 5–10 minutes. Then add 2 cups of water for each cup of millet and the usual pinch of salt. Cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 30–40 minutes. Fluff with fork before serving. If just cooking millet in water, rinse it well to remove any unseen dirt.
Kasha: Bring 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil. Add 1 cup of kasha, lower the flame, and simmer for 15–20 minutes.
You may wish to use a pressure cooker for some grains in order to shorten the cooking time. In that case add less water, about 1H cups of water to 1 cup grain. Also do not cook any cracked grain in the pressure cooker since it may clog up the escape valve and cause an explosion. Pressure-cooked grains have a totally different texture and taste, especially rice, which tends to stick together. It is wonderful for making sushi, but not appropriate for a rice salad or pilaf.
Washing and soaking beans: Beans that are bought in bulk need picking over since they often contain stones. The worst are red lentils and I suggest that you do not buy them in bulk, but get the already cleaned and packaged ones.
The following beans do not need soaking: all kinds of lentils, split peas, and aduki beans. All other beans are best soaked overnight in twice the amount of water. Throw away the soaking water. This will shorten the cooking time and also reduce the gas-producing effects. If you do not have time to soak the beans overnight, you can use a quick method. Boil them in twice the amount of water for 5 minutes and then let them sit covered for 1 hour; then change water for further cooking.