One of the three varieties of Suddenly Grain
Salad. Photo courtesy Betty Crocker.

If America isn’t eating enough whole grains, can Betty Crocker help?

Hopefully, the company’s new and not-yet-mainstream boxed grain salads will do the trick.

Following the trend of restaurants to whole grain salads—on the advice of healthcare professionals and the government to consume more whole grains—the food giant has introduced Suddenly Grain Salad, a line extension of their Suddenly Salad pasta salad line.

Each box contains a mix of grains, seasonings and other ingredients such as dried fruits and nuts. It is easy to make, and mess free. You simply boil the grain packets for 17 minutes, then mix with the seasonings and a bit of water and olive oil.

Then, enjoy the salad warm, room temperature or chilled; as a side dish or as a base for grilled chicken or fish. You’ve got a delicious and nutritionist-approved meal.

The grain salads are delicious as is, but you can also add raw or cooked vegetables to amp up the salad: bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, etc.

The Suddenly Grain Salad line debuts with three flavorful varieties:

 
We were particularly enamored of Harvest grains and Tuscan Grains—which is not to disparage Southwest Grains; we just liked the flavors of the other two better.

If you have trouble finding them, ask your grocer or look online. After receiving initial samples from Betty Crocker, we reordered them on Amazon.com:

Add some tequila to your favorite cake recipe. Photo courtesy Partida Tequila.

RECIPE: TEQUILA CHEESECAKE

Olga Valentina of Olga Cooks created a wonderful Partida Tequila Cheesecake. Here’s a step-by-step photo display of the recipe.

Ingredients

For The Cheesecake

 
For The Crust

Preparation

1. MAKE the topping: Hull, core and slice the strawberries, add to a mixing bowl and sprinkle with the sugar. Pour the tequila and lime juice over the berries, mixing well so that the berries are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.

2. MAKE the crust: Preheat the oven to 340°F. Blend the butter and oatmeal cookies by pulsing together in a food processor. Press the mixture into a 10″ springform pan, ensuring that the bottom is evenly covered. Bake for 10 minutes.

3. MAKE cheesecake batter: Using an electric mixer, blend together the ricotta, cream cheese, honey, sugar and tequila. Zest the lime into the bowl, then squeeze in the lime juice. Mix well.

4. ADD the eggs to the batter one at a time, using an electric mixer.

5. POUR the batter into the crust. Surround the pan with aluminum foil and place it onto a ridged baking sheet*. Fill the baking sheet with an inch of water to make a bain marie. The water provides moisture that keeps the top of the cheesecake from cracking; the foil keeps the water out of the springform pan.

6. BAKE for an hour at 340°F, or until the top of the cheesecake is golden brown. Cool on a rack, then chill the cheesecake in the fridge for 3 hours or ideally, overnight.

7. TOP with the tequila-infused strawberries and serve.

 
*Some professionals prefer ridged baking sheets for more even cooking, but you can certainly use a standard baking sheet.
  

Victoria Amory is a cook and food writer born and raised in Spain. She now lives in the U.S., and has her own line of specialty sauces.

One of the signature sauces from the Catalonia region of Spain is romesco. Learn more about it below.

Victoria’s sells an Almond & Garlic Romesco Sauce, but you can make your own from scratch, using almonds, other nuts, or a blend.

Crafted with red chile peppers, pimentón (paprika), nuts, and extra virgin olive oil, romesco is a perfect sauce to use with meats, roasted vegetables, shellfish, and fish. “It elevates your everyday meals to everyday feasts,” says Chef Victoria.

If you have leftover sauce, it is delicious as a dip or bread spread.

For an everyday feast, try her Cauliflower And Bacon Salad With Romesco Sauce. (What’s romesco sauce? See below.)
 
 
RECIPE #1: WARM CAULIFLOWER & BACON SALAD WITH
ROMESCO SAUCE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. In a bowl, toss together the cauliflower, bacon, olive oil, and vinegar. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

2. TOSS the bread with the garlic and extra virgin olive oil and add the cauliflower. Roast for an additional 10 minutes or until the bread is toasted and the cauliflower is golden.

3. MIX the cauliflower with the chickpeas and toss with the spinach leaves. Add a drizzle of olive oil if needed. Serve warm with romesco sauce on the side.
 
 
RECIPE #2: ROMESCO SAUCE & DIP

As with most recipes, there is considerable variation in the proportion of ingredients. This version is adapted from one by Chef Aida Mollenkamp.

Ingredients

[1] Colored cauliflower makes the dish more exciting (photo © Nourish The Roots).

[2] Chickpeas add protein to the salad. Here are 30 recipes you can make with a can of chickpeas, from Feel Good Foodie (photo © Feel Good Foodie).

[3] Romesco sauce and dip (photo © Chef Aida Mollenkamp).

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. SERVE with crudites, crusty sliced bread, or your favorite crackers.
 
 
WHAT IS ROMESCO SAUCE?

First, it isn’t romanesco sauce. There is no romanesco sauce. Romanesco is a language; the sauce is romesco.

Romesco is a pungent, smooth, rich red sauce made from red peppers, tomatoes, ground almonds or other nuts, olive oil, garlic, and cayenne pepper. It originated in Tarragona, a port city on the Mediterranean Sea in the province of Catalonia in northeast Spain. Though the exact origin is unclear (as is the meaning of the name), it is believed that the local fishermen made it to eat with their catch.

It has become a popular sauce beyond seafood, enjoyed with meat, poultry, and vegetables as well as for a dip and a bread spread.

The nuts can be any mixture of roasted or raw almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts or walnuts, plus roasted garlic, olive oil, mild bitxo chiles (red chiles similar to Anaheim/New Mexico chiles), and/or nyora peppers (a sun-dried, small, round variety of red bell pepper).

Flour or ground stale bread is sometimes used as a thickener or to provide texture. Other common ingredients employed in different recipe variations include roasted tomatoes, red wine vinegar, and onions. Leaves of fennel or mint are added when the sauce is served with fish and other seafood.

Here’s more about romesco sauce.