1 cup cooked oat groats or steel cut oats

1/8 tsp salt

1 Tblsp brown sugar

2 Tblsps dried cranberries

2 Tblsps coarsely chopped nuts, ie: walnuts, pecans, almonds

Directions:

If  the oats are not already hot heat them for ~1 min in the microwave. Once the oats are hot, stir in the salt and sugar. Then thoroughly mix in the cranberries and nuts. Enjoy!

1 cup cooked oat groats or steel cut oats

1/8 tsp salt

1 Tblsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins

Directions:

If  the oats are not already hot heat them for ~1 min in the microwave. Once the oats are hot, stir in the salt and sugar. Then thoroughly mix in the cinnamon. Lastly, stir in the raisins. Enjoy!

For the Italian Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp chicken bullion
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat your thermos. Bring the water to a boil. Once the water boils, use the water in the thermos to rinse the quinoa. Once the quinoa is rinsed dump it into the thermos, add all of the seasonings and then the boiling water. Give the thermos a shake, lay it on its side and let the quinoa cook for 35-40 mins.

For the sausage

• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 1/2 of an onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 3/4 lb of Italian sausage
• 1 (14 oz) can diced Italian tomatoes
• salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add onion and pepper and saute until tender. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess oil. Add tomatoes and heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve sausage mixture over quinoa. Serve with a nice green salad and some bread on the side for a complete dinner. Enjoy!

• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 1 med onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1-2 Tblsp chili powder
• 1 can (4oz) diced green chilies
• 1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 can (15 oz) beans drained and rinsed (you can use black, kidney or pinto beans)
• 1-2 cups cooked whole wheat
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

In a medium saucepan heat oil. Once the oil is hot add the onion and cook until softened. Once the onion is cooked add garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook just until fragrant (about 20 seconds). Add the chilies, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, wheat and pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 mins. Enjoy!

2 cups cooked wheat berries

1/2 med onion minced

2 cloves or garlic, press or chop

3 cups fresh parsley minced

1 med onion chopped

3 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tblsp fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Enjoy!!

Notes:

For a wheat-free option substitute cooked quinoa for the wheat berries.

Our instructions will make more sense after you quickly read through our thermos cooking basics.

Basic Recipe

Ratio: 1 part oat groats to 3 parts water
Salt: To taste – try 1/2 teaspoon per cup of oats to start (put the salt in after the oatmeal is cooked)
Cooking Time: overnight

Directions

1. Boil enough water to fill up your thermos. I like to use an electric kettle, but use the stove or whatever else you have.
2. While it’s heating, get your ingredients ready.
3. Once your water boils, fill up your thermos, close the lid, and set aside.
4. Measure out your water, keeping a 1:3 ratio. But make sure to leave room in the thermos for the oats to expand. For my 5 cup thermos I was using 1.5 cups oats and 3 cups water and it was too much. Leave at least a cup of expansion room.
5. Boil your measured water.
6. When your water is about ready to boil, pour the water out of the thermos.
7. Put the oats in the thermos and pour the boiling water over them, close it up, give in a few shakes, and lay it down on the counter.

Because the oats are in whole form they need to cook overnight. But what could be more convenient than getting breakfast ready the night before!

Tips

• Don’t add the salt until the oatmeal is cooked. This produces a creamier oatmeal because an element within the oat – pentosan – can combine with the water and make a creamier texture. Using salt during cooking will keep the water from interacting with the pentosan. Just sprinkle the salt on the oats in your bowl or into the thermos.
• Make a lot! There’s no reason to make a cup or two of oatmeal. Make as much as your thermos can hold and leave the rest in the thermos for someone else to discover or put it in a container in the fridge and eat it tomorrow. It heats up great in the microwave.

Learn about the nutritional value of oats.

Extras

Watch this excellent show from Alton Brown’s “Good Eats” about why you hold the salt until the oats are cooked. Alton Brown is my personal hero.

1 cup cooked wheat berries

2 Tblsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tblsp olive oil

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 Tblsp minced scallion

3/4 cup seedless grapes, halved

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together fresh lemon juice and olive oil; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Add minced scallion, halved seedless grapes, toasted chopped walnuts and crumbled feta. Add wheat berries, toss. Enjoy!

Cook Time: ~15 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 (12 oz) can fat-free evaporated milk
1 cup cooked wheat berries
1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 small apple, diced
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
2 Tblsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 slices bread, cubed or torn
2 Tblsp sugar (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT bread and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat  over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. Cook a few minutes longer until mixture is just thinner than pudding consistency. Turn off heat and stir in bread. Pour pudding into bowls or ramekins. If using sugar, top each serving with sugar and brulee with a torch. Enjoy!

Basic Recipe

Ratio: 2-3 servings of pasta to enough water to fill your thermos
Salt: a pinch
Cooking Time: 10 minutes (approx.)

Directions

1. Boil enough water to fill up your thermos. I like to use an electric kettle, but use the stove or whatever else you have.
2. While it’s heating, get your ingredients ready.
3. Fill up your thermos with boiling water, close the lid, and set aside.
4. Boil 3-4 cups of water to cook the pasta.
5. Measure out your pasta.
6. When your measured liquid is about ready to boil, pour out the water from the thermos.
7. Dump the pasta into the thermos.
8. Pour  the boiling water into the thermos until it is an inch or so from the top, add a pinch of salt, close it up, give in a few shakes, and lay it down on the counter.

Timing depends on what kind of pasta you are cooking. The pasta needs the same amount of time to cook in the thermos as it does on the stove. The nice thing about doing it in the thermos though, is that you don’t have to watch it or stir it. Just set the timer and continue with dinner prep or go relax for a few minutes.

You can cook any kind of pasta in the thermos. You can cook larger quantities of smaller pastas and you may have to break long pasta in half to fit in the thermos. Cooking pasta in the thermos saves energy and gives you a bit of a break – how great is that?!

Our instructions will make more sense after you quickly read through our thermos cooking basics.

Basic Recipe

Ratio: 1 part whole wheat kernels to 1 plus a little extra part water (I used 2 cups wheat and 2.5 cups water)
Salt: a scant 1/2 teaspoon per cup of wheat
Cooking Time: overnight

Directions

1. Boil enough water to fill up your thermos. I like to use an electric kettle, but use the stove or whatever else you have.
2. While it’s heating, get your ingredients ready.
3. Fill up your thermos with boiling water, close the lid, and set aside.
4. Measure out your water, remember to use just slightly more than the amount of wheat you are cooking.
5. Boil your measured water.
6. When your measured liquid is about ready to boil, pour out the water from the thermos.
7. Dump the wheat and salt into the thermos. I use a canning funnel to try to make this easier.
8. Pour the boiling water into the thermos, close it up, give in a few shakes, and lay it down on the counter.
9. In the morning, pour the contents of the thermos into a small mesh strainer to remove the excess water.

Because the wheat is in its whole kernel state it needs all night to cook. You can cook as much or as little wheat as you like, but it is important to fill your thermos close to capacity with boiling water so the thermos will stay hot all night long. Also, the wheat will not absorb all of the water so it will still slosh some when it is done.

Remember that you can’t overcook it, so you don’t have worry about leaving all day or night. Just leave it on the counter and eat it when you’re ready – convenient, isn’t it?

Learn about the nutritional value of whole wheat.

I’ve Cooked My Wheat! What Do I Do with It Now?

Breakfast:

• Eat warm with honey and craisins
• Use it in bread pudding

Lunch/Salads:

• Add it to a salad for a little variety
• Mix it into a chicken curry salad
• Enjoy it in a salad with grapes and feta cheese, or a delicious Mediterranean salad.
  

Dinner:

• Mix it into chili
• Add it to stir-fry