grains

The cooked oatmeal that goes into this batter starts with quick-cooking rolled oats that are toasted in a bit of butter until they give off an amazing aroma. Toasting is an extra step, but it’s well worth the effort for the alluring, butterscotchy quality that it brings out in the grain. Bake the waffles until they’re deeply browned so that they form a delicately crisp crust that contrasts beautifully with the moist, custardy interior.

I ate quinoa salad three times over the weekend by sheer coincidence. Rather than hang up my new-age hippie sandals and dig into a hearty cheesesteak, however, I now have an insatiable craving for those flavors and textures, and none for meat.

Quinoa has been a staple grain in Peru for centuries. Highly nutritious, it is a complete protein that is high in iron and fiber, and it has a very mild flavor that complements anything it is paired with. And, when you consider that it cooks in only 15 minutes, you understand why it’s called the “gold of the Incas."