20 Recipes for Cooking with Whole Grains

"Quinoa is a miracle food," says Bruce Sherman. Native to the Andes Mountains, the nutty, protein-rich grain is now also grown in the U.S. Sherman tosses it with smoky bacon and toasted almonds to make a substantial side dish that's fantastic with poached eggs or roasted chicken.

Cat Cora's nutritious quinoa salad is a fast dish. Adding chicken makes it a great meal-in-one.

Recipe: Warm Quinoa Salad with Carrots and Grilled Chicken

Filmmaker and chef Daniel Klein created this colorful smoked-fish and whole-grain salad after fishing for gray mullet for an episode of his web series, "The Perennial Plate." Instead of smoked mullet, the smoked trout here is easier to find and equally delicious.

Recipe: Farro Salad with Smoked Trout

Dan Barber is a big proponent of using whole grains, which are healthier and more delicious than the processed kinds. One of the grains he's most keen on is emmer wheat, also known as farro, which he uses in this savory, carrot-rich dish.

Recipe: Cracked Emmer and Carrot Porridge

Cookbook author Marcy Goldman started baking matzo with her young sons after touring a temporary factory at a local synagogue that produced shmura matzo — the traditional, handmade variety. "As a baker and a Jewish mother, I thought, I can do that," she says. The whole-grain flours in this recipe create a more crackly, sandy texture than white-flour matzo.

Recipe: Whole-Grain Matzo

Chef Quinn Hatfield cooks big batches of pearled barley and quinoa to keep in his refrigerator for this hot cereal, which comes together in minutes. He also uses the grains in salads. The mixture of cinnamon and chopped dates makes this breakfast nicely sweet — no extra sugar needed.

Recipe: Three-Grain Cereal with Dates and Cinnamon

"You can make this with any grain or fruit that goes with yogurt," says Malin Elmlid. For her version of this cold cereal, she uses plain rolled grains, like oats or spelt, moistened with apples, coconut water, and yogurt. When a friend brought her a goji-berry tree to barter for bread, she added a few berries right from the branch.

Recipe: Apple Muesli with Goji Berries

After you have grilled up Vegetables with Walnut Dressing, pair with pearled barley and Pecorino cheese for a lively summer grain salad.

Recipe: Barley and Grilled-Vegetable Salad

"I love how out of control the vegetarian culture is in this city," says chef Kevin Kathman of Minneapolis's Barbette. To satisfy those diners, he stuffs maple-glazed roasted squash with quinoa and sautéed wild mushrooms. For a more substantial dish, serve it with roasted root vegetables brushed with the same glaze.

Recipe: Squash Stuffed with Quinoa and Wild Mushrooms

After tossing the ingredients and spreading them in a pan, Melissa Rubel Jacobson chills the stuffing for at least an hour before baking. This ensures that the bread soaks up the liquid — key to a stuffing that's crisp on top and moist within.

Recipe: Whole-Grain Stuffing with Apples, Sausage, and Pecans

This salad of grilled spring vegetables feels just filling enough, thanks to the protein-rich quinoa and a puree of dates that are grilled first to soften them and intensify their natural sweetness.

Recipe: Quinoa Salad with Grilled Scallions, Favas, and Dates

The nuttiness of the pearled barley and pine nuts contrasts with the sweet apples and pomegranate seeds in this tasty side dish.

Recipe: Pearled Barley Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds, and Pine Nuts

At L.A. Bento in Los Angeles, chef Chad Aaland makes quinoa salad with three types of beans and house-pickled onions. This streamlined version with black beans and jarred cocktail onions works, too.

Recipe: Santa Fe Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is naturally loaded with protein and fiber. This filling, nutrient-packed grain is most often used for savory dishes, but it can also be turned into a healthy and unexpected creative breakfast.

Recipe: Sweet Breakfast Quinoa

This dish from Uxua hotel chef Aladim Alves traces its roots to the 1970s, when the beaches of Trancoso, Brazil, were a favorite hippie destination. It combines richly flavored Bahian seafood with healthy whole-grain black rice.

Recipe: Brazilian Black Rice