Laurel's Kitchen

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Readers of Frances Moore Lappe's fine book, Diet for a Small Planet, will undoubtedly wonder why we've paid no attention to the finer points of protein complementarity, particularly the idea that it's necessary to balance amino acids within a half-hour period. We've discovered that there's good reason to relax on that score and consider the whole day's menus rather than just the foods in each meal, for there's considerable evidence that the body is able to make the fine adjustments of amino acid balance if we just supply it with enough protein from a diet of balanced foods.

PORRIDGE

ALL IN ONE CEREAL: 2 cups cracked wheat, 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ, 1/2 cup raw wheat germ, 1/2 cup soy grits, 1/2 cup wheat bran, 1 cup coarse cornmeal.

STUART'S CHOICE: 2 cups cracked wheat, I cup coarse cornmeal.

Hot cereal is a staple item on our breakfast table, not only because it's a nutritionally excellent way to serve grains but because it's so inexpensive, simple, and satisfying. Keep a good variety of cereals on hand. Wheat is perhaps the best all-round cereal, but each has its own nutritional strengths and its own personality.

One way to ensure variety is to mix up a good supply of cereal combinations. Prepare them as indicated on the chart below. Buying in bulk minimizes cost and wasteful packaging. Kept in a dry, cool place, in airtight containers, cereal grains will keep well almost indefinitely. In the case of All in One, though, mix up just a week's worth at a time, or add the wheat germ when you're preparing it; wheat germ needs refrigeration.

Cereal grains cooked for breakfast call for a little more water than those served at dinner; otherwise, the cooking method is the same. Use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt for each cup of grain. Bring salted water to a boil and pour cereal in slowly. Cook and stir for a minute or two, then cover and cook over very low heat (a double boiler is ideal) for 20 to 25 minutes. Milk may be used in place of water.

NOTE: A double boiler is a carefree way to prepare hot cereals, and as the cereal is not directly over the flame, B vitamins are not destroyed.

BASIC WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD

BASIC RECIPE: 2-1/2 cups warm water, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon active dry yeast, 1 tablespoon salt, 6 cups whole wheat flour.

Here's the blueprint for our standard miracle loaf. Every frill has been removed, so it's perfect for beginners.

Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Add the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. In a few minutes, when the yeast comes bubbling to the top, stir in half of the whole wheat flour and beat very well, until the dough ceases to be grainy and becomes smooth and stretchy.

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