Cooking Instructions for Bulk Items

Beans

Wash and drain beans. Cover with cold water, discard floaters, and soak 4-8 hours in a cool place. Drain, add 3 c fresh water for every cup of beans. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until soft. Times listed below are approximate.

• Adzuki/Chili – 1 hour
• Black/Navy/Pinto/Red Kidney/Pink – 1.5 hours
• Cannellini/Mung – 45 to 60 minutes
• Garbanzo/Chickpeas – 2 to 3 hours
• Soybeans – 3 to 4 hours

Peas & Lentils

Black Eyed Peas: Wash/drain beans. Cover with cold water, discard floaters and soak in at least 3 inches of water in refrigerator overnight (or 4-8 hours). Drain, add fresh water covering beans by 2 inches. Cover, bring water to boil, and simmer 2 hours until tender. Do not let water cook out.

Green Split Peas: Wash/drain. Add 3 c water or broth for every c of peas. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer just until soft, 40-50 minutes.

French/Green/Red Lentils: Wash/drain. Add 3 c fresh water or broth for every c of lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and simmer just until soft. 30-45 minutes.

Rice

Basmati/Jasmine: Rinse rice in cold water. Combine 1 c rice to 2 c water or broth in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, stir once and reduce heat.

Brown: Simmer for 50 minutes. Remove from heat, let rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

White: Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let rest for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Brown: Short, Sweet, Golden Rose, Brown Rice Blend or Long Grain
Rinse rice in cold water. Combine 1 c rice to 2 c water or broth in a pot with lid. Bring to a boil, stir once and reduce heat. Simmer for 50 min. Remove from heat, let rest for 10 min. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Olde World Pilaf: Combine 1 c of pilaf to 2.5 c water. Add 1 Tbsp. oil, herbs, or spices to taste. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes.

White Arborio: Rinse rice in cold water. Combine 1 c rice to 1½ c water or broth in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, stir once and reduce heat. Simmer for 20- 30 min. Remove from heat, let rest for 10 min. Fluff with a fork and serve. Arborio rice is best used in risotto recipes.

White Sushi: Rinse rice in cold water. Combine 1 c rice to 2 c water or broth in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, stir once and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

MacDougall’s Wild Rice: First, sort through to remove any possible foreign matter. Rinse with cold water and drain. Combine 1 part rice to 3 parts water or broth in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, stir once and reduce heat. Cook over a slow simmer for 45 min. Do not overcook; stop cooking when the rice looks like an opened hot dog bun – not exploded like popcorn. Serve piping hot. Expands 3-4 times when cooked.

Lundberg’s Wild Blend: Rinse rice in cold water. Combine 1 c rice to 2 c water or broth in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, stir once and reduce heat. Simmer for 45 min. Remove from heat, let rest for 10 min. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Grains

Amaranth: In a saucepan, combine ½ c grain with 1 c water or broth over high heat. Once it is boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Barley (Hulless): Wash hulled barley, soak overnight. Drain. Bring 6 c of water or broth to a boil. Stir in 1 c drained barley. Cover, reduce heat. Cook for approximately 60 minutes. During last half of the cooking, check liquid level and add more if needed.

Barley (Pearled): Use 2½ – 3 c liquid to 1 c barley. Bring liquid to a boil. Add barley, stir. Cover, reduce heat. Cook 35-40 minutes, or soak overnight in a ratio of 2 parts liquid to 1 part grain to reduce cooking time to 15 minutes.

Buckwheat Groats (Hulled or Roasted Kasha, Organic): Combine 2 parts water or stock to 1 part groat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-25 minutes.

Bulgar (Wheat): Combine 1 c bulgar for 2 c liquid in a covered saucepan. Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Millet (Hulled, Organic): Combine ½ c millet with 1¼ c water or stock. Heat to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until millet is tender (start checking at 20 minutes). When liquid is absorbed, remove from heat, and let rest in covered pot for 10 minutes.

Muesli: Bring 2 parts water and 1 part muesli to a full boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also cover cereal with cold liquid and let it sit for a few minutes.

Oat Bran: Combine 2/3 c water for 1/3 c cereal. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Simmer 5 minutes, remove from heat, let sit 5 minutes.

Rolled Oats: 1 c water, 1/2 c oats, dash of salt (optional). Boil water and salt. Stir in oats.

• Quick: Cook 3 minutes over medium heat.
• Regular or Thick: Cook 5 minutes over medium heat.

Steel Cut Oats: 4 c water, 1 c oats. Bring to boil; simmer 30-45 minutes.

Polenta (from cornmeal): In large, deep pot, bring 6 c water and 1 tsp. salt to a boil. Gradually stir in 2 c polenta. Simmer gently, stirring frequently until mixture is very thick, about 20 minutes. Stir in 3 Tbsp. butter and ¼ c parmesan cheese while cooking.

Popcorn (Organic, Yellow or MultiColored): Use 3-4 qt. pan with loose lid. Pour popcorn to cover the bottom of the pan. For every c of kernels, add 1/3 c oil. Heat oil to 400-460°F. Test oil with a few kernels. If they pop, add the rest. Shake to spread oil. When popping slows, remove pan from stove.

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah): Rinse grain very well. Place 1 part quinoa and 2 parts liquid in saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer approximately 10-15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Quinoa will look transparent when done.

Rye Flakes (Rolled): 2 c water for 2/3 c cereal. Boil water, slowly stir in flakes. Simmer for 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. (1c water to 1/3 c cereal for smaller portion)

Rye Berries: 4 parts of water to 1 part berries. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1½ hours.

Emmer/Faro: Wash grain, soak for 8 hours. Boil and simmer for 2 hours until tender.

Spelt Berries: Rinse thoroughly. Soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse and combine 1 c berries with 3 c water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for one hour.

Spelt Flakes: 2 c water to 1 c grain. Boil water and slowly stir in flakes. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Seven-Grain Cereal: Add 1 c of cereal to 3 c of water along with ¼ tsp salt. Bring to boil, cover and simmer 10-20 minutes (depending on how tender you like it), stirring occasionally. Also, you can combine 1 part cereal to 2 parts water and soak until the water is absorbed.

Cracked Wheat: Cook ½ c of cracked wheat in 1 c of liquid for 15 minutes to yield 1 c. This grain can replace rice or other grains in most recipes, makes a great breakfast cereal or can be mixed into baked goods.

Wheat Berries (Hard Spring): Rinse berries. Bring 1½ c of water to a boil and add ½ c wheat berries. Cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes, adding water occasionally if necessary. Yields 1¼ c.

Wheat Bran: Combine 2/3 c water with 1/3 c cereal. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Simmer 5 minutes, remove from heat, let sit 5 minutes.

Wheat Flakes (Rolled): 2 c water for 2/3 c cereal. Boil water, slowly stir in flakes. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Pasta

Bring salted water with ½ Tbsp oil per gallon of water to a rapid boil. Add pasta gradually, stirring occasionally. Test at time stated below. Pasta should be tender yet firm.

• Four-Color Tortellini – 10 minutes
• Whole Wheat Elbows – 8 to 10 minutes
• Quinoa Elbows/Pagodas – 6 to 9 minutes
• Rigatoni – 11 minutes
• Veggie Corkscrews – 4 minutes
• Veggie Spirals – 5 to 8 minutes
• Veggie Bowties – 4 minutes
• Orzo – 8 to 10 minutes

Couscous (French & Israeli): Bring 1½ c water to a boil. Stir in 1 c couscous. Bring again to a boil, reduce heat, cooking for about one minute or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.

Soups

32 Bean and 8 Vegetable Soup/Chili: Sort through mix before cooking. Use 1 part soup mix to 8 parts water. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Then simmer 2-3 hours. When beans are tender, add whole or crushed tomatoes. Flavor improves if refrigerated and served reheated the next day. Also try steaming off water to create a thick mixture for tacos, etc.

Curry Lentil Soup: 1 serving: ½ c flakes to 3/4 c water. Pour boiling water over flakes, let sit for 5 minutes. Garnish with green onions, parsley or cilantro.

MN Grown Wild Rice Vegetable Soup: Use 1 part soup mix to 8 parts water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes. Add liquid as necessary.

Whole Wheat Alphabet Vegetable Soup: Use 1 part soup mix to 8 parts boiling water. Stir for the first few minutes. Then strong simmer for about 1 hour in a heavy soup pot with a lid. Add tomato paste or canned Italian seasoned tomatoes for a traditional soup.

Spicy Southwestern Soup: Sort through soup mix. Use 1 part soup mix to 5 parts water or chicken stock. Boil for 5 minutes. Then strong simmer for 60-90 minutes with lid. Add water if necessary. Season with lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro. Also, try steaming off water to create a thick mix for tacos, etc. Soup may be frozen and reheated.

Bean and Barley Mix: Rinse 1# of mix. Soak overnight or at least 2 hours. Drain. Sauté 2 onions in vegetable oil in a large saucepan until soft. Add soup mix and 8 c water and 2 tsp salt. Boil, lower temperature and simmer for 2 – 2½ hours or until tender.

Lentils, Rice and Indian Spice Mix: In a heat-proof bowl, add 1 c boiling water to 1/3 (scant) c of mix. Stir well, cover, and let sit for 7 minutes. Stir and serve.

Couscous and Lentil Curry: In a heat-proof bowl, add 2 c boiling water to 1 (scant) c of mix. Stir well, cover, and let sit for 7 minutes. Stir and serve.

Corn and Black Bean Chowder: In a heatproof bowl, add 2 c boiling water to 1¼ c of mix. Stir well, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir and serve.

Kettle Chili: In a heat-proof bowl, add 1¾ c boiling water to 1 rounded c of mix. Stir well, cover, and let sit for 7 minutes. Stir and serve.

Velvety Black Bean Soup: In a heat-proof bowl, add 2 c boiling water to 1¼ c of mix. Stir well, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir and serve.

Split Pea Soup Mix: In a heat-proof bowl, add 2/3 c boiling water to ½ scant c of mix. Stir well, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir and serve.

Instant Mixes

Black Bean Mix: In a bowl, add 2 c boiling water to 1½ c bean mix. Stir well, cover for 5 minutes and serve.

Dehydrated Mixed Vegetables: Soak 1 part veggies to 3 parts water for 15 min. Simmer 5-10 min. Add additional water if necessary.

Falafel: In a large bowl, add 2 c Falafel and 1¼ c water and stir well. Let stand 15 minutes to absorb the water. Form into 1- inch balls.

• Frying Directions: Heat ½-inch of vegetable oil to 375°F, then fry balls until brown and crisp (approximately 3 minutes). Drain and serve.
• Broiling Directions: Flatten Falafel balls into ½-inch thick patties. Brush both sides with olive oil. Place on cookie sheet, then broil 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from broiler. Blot any excess oil with paper towel. Serve.

Hummus Dip: Place 1 c mix in bowl. Add 1½ c warm water* and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Stir until well blended (wire whisk works best). Let stand 5 minutes.*For creamier texture, add additional 2 Tbsp water.

Nature’s Burger: In a bowl, combine 1½ c mix with 1½ c boiling water. Stir well. Let stand for 15 minutes. Pan fry thin patties on medium heat until browned.

Mary Jane’s Black Beans: In a bowl, combine ¾ c mix with ¾ c boiling water. Stir well and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Mary Jane’s Falafel: In a bowl, combine 2/3 c mix and 1/3 c boiling water. Stir well and let sit for 15 minutes. Pan fry or bake.

Non-fat Dry Milk: Combine 1 c powder with 1 quart spring water in blender. Refrigerate before serving for best flavor.

Mary Jane’s Couch Potatoes: Combine 1½ c mix with 2 c boiling water. Stir well and serve.