Several months ago, we heard from an enterprising young whole grain hero telling us about a project that warmed our whole grain hearts so much that we wanted to share it. A recent graduate of Ashley Hall High School, Madeline Leadem began a senior project to expose people to the power of whole grains – a project that we mentioned when we first heard about it and later when Madeline gave us an update in April.

Now that project has culminated in a beautiful whole grain cookbook: The Holy Grail of Whole Grains – earning her her own complete blog here today. Madeline is passionate about health, nutrition and cooking, particularly sharing the health benefits of whole grains, as is evident in her beautiful (and delicious!) book. She is an avid cook, kitchen scientist, and she hopes her book will encourage people to make simple changes in their diets to positively impact their lives. We caught up with Madeline, in between graduating and preparing for her freshman year in college, to learn a little bit more about her project and cookbook.

WGC: Did you grow up eating whole grains at home?

Madeline: I did not grow up eating nor baking with whole grains, although I wish I had! I have always loved to cook, bake, and be in the kitchen. I had never focused on cooking using whole grains, until I became interested in nutrition in high school. During that time, I tried to incorporate more nutrient-dense whole grains into my diet. I began experimenting with them in the kitchen and realized how versatile they were and how easily they can be substituted into recipes. 

WGC: What inspired you to write a whole grains cookbook? Do you plan on going into the health/culinary world after college?

Madeline: The cookbook was the culmination of a project I undertook during my senior year in high school. The project began with a proposal I made to my teachers during my junior year. I proposed a comprehensive self-study project to really understand whole grains, their history, health benefits and how their use in typical diets has changed over time. I linked this to dietary changes and drew several conclusions. The project requirement set forth by my school was to design a curriculum with a research component, and study something we are passionate about. My project blended my passions of health and nutrition with healthy and tasteful cooking and I wanted to create a cookbook to share some of my recipes to show how healthy and tasty whole grains can be. As for culinary or nutrition aspirations, I plan on pursuing a career in the health science field, specifically nutrition and dietetics. I will also incorporate my love for cooking in my work!  

WGC: Since this started out as a school project, what intrigued your peers and classmates?

Madeline: My peers and schoolmates expressed to me that they never really understood the difference between whole grains and refined grains. Everyone was so interested and shocked by all of the marketing ploys used to make food look healthy, that they decided to start reading ingredients and seeking out whole grains in the products they consume. I also explained that by cutting out refined grains, it doesn’t mean that you can’t eat something like chocolate chip cookies anymore. Rather, you can make your own using any type of whole grain flour. I made whole grain chocolate chip cookies for Whole Grain Sampling Day and to share during my presentations at school and in the community. I worked with the food service staff at my school to substitute whole grains in to the lunch offerings. The chef received so many compliments, that he decided to make many of the changes permanent and continue to implement more whole grains into the annual lunch calendar. 

WGC: Do you have any advice for people who want to start cooking with whole grains?

Madeline: Cooking with whole grains is not difficult. To cook whole grains correctly, you must be patient. Whole grains take longer to soften and cook than refined grains, so in order to achieve the correct texture you must be patient. Baking with whole grains is a bit different too. Using whole grain flour makes baked goods a bit more dense. To make my whole grain products lighter I added baking powder so that they would rise a bit and have the lighter, fluffier texture that most tastes are accustomed to. There was a lot of trial and error but these are some of my conclusions. I encourage everyone to give whole grains a try. You might be surprised!

WGC: Do you have a favorite recipe you would like to share with our readers?

Madeline: One of my family’s favorite recipe is the whole grain s’mores featured in my cookbook. S’mores are a delicious summer treat but I wanted to make a whole grain version of them. I made homemade graham crackers with whole grain flour in a circular shape-the perfect size for soft, hot marshmallows. They were a family hit! However, I vouch for all the recipes in my cookbook, ranging from whole wheat chocolate chocolate chip pancakes to hearty Italian pasta bake.

Brown Rice Graham Crackers

Ingredients:

1 egg
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup brown rice flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs so that the yolks and whites are combined.
3. When combined, add in the maple syrup, molasses, applesauce, oil and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, brown rice flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. 
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir to combine. The mix should be crumbly!
6. Using your hands, shape the mixture into a ball and place it on the parchment paper. Knead the dough until you form a solid ball.
7. Roll the dough to about ¼ inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out the graham cracker squares.
8. Poke holes in the crackers and bake them for about 10 minutes.
9. Let them cool, and then enjoy!

(Mallory)