Beetroot groats with cumin, dill and cucumber

The beetroot groats with cumin, dill and cucumber are a vegan alternative to a traditional risotto.

Nutrient profile: According to GDA guidelines, one portion of this recipe covers almost half of the average daily requirement of the essential trace element manganese, which plays a role in the formation of cartilage tissue, among other things. It also covers around ⅓ of the daily requirement of tryptophan and selenium. Tryptophan is one of the eight essential amino acids and plays an important role as a precursor for the neurotransmitter serotonin and the B vitamin niacin.
Heating during cooking results in a slight loss of nutrients. Since the nutrient profile refers to the uncooked ingredients, the values are actually slightly lower.

Pearl barley: Pearl barley, also called groats, rolled barley or cooking barley, is peeled and polished barley grains that are round, half-round or oblong-round in shape. Barley groats are used for barley soup or stews, among other things. In contrast to wheat and rye, barley contains very little gluten.

Shiitake mushrooms: Shiitake mushrooms have an umami taste, which is the fifth scientifically recognized taste quality that can be perceived via the tongue, alongside sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Glutamate present activates special taste receptors on the tongue.

Beetroot: The characteristic red color of beetroot is mainly due to the high concentration of the glycoside betanin from the group of betalains. Beetroot is a healthy vegetable due to its high folic acid content, among other things, and can be eaten cooked or raw.

Cumin: Despite the similar name, cumin is not closely related to caraway and also differs greatly in taste. Ground cumin has a fresh and slightly spicy aroma, which it owes to the cuminaldehyde contained in the essential oil.

Dill: Dill is an annual herbaceous plant and a member of the Apiaceae family. Dill is widespread in Eurasia and its seeds are used as a herb or spice in aromatic dishes. The flavor of dill leaves is best when used fresh, as they quickly lose their flavor when dried. The dill tips look similar to fennel leaves, but taste very different.

Shiitake mushrooms: Dried shiitake mushrooms should be stored in a dry place, protected from light and hermetically sealed in a glass jar or resealable bag. It is important that the dried mushrooms absorb as little moisture as possible from the air.
You can also pulverize the dried mushrooms in a high-performance blender and store them as a powder.

Authors’ tips on variations:

• You can replace the dill with basil and the pearl barley with brown rice, quinoa, spelt or millet.
• The authors use shiitake mushroom powder and give "seasoning yeast flakes" as an alternative - you can also use brewer's yeast here.
• They recommend dried thyme as an alternative to cumin.

Low-salt vegetable stock: We use extra low-salt vegetable stock to reduce the overall amount of salt without sacrificing flavor. Use your own preference as a guide when adding salt to this dish.

Vegan vegetable stock: As an alternative to low-salt vegetable broth, you can also use a vegan vegetable stock. You can find a recipe under the following link: Vegan vegetable stock.
Depending on how concentrated it is, you will need to adjust the quantities accordingly.

Walnut topping: A topping of 30g walnuts for 2 portions not only tastes good, but would increase the proportion of omega-3 fatty acids from 3% to 70% of the average daily requirement according to GDA guidelines.
Read more at: Vegans often eat unhealthily. Avoidable nutritional errors.