Flax seeds - toast them, grind them into a flour or meal, or eat them raw. This is a seed that gives you lots of options depending on what you are after. Before you get started, there are a few things you should know about integrating flax seeds into your cooking and eating.

The seeds are tiny, delicate and glossy with a high percentage of oil in each seed. This oil in turn is high in beneficial (but delicate) omega-3 fatty acids. Flax seeds show potential cancer-fighting ability and have many other beneficial qualities that you can read more about here.

So, what do you do with it? Particularly if you are interested in integrating it into your diet as a whole food, rather than taking it as a supplement.

Using flax seeds whole: The first thing you need to know if you are going to eat whole flax seeds - get ready to chew. And chew. If you swallow them whole they are going to pass through you whole, and you will miss out on all their beneficial qualities. Toss them in salads, add them to homemade granola, sprinkle over roasted seasonal vegetables. Lots of amicable places to sprinkle flax seeds.

Using flax meal/flour: A more nutritious option than whole seeds, grind the flour as you need it. Grinding flax seeds fresh makes all the good stuff bio-available. Of course, the first urge you get when you have a ground nut or grain like this in front of you is to use it in baked goods. This is fine, just know that you aren't going to get as many of the nutritional benefits versus consuming the seeds freshly ground and uncooked. If you are just after the flavor or texture? Bake away. You can use a spice grinder or mini-processor to freshly grind the flax seeds and you will end up with a slightly oily meal. The general rule of thumb is that you can substitute about 1/4 of your regular flour with flax seed meal - and because of the high fat profile you can also cut back on other fats in recipes - but you will have to experiment. Vegans like to use the flax seed meal as an egg substitute (see below).

Using flax oil: We'll do a future post about all the delicious ways to use flax oil. For now, buy cold-pressed, refrigerated flax oil in dark, opaque bottles. This is an oil that goes rancid in about two seconds when exposed to light or air. If it smells bad it is time to toss it. Keep it refrigerated, and don't cook with it or heat it. No frying, sauteeing, etc. Start by drizzling stuff with a blend of flax oil and olive oil - soups, salads, etc.

Here is a roundup of flax recipes that are on our list to try:

- Herb Salad with Flax Seed Dressing ( recipe )

- Orzo, Lentil and Flax Soup ( recipe )

- Bulgur & Flax Pilaf ( recipe )

Flax seed egg substitute: 1 tablespoon ground flax seed plus 3 tablespoons water = one egg.

Please add any flax food tips you have to the comments - baking with flax meal, other ingredients it pairs nicely with, etc. With flax we are always learning.
Drawing by Franz Eugen Köhler, 1883

Comments (3) | January 8 - 9:54 AM

category: Recipes, Superfoods