I heard that flax seeds are great for you and have a lot of fiber. So, I bought a bag of Whole flax seeds. All the recipes I've found so far use only" Ground" flax seeds. Do you know how I can use these flax seeds without having to grind them? I was hoping to be able to add them to a bean casserole, but don't know how that will turn out. Thank you for any help you can offer. I will buy ground flax seeds in the future!
Thank you!
From what I understand, they have to be ground to get the health benefits. Whole flax seeds basically go right through the body. I use a coffee grinder to grind mine- it's super quick and easy, and I can grind just what I need.
I use a coffee grinder to grind mine, works like a charm.
Toss them onto and into just about everything - a few over your regular cereal, oatmeal, granola etc; a nice crunch added to any salad; into any muffin, cookie, waffle or pancake recipe...pretty much go wild! You don't have to modify any of your recipes to remove anything, just add in a large sprinkle of whole flax seeds, or if you are like my lovely engineer friend who would scream, "I need EXACT measurements!"...I would suggest a quarter cup of them per batch of quick breads (muffins, pancakes etc) and a teaspoon on your cereal/yogurt/personal salad etc.
You really get the most benefit from all the great nutrition in flax when it's ground up, so your body can digest it. Sure, our teeth do some grinding, but most of the whole seeds will be pure fiber...and a great source of it. Happy cooking!
Unfortunately, I don't have any ideas or knowledge of how to use whole flax seeds, but you could try returning them to your grocery store. Even if you've opened the package, most grocery stores take returns... something I always forget about! With that being said, I use ground (finely ground) flaxseeds in everything! My meatballs, a sauce, smoothies, homemade granola bars, etc. They hide well in lots of recipes! Hope your able to make the return or find out how to use them whole! Best wishes!
I've ground them in my Magic Bullet (mini blender). I also bought them pre-ground from the bulk bins much cheaper than prepackaged.
Whole Foods used to make the most amazing Flax Seed Rolls.. Yummy.. Maybe look for a recipe.
I wonder if toasted if they could be used like sesame seeds?
On baked potatoes, on sauteed veggies, with soy sauce?
I think that there are definite advantages to using ground flaxseeds, but you need to use them right away. Here is an informative article:
http://www.flaxseedshop.com/content/Whole-Flax-Seed.asp
and here is a discussion from Chowhound (I love Chowhound forums!):
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/488241
They really aren't digestible until ground up.
