Job’s Tears: A Versatile Whole Grain

Job's Tears: A Versatile Whole Grain | Food & Nutrition | Stone Soup
Photo: Cindy Gay, RDN, LD

Though they look like teardrops, these chewy grains leave us nothing to cry about. They’re gluten-free, full of antioxidants and high in fiber.Job's Tears: A Versatile Whole Grain - Though they resemble a bean or groat, Job’s tears take only about 45 minutes to cook on stove top. Drain and add to soups, salads or main dishes.

Still hard to find, I was thrilled to find these in a capital city international store. I’m planning to include these in a layered jar salad to familiarize my students to the grain and to enjoy the taste of the kind of sweet grain.

Jobs Tears Layered Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1½ teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Salad

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cooked black beans
  • 9 tablespoons sweet peppers, diced
  • 9 tablespoons corn, cooked
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cooked Job’s tears
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons radishes, sliced
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons green onion, diced
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sliced grape tomatoes
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons pepitas
  • 2 ounces microgreens or arugula

Instructions

  1. Shake or blend all dressing ingredients.
  2. Place 1 tablespoon dressing in bottom of each jar.
  3. Add salad ingredients in layers to each jar: 3 tablespoon black beans, 1½ tablespoons peppers, 1½ tablespoons corn, 3 tablespoons Job’s tears, 1 tablespoon radishes, 1 tablespoon green onion, 1 tablespoon tomato, 1 tablespoon pepita.
  4. Garnish top with touch of microgreens. Cover with lid. Turn jar over and shake to eat.
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Cindy Gay
Cindy Gay, RDN, LD, retired from her 40-year career in retail services where she created the Healthy Cafe. She conducts culinary demos at the local farmers market and teaches in the lifelong learning institute. On most days, Cindy creates meals with whole ingredients. Her latest tools include a flour mill and pasta maker. There's so much to learn! Connect with her on Twitter and Pinterest.