Forbidden Rice or Why I Have Blackish-Purple Teeth Today

March 10th, 2010

While my family hasn’t gone fully vegan or even vegetarian yet, we do eat that way most of the time. As a result, we have begun to incorporate new and interesting ingredients to keep things fun, new and flavorful. I’ll be blogging about ingredients that are new to my cooking repertoire, the nutritional information and examples of how I’ve used them just in case inquiring minds want to know. 

First up….Forbidden Rice!

I stumbled upon Forbidden Rice at my local whole foods and picked up a bag because, hey who doesn’t to try black rice?!? It’s actually a very dark purple color, not black and if you make it in a rice cooker it will spew dark puple steam all over your countertop (yikes!). The good news is that it wipes up easily and doesn’t leave any permanent stains. The manufacturer’s website says:

Legend tells us that this ancient grain was once eaten exclusively by the Emperors. Today, this medium-size Chinese black rice can be enjoyed everyday and is prized for its delicious nutty taste, soft texture, and beautiful rich deep purple color. High in nutritional and medicinal value, Forbidden Rice® is rich in iron and considered a blood tonifier. Unlike other black rice from Asia, it is not glutinous or rough and cooks in only 30 minutes to produce a superior flavor, texture, and color.

The website also lists nutritional information and links to recipes. I have used the rice as an alternative base to my vegetable stir fry. It has a different texture and flavor than plain, white rice, but I think that’s a good thing. It definately adds visual appeal to your dish, but remember it will add a purple hue to your entire mouth as well. It looks a bit as if I’ve just had a grape nehi or a puple gobstopper for lunch.

As far as nutritional value goes, it is on a scale of goodness better than glutinous white rice, but not as good as medium-grain brown rice and should be considered moderately inflammatory. If you have GI issues, you may consider limiting the amount of rice you eat. However, for everyone else, rice has no saturated fat, cholesterol and is low sodium and is a good source of manganese.

Enjoy!

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Jamie Oliver’s TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food

February 18th, 2010

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A New Staple Cookbook: The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook

February 1st, 2010

I’ve been looking to expand my cookbook selection and was lucky enough to stumble upon this little gem, The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook by Robin Robertson. The title appealed to me because my family isn’t fully vegetarian, but we do eat mostly vegetarian meals. By that I mean, that I cook vegetarian/vegan options on the weekdays and usually the weekends end up being a free-for-all. I can’t imagine a life without the occasional burger or sushi, so we just limit our meat intake to one or two meals a week. That being said, it’s been a tough road of trial and error learning to cook vegetarian/vegan meals. Some have been great, so good that I would take it over the juiciest steak any day, but unfortunately some have been so bad that I yearned for a nice cardboard box to chew on in exchange. I’ve had this book for a few weeks now and have the opportunity to read it cover to cover several times and have made quite a few dinners from it as well.  While the overwhelming majority have been good, there are a few bland ones and one that was actually dangerous. That’s right, I said dangerous. It was the Chipotle-Glazed Portobello Fajitas on page 154, where the recipe said to use “one 6-ounce can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce”.  Um..no, don’t do it! However, the happy ending to this story comes when I get all in a huff, track down this Robin Robertsons website and send her an email informing her of the severe gastro-intestinal distress this nightmare of a recipe caused. I did not expect her to return an email, it just made me feel better to give her what for.  Imagine my surprise, when just a few hours later I got a lovely, apologetic email with the recipe correction and the promise to notify her publisher. What a class act! So, it turns out you are only supposed to use 1, or 2 peppers if you are feeling really adventurous; never the whole can.  This being the first recipe that I had made I was fully ready to light this book afire until I received that email detailing the mistake and the correction (Thanks again Ms. Robertson!), but after that I felt a little better about diving back in. So, don’t let this experience put you off, just remember to update your copy on page 154.  Two of my very favorite recipes in the book are Vegetarian Scrapple (sheer genius!) and Oyster Mushroom Chowder. These healthy and delicious alternatives to my favorite country girl comfort foods have long made up for “the chipotle fajitas incident”.  I live in the city now, but these dishes take me right back to my roots in rural St. Mary’s County where Scrapple and Oyster stew are old-fashioned staples. There are at least two dozen more recipes that I intend to plow through and in the end, this book has some really great vegetarian alternatives for people who like to eat meat.

Oyster Mushroom Chowder

The creamy oyster mushroom has a slightly “seafood” taste and a texture similar to oysters. Kelp flakes, or ground kelp, are available in shaker containers in natural food stores. Sprinkled on the chowder, it makes a lovely garnish while adding a nutritious taste of the sea.

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 2 large white potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or l/8 teaspoon dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 1/2 cups soy milk
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
  • 8 ounces oyster mushrooms
  • 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • Kelp flakes (optional)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, stock, thyme, salt, and cayenne and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the potato is soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer 1 cup of the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth. Return the mixture to the soup and stir in the soy milk. Heat to a simmer and stir in the cornstarch mixture, stirring to thicken. Slice or quarter any larger mushrooms, leaving the smaller ones whole or halved. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet, add the mushrooms, sprinkle with the Old Bay seasoning and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms to the soup, taste to adjust seasonings, and serve. Garnish with kelp flakes if desired.

Serves 4

Grab a copy for yourself here:

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Crockpot Mushroom, Wild Rice, Lima Bean Soup

January 5th, 2010

This recipe has been modified from the original Butterbean Soup with Portabellas and Wild Rice to use the items I had in my pantry and give it a bit more flavor because I found the original to be a bit bland.  While my recipe is no longer fat-free thanks to the addition of a bit of olive oil, it is still vegan and delicious. I’ve been addicted to my crockpot lately and relied on that to slow cook my soup while I was at work and I walked in to a delicious warm meal on a bitterly cold day; a real treat. I also paired mine with a bit of sourdough garlic toast for dinner and then poured the remaining soup over the leftovers from the Wild Mushroom Risotto for lunch today and it is amazing! I’ll break my recipe down to show the steps that I took to prep the night before I began cooking.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Dry lima beans (could substitute butter beans, navy beans or whatever you’ve got in your pantry).

2 medium onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups water

6 oz mushrooms, sliced ( I used plain old buttons, but cremini would be great).

1/4 cup wild rice

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

1 tsp soy sauce

1-2 tsp salt (to taste)

1 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 – 2 tbsp cumin (to taste)

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp smoked paprika

*My family loves smoky, spicy flavors and they really paired well with this dish, but if you prefer you can crank up or turn down the heat by adding or omitting the cayenne

Day 1 (the evening before I planned to serve the meal)

Place the dry beans in a large bowl and fill with water, then set aside to soak overnight. Next, saute the onions in 1 tbsp of olive oil until soft and translucent Add the garlic to the onions and continue to saute for another minute or two, until the onions begin to brown and the garlic/onion mixture is fragrant. Fill your crockpot (I used a 4qt and had plenty of room) with the water, onion/garlic mixture, wild rice, soy sauce, salt, pepper, sage, and rosemary and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Day 2

In the morning, add the beans and mushrooms to the crock pot and cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. After 8+ hours have passed, give the soup a stir and use a potato masher to soften the beans and thicken the soup. Finally, add the remaining spices, top with a swirl of olive oil and serve.

It’s an easy, filling and healthy soup perfect for a cold winter’s day with a crusty loaf of bread and a glass of wine. Enjoy!

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Want to lose weight? Plant an herb garden

December 30th, 2009

Now that the winter solstice has passed I’m holding on to the fact that each day is now a little bit brighter than it was the day before. Spring and summer are not far off now and I’m looking forward to the warm weather and reworking my garden.  Gardening is some of the best exercise that I get every year because I am forced to go outside and haul, dig, drag and pull at least once a week once the weather is nice. Not only does it help me stay in shape, but I save money growing my own herbs and I get to force everyone to admire my handy work when I’m finished. I love cooking with fresh herbs. So, I’ve always known that herbs were great for health and wellness if you grow them yourself, but the author of “Eat This, Not That” gave me a new way to appreciate my hard work. According to their article on herbs, just eating them can help you lose weight:

Fight Fat with Flavor

Use these special spices to boost both flavor and health benefits

Want to amp up your nutrition and the flavor of your meals? Fresh herbs are the perfect prescription. They’re packed with nutrients that have been shown to boost brainpower and protect your health. But the best part? They make any meal taste better. And surprisingly, that can actually benefit your waistline. That’s because much of a person’s eating satisfaction is derived from flavor intensity and the visual impact of a meal, not necessarily the amount served, explains Brian Wansink, Ph.D., director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. So forget mounds of mediocre food. Instead, downsize your dinner—and your gut—by infusing them with the fresh flavor of the World’s 9 Best Spices.

Here’s a list of the spices and their significance, click on the title for a link to the original article with suggestions on how to cook with these herbs:

  1. Basil: Rich in antioxidants that mop up cell-damaging free radicals inside the body. This can help prevent a host of unwanted conditions, such as osteoporosis, arthritis, and high cholesterol. Basil also contains oils that prevent bacteria growth and inflammation.
  2. Peppermint: The menthol in peppermint clears phlegm and mucus from the bronchial tract to facilitate easy breathing. And also for soothing indigestion, gas, menstrual cramps, and irritable bowel syndrome.
  3. Sage: Known to strengthen memory. The rosemerinic acid in these plants also works to preserve your body by protecting your cells from oxidative damage and alleviating the effects of asthma and arthritis.
  4. Rosemary: Call it the smart spice. Many people swear by rosemary’s ability to increase cognitive functioning, and researchers in California have identified carnosic acid as an active ingredient in rosemary that can offset cognitive degeneration, protect against Alzheimer’s, and prevent stroke.
  5. Thyme: Extremely rich in iron, which is crucial to your body’s ability to transport oxygen. Just 2 teaspoons contain 20 percent of your daily intake. Plus, seasoning with thyme helps protect food from bacterial contamination.
  6. Cilantro: My favorite herb helps burn fat!?! I can’t even tell you how excited I was to read this; In mice studies, coriander seeds, from the cilantro plant, encouraged the pancreas to produce more insulin-the hormone that helps shuttle glucose into the cells to be burned as energy. This prevents excess blood sugars from being stored as fat. Cilantro leaves have the same benefits.
  7. Tarragon: By increasing the secretion of bile and acids into the stomach, tarragon improves gastric efficiency and whets the appetite. Because of this, it’s best used early in the meal as an appetizer.
  8. Oregano: A USDA study found that when adjusted for weight, it had four times the antioxidant activity of blueberries. That means big cancer-fighting potential for your next pizza or pasta sauce.
  9. Parsley: Highly concentrated with luteolin, a powerful flavonoid with anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers at the University of Illinios found that luteolin decreased inflammation in the brain, which helps prevent decline in cognitive functions.
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Probiotics are freakin’ awesome!

July 21st, 2009

bacteriaI had been sick for two months with some kind of terrible combination of upper respiratory/sinus infection and possibly allergies and/or asthma.  My doctor tried combinations of medication (up to 5 at a time) which required a map to sort out what I had taken, what I was currently on, and what was left to try. After the first antibiotic didn’t clear things up, she opted for another, stronger antibiotic.  Unfortunately, one of the side effects included colitis!?! I, of course, developed colitis within 2 days of taking the antibiotic and have a history of many and varied gastrointestinal disorders. I can safely say, that there are some places from which one never wants to bleed..ever.  Not only was this condition painful, but it was also very embarassing and terribly inconvenient to experience in the workplace, but you still have to get your work done. On the advice of my best friend and then a similar conversation with my mother I decided to up my probiotic intake from just Activia yogurt but some additional sources.  I was on a limited diet so I needed something non-dairy and easy to digest.  I purchased probiotic capsules that contained two kinds of bacteria to support both large intestine and small intestine functions as well as GoodBelly, a vegan fruit juice with probiotics and vitamins.  Fortunately, discontinuing the antibiotics and beginning the probiotics found me feeling better within days.  Luckily I am now free of whatever mess I had happening in my lungs/sinuses and my intestinal issues have been cleared as well. In fact, I haven’t experienced any gastrointestinal distress in the last week (even after mixing various types of alcohol and even eating a hot dog at my best friend’s birthday…which normally spells disaster). My doctor did indicate at my follow-up that studies show that probiotics can be very helpful for clearing up these types of issues, but didn’t provide elaboration on which type would be best. Amazon has a highly rated book from last year that covers this information however and I think it is a valuable resource in determining if probiotics can help you and which to try. You can get the book here: The Probiotics Revolution: The Definitive Guide to Safe, Natural Health Solutions Using Probiotic and Prebiotic Foods and Supplements. The Mayo Clinic also has a Q&A on probiotics on their website called, “Probiotics: What are they?” Finally, an interesting book that I’m half-way through on the topic of our society and how we live with bacteria is called, “The Secret Life of Germs: What They Are, Why We Need Them, and How We Can Protect Ourselves Against Them“. In the end, while medical science works to improve our health through the use of antibiotics, it is important to remember that we have access to good bacteria that can help us as well as bad, so be good to your belly and your body will love you for it.

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