Cauliflower Rice

A grain-free diet can help many of us with health issues. It’s been found to help those with not only digestive trouble, but also conditions like fatty liver, diabetes and autoimmune issues. When you decide to cut out things like wheat, oats, kamut, rye, spelt, rice, corn, and the like, you start becoming creative with substitutions. Something I’ve come to enjoy despite my initial reservations is “cauliflower rice”.

I won’t pretend and tell you it tastes like rice, because it certainly doesn’t. But it does look a little like rice, hence the name. Cauliflower rice makes a nice accompaniment to Asian dishes. I use it under stir-fried vegetables and chicken, for instance, to soak up the sauce.

What’s nice about this side dish is that it doesn’t fill you up with all that useless starch like rice does. I know a lot of people say they couldn’t give up rice, especially Asians. Likely introduced at birth and served with nearly every meal, rice has become comfort food to them - a  link to family, culture and tradition.  I get that.

But to say that rice is nutritious is inaccurate. There is very little nutrition in it and even the Whole Grains Council admits that rice is a processed food and highly refined. This is because the germ and bran have been stripped off it. Ok, brown rice is better, but it’s still pretty starchy. With white rice, all that's left is a shell of its former self, technically a grain but not even considered a whole one at that. It’s got a ton (45g) of carbohydrates per cup and very little to offer in the way of fiber and nutrients.

In contrast, cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cabbage, kale, mustard greens, bok choy and our friend cauliflower offer wonderful benefits to our health. Cauliflower, actually, is nearly a superfood; that’s because it:

1. Fights cancer with it’s sulphuric compound called sulforaphane.
2. Boosts heart health, again because of its sulforaphane.
3. Is anti-inflammatory because of its 13C, indole-3-carbinol, an anti-inflammatory compound
4. Is rich in vitamins and minerals: Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and B, potassium and manganese.
5. Boosts brain health because of its choline.
6. Offers detoxification support
7. Has digestive benefits
8. Contains antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Hopefully I’ve sold you on why rice is out and cauliflower is in. Now, on to the recipe.

Cauliflower “Rice"

1 whole head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup water

Feed the cauliflower florets into the feeding tube of your food processor which has been fitted with a grater disc and process until grated into a rice “grain". Heat oil in a large skillet or wok and add onion and garlic, sautéing for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and cook 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add water, then cover and steam for 5 minutes until the veg is cooked and the water has been absorbed.

Alternatively you can make the following substitutions, especially if serving with something like mango salsa over fish (yum!):

Use coconut oil instead of EVOO;
use 1/4 cup coconut milk in lieu of the water;
use green onions instead of yellow;
omit the garlic and add 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro, 1Tbsp. lime juice, 2 tsp honey and 3/4 tsp sea salt instead.

I hope you enjoy it!

Quinoa vs Rice – which is better?

Everybody knows rice. I mean, who hasn’t tried it at some point? It’s ubiquitous all over the world. But quinoa (pronounced keen’-wah) is lesser known, and that’s a shame, because it really is delicious.

Like most people, I eat rice, and I’ve tried all sorts. Rice comes in a few different colors: red, brown, white and black, and there’s even wild rice, but that’s a member of a different plant species. I like rice, but it hasn’t featured hugely on my blog, although it was most recently in my post on Nasi Goreng. In dishes like that, it’s really a necessity. But I actually prefer quinoa. Let’s compare the two and see why. Let's start with rice.

RICE

As a cereal grain, it is the most widely consumed staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in Asia and the West Indies. It is the grain with the second-highest worldwide production, after maize (corn), according to data for 2010.

Genetic evidence has shown that rice originates from a single domestication 8,200–13,500 years ago, in the Pearl River valley region of China. Previously, archaeological evidence had suggested that rice was domesticated in the Yangtze River valley region in China. From East Asia, rice spread to Southeast and South Asia. Rice was introduced to Europe through Western Asia, and to the Americas through European colonization.

Though rice has some nutritional benefits, its high starch and therefore carbohydrate content are a cause for concern. Certainly a necessary staple in countries where people are starving. They need as many carbohydrates as they can find. But for the rest of us in the Western world, who sit a vast majority of the day, I think it should be avoided or at least minimized. It’s just too starchy. It drives up blood glucose which can lead to diabetes.

Another cause for concern is rice and rice products contain arsenic, a known poison and Group 1 carcinogen. There is no safe level of arsenic, but, as of 2012, a limit of 10 parts per billion has been established in the United States for drinking water, twice the level of 5 parts per billion originally proposed by the EPA. Consumption of one serving of some varieties of rice gives more exposure to arsenic than consumption of 1 liter of water that contains 5 parts per billion arsenic; however, the amount of arsenic in rice varies widely with the greatest concentration in brown rice and rice grown on land formerly used to grow cotton; in the United States, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is studying this issue, but has not established a limit. White rice grown in the afore-mentioned states, which account for 76 percent of American-produced rice, had higher levels of arsenic, possibly because of past use of arsenic based pesticides to control cotton weevils. Rice from Thailand and India contain the least arsenic among rice varieties in one study.

Mmmh, worth thinking about. So, enough about rice. We know it well enough. What a lot of people don’t know about is quinoa.

QUINOA

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It's actually a "pseudo-cereal" rather than a true cereal, or grain.

Quinoa originated in the Andean region of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru where it was successfully domesticated 3,000 - 4,000 yrs ago for human consumption, though archaeological evidence shows a non-domesticated association with pastoral herding some 5,200-7,000 yrs ago.

The Incas who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as the “mother of all grains” and it was the Incan emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season.

The nutrient composition is very good compared with common cereals. Quinoa seeds contain essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Nutritional evaluations indicate that it is a source of complete protein and is a good source of calcium, which is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to white rice or couscous.

Most boxed/packaged quinoa has already been rinsed for convenience, and cooking instructions therefore suggest only a brief rinse before cooking, if at all. If quinoa has not been rinsed, the first step is to remove the saponins, a process that requires rinsing the quinoa in ample running water for several minutes in either a fine strainer or a cheesecloth. Removal of the saponin helps with digestion; the soapy nature of the compound makes it act as a laxative.

One cooking method is to treat quinoa much like rice, bringing two cups (or less) of water to a boil with one cup of seed, covering at a low simmer and cooking for 10–15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed. The cooked germ looks like a tiny curl and should have a slight bite to it (like al dente pasta). As an alternative, one can use a rice cooker to prepare quinoa, treating it just like white rice (for both cooking cycle and water amounts).

Vegetables and seasonings can also be added to make a wide range of dishes. Chicken or vegetable stock can be substituted for water during cooking, adding flavor. It is also suited to vegetable pilafs, complementing bitter greens like kale.

Quinoa can serve as a high-protein breakfast food when mixed with, for example, honey, almonds, or berries; it is also sold as a dry product, much like corn flakes. Quinoa flour can be used in wheat-free and gluten-free baking.

Quinoa may be germinated in its raw form to boost its nutritional value. As I've explored here before, germination activates natural enzymes and multiplies vitamin content. It, in fact, has a notably short germination period: only 2–4 hours resting in a glass of clean water is enough to make it sprout and release gases, as opposed to, e.g., 12 hours with wheat. This process, besides its nutritional enhancements, softens the seeds, making them suitable to be added to salads and other cold foods.

With regard to overall vitamins and minerals, quinoa scores highest with more Vitamin B12, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, and Zinc than brown or white rice. It’s lower in carbs and higher in protein and fiber, as illustrated below.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (based on 100g of raw product)

	Quinoa	Brown Rice	White Rice
Carbs	63 g	72.8 g	79 g
Protein	13.1 g	7.5 g	6.6 g
Fiber	5.9 g	3.4 g	0 g
Fat	5.8 g	2.68 g	0.58 g

Conclusion: while quinoa and brown rice have similar compositions, quinoa comes out on top all around. 

Because it's clear how healthy quinoa is, you might want to try it sometime, rotating it in among the other grains you eat. There must be a good reason why the United Nations recently declared 2013 the “International Year of Quinoa”.

Soaking and sprouting for better health

I’ve been very interested in recent months in evolutionary diets: what people ate before industrialized food production. It seems early man was healthier than he is now, despite technological advances in the fields of medicine and health. I was curious to find out why.

According to a website I recently discovered, “We know that modern diseases like diabetes, obesity, cancer, autoimmunity and heart disease were rare or even nonexistent in hunter-gatherer societies and are still rare in the few groups around the world that have been lucky enough to preserve their traditional diet and lifestyle. We know what when modern foods like wheat flour, industrial seed oils and sugar are introduced in these populations, the incidence of modern diseases goes up commensurately. And even more telling, when these groups return to their traditional ways, the modern diseases disappear again. This suggests that it wasn’t some genetic vulnerability that caused them to develop modern diseases with the introduction of modern foods. I find this correlation immensely interesting and I would think that anyone else who is interested in health would do so as well.”

I am also very interested in optimal digestion, and read a lot to glean what I can about how to better mine (you’ll find these sources at the end of this post). Many nutritionists and food scientists believe that good health stems from our digestive system, and that any problems we end up with can be directly linked to poor digestion.

Conventional wisdom today tells us we should minimize our meat consumption, and instead we’re told to eat more whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes for fiber and protein. While I think that’s a good idea, especially if you’re not buying organic poultry, grass-fed beef, or wild seafood on a regular basis, apparently it’s not entirely good advice.

It seems there is this thing called phytic acid.

Apparently, phytic acid in grains, nuts, seeds and beans represents a serious problem in our diets. According to the Weston A. Price Foundation this problem exists “because we have lost touch with our ancestral heritage of food preparation. Instead we listen to food gurus and so-called experts who promote the consumption of raw and unprocessed “whole foods” or we eat a lot of high-phytate foods like commercial whole wheat breads and all-bran breakfast cereals.” While raw may be great when it comes to fruits and vegetables, “raw is definitely not Nature’s way for grains, nuts, seeds and beans.”

Their website says it best. “Phytic acid is the principal storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues, especially the bran portion of grains and other seeds. It contains the mineral phosphorus tightly bound in a snowflake-like molecule. In humans and animals with one stomach, the phosphorus is not readily bioavailable. In addition to blocking phosphorus availability, the “arms” of the phytic acid molecule readily bind with other minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, making them unavailable as well. In this form, the compound is referred to as phytate.

Phytic acid not only grabs on to or chelates important minerals, but also inhibits enzymes that we need to digest our food, including pepsin, needed for the breakdown of proteins in the stomach, and amylase,needed for the breakdown of starch into sugar. Trypsin, needed for protein digestion in the small intestine, is also inhibited by phytates.

Over the long term, when the diet lacks minerals or contains high levels of phytates or both, the metabolism goes down, and the body goes into mineral-starvation mode. The body then sets itself up to use as little of these minerals as possible.

Cooking is not enough to reduce phytic acid*—acid soaking before cooking is needed to activate phytase and let it do its work. For example, the elimination of phytic acid in quinoa requires fermenting or germinating plus cooking. In general, a combination of acidic soaking for considerable time and then cooking will reduce a significant portion of phytate in grains and legumes."

*By acid, what’s usually recommended is whey, which, if dairy is tolerated, is ideal. For those who are milk intolerant, vinegar or lemon juice evidently works.

Germination increases the enzyme activity of the food by as much as 6 times. This is due to the proteolytic release of the enzymes by inactivation of the enzyme inhibitors found in all seeds. Soaking the seeds allows proteases within to neutralize the inhibitor and release the enzyme from bondage, making it better for our digestion and health. We are simply absorbing more of its nutrients.

What’s interesting is that we’ve gone completely away from all this soaking, fermenting and germinating. Who does this anymore? From a historical perspective, what’s really interesting is that ancient people all around the world knew that grains, nuts and seeds required additional handling to be better digested, despite living in “primitive” times. For example, the Indians of California consumed acorn meal after a long period of soaking and rinsing, then pounding and cooking. Nuts and seeds in Central America were prepared by salt water soaking and dehydration in the sun, after which they were ground and cooked.

An interesting book to read is “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon. The beginning is chock full of information on the benefits of eating more like our forefathers with a breakdown on each of the micronutrients (proteins, fats and carbs) and how these fit or don’t fit into a healthy diet. The rest is a cookbook of recipes from around the world that support her beliefs.

I’ve got a batch of sunflower seeds soaking right now. You can get instant gratification from sunflower seeds - they take the least amount of soaking of all the seeds and nuts.

What you’ll need: a tall mason jar covered with a piece of cheesecloth and a rubber band to keep seeds in but allow air to circulate. Or you can buy a sprouting jar from the health food store that has a mesh screen inside a screw top lid that fits on a mason jar. Soak the seeds in filtered water overnight. In the morning, tip jar on a 45 degree angle for a few minutes to drain, rinse as directed below.

Directions for sprouting:

Beans (e.g. kidney, lima, black) – Rinse beans 3-4 times per day. Sprouts are ready in about 3 days when sprout is ¼” long. Beans should then be cooked but will cook in much less time than beans that have been merely soaked.

Lentils – Rinse 3 times/day. Takes 2-3 days to sprout. Steam or cook lightly.

Almonds – Rinse 3 times/day. Sprouts are ready in 3 days. Sprout is just a little white appendage, 1/8” long.

Sunflower Seeds – Rinse twice a day. Ready in 12-18 hours when sprout is just barely showing. Eat right away or they turn black. Great in salads.

Chia, onion, cress or radish seeds – Rinse several times a day. Takes 3-4 days. Sprouts will be about 1-2” long.

Not recommended – alfalfa sprouts. Why? Read the book.

The book also explains how to prepare grains. Nuts like walnuts and pecans that have been removed from their shells can’t be sprouted, with the exception of almonds, but an overnight soak in warm, salted filtered water will neutralize sprout inhibitors.

For an in-depth look at what the Weston A. Price Foundation says about phytic acid, you can read the entire article here as well as find more information on phytic acid at these sites I visit regularly:

Dr. Joseph Mercola

Mark's Daily Apple

Chris Kresser

Wheat flour alternatives

Several weeks ago, I posted about gluten-free diets. I thought I’d add more information about some of the wheat “alternatives” that are available today for us to explore. When baking and cooking, consider incorporating some of these instead of the typical wheat flour that is so prevalent everywhere. Most of these alternatives are low in sodium, cholesterol and saturated fat, and are good sources of dietary fiber.

Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat is not in the wheat family at all. Its flour has a distinctive flavor, and is used in an array of international dishes such as soba noodles, crepes and pancakes. Wheat-free and gluten-free (provided it has not been “cut” with regular wheat flour, as some manufacturers will do), it is a good source of magnesium and manganese.

Corn Flour

A finely-ground version of corn meal, corn flour can be added to bread, biscuit or pancake recipes. Cornbreads are richer and less crumbly when corn flour is substituted for corn meal.

Corn Meal

Originated in ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, corn is derived from gigantic domesticated grass. It is considered man’s first “genetically engineered” food. Cornmeal makes a flavorful and versatile ingredient in tortillas, breads and muffins. Gluten-free.

Garbanzo Flour

Used in Mediterranean, Indian and Middle Eastern dishes, garbanzo flour is made from finely ground garbanzo beans (chick peas). Good source of protein and copper, folate and manganese.

Oat Flour

Oats are a natural source of heart-healthy soluble fiber and oat flour can be mixed with other flours such as corn, rice, or buckwheat to create breads with interesting flavors and textures. Good source of thiamin, phosphorous, selenium and manganese.  Not always considered gluten free unless the package specifically says so (like Bob's Red Mill products).

Rice Flour (brown or white)

Nutty tasting brown rice flour is ground from whole-grain brown rice. It is a good choice for sauces, shortbreads, and for coating foods. Removing the bran from ground brown rice produces white rice flour and like brown rice flour, it has a grainy texture but a milder flavor. Both are gluten-free and often appear in gluten-free baking mixes.

Others

Amaranth, legume flours, millet, quinoa, and sago are other grains that can often be found in flour form and are worth a try.

I really believe that eating a wider variety of foods provides greater health and well-being because we are taking in different nutrients from everything we eat.  I am going to experiment with more of these myself. If you have any recipes to share that highlight any of these ingredients, I sure would love to hear from you.

Tools of the Trade - The Rice Cooker

I recently rediscovered my rice cooker. I don’t know why. It’s been sitting on my counter all this time. It’s not as if it had spent any time hidden from view. But somehow I suddenly noticed it again. I equate this to a child with toys. Sometimes kids get bored with the ones that they’ve been playing with and it isn’t until they stop playing with them for a while that they develop an interest in them again. So it is with my rice cooker.

I guess I was less than enthused about the machine because I would just use it to make the same old thing: rice. But I was thinking as much as I admire its value as a rice cooker, there has got to be more that I could be doing with it. And that’s when I discovered that you really can make all sorts of things in it.

It’s no surprise that grains are perfect for cooking in a rice cooker. They are all just variations on the same theme: grain + liquid. The only thing is that you might have to play around with the amount of liquid in relation to the grain, as some grains are heartier/thicker than rice, and some are more delicate. Brown rice takes longer than white rice, for instance, and requires a bit more water be added. But aside from rice, you can also make oatmeal, risotto, polenta and quinoa, to name a few. Give ordinary rice a little bit of added flavor by adding chicken or vegetable broth instead of water. Add spices to the liquid before cooking. For example, make “Spanish rice” by adding chili powder before cooking. Make coconut rice with lime, saffron rice, pistachio rice, etc. Experiment and see what kinds of concoctions you can come up with.

If your rice cooker came with a steamer insert, it’s a no-brainer to use it to steam veggies, potstickers, or tamales. If you don’t have the steamer insert, you could try putting a flexible silicone insert in the pot. Don’t use a metal one, else you risk scratching the non-stick lining. I hear that replacing the pot can be expensive.

Use it to poach fruit. Pears would be especially good, in a little Riesling or red wine. Slice the fruit, add the liquid, a little sugar and a cinnamon stick or whole cloves.

Make a frittata, layering all the items in the pot and then pressing the “Steam/Cook” button. (http://www.food.com/recipe/frittata-in-a-rice-cooker-404507)

I’ve read that you can use your rice cooker to make soups, stews and beans. But frankly, I’d use my slow cooker for this.

My favorite: make breakfast in it. If yours has a timer, prep everything the night before and set it to be done in the morning. What’s nice about that is that breakfast can be enjoyed by everyone in the house, no matter what time they get up. What I do is add oats, twice as much water, a pinch of salt, a pat of butter, a small handful of dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries, cherries or blueberries, and maybe some walnut pieces and/or spices such as cinnamon or cloves and set it for the time I get up. Voila – breakfast is ready with minimal effort. When it’s ready, I just add some milk and sweetener.

And lastly, one-pot meals are simple and easy to make in a rice cooker, especially for the time-challenged. Toss a bunch of stuff in, close the lid, push the button, and dinner is ready in no time. The only thing to watch out for is the meat – it should already be cooked when it goes in. You basically just want to reheat it, or finish meats that you might have just browned in a saute pan, and not cook it from raw. One of my favorite dishes is unbelievably simple: white rice, chicken and green chilies. It’s so satisfying and ridiculously easy to make and it's on this week's menu again, after a long absence. Serve it alone, with a salad or other veggies, or use it to stuff a burrito.

Green Chile and Chicken Rice

1 1/2 cups medium grain rice
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 can (10 oz) chicken breast chunks with liquid
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles with liquid
salt to taste


Place all ingredients in the inner pot of the rice cooker and stir. Cover and press the Steam/Cook button. Allow to cook until rice cooker switches to warm mode. Add salt to taste. Stir and serve immediately as a main course. Serves 4.


If you use a rice cooker in a novel way, let us hear from you by posting a comment.

Wild Rice

In a Native American magazine I recently came across there was an article about wild rice and its meaning to Native American people. I learned quite a bit. It seems that wild rice is the only grain indigenous to North America. It has twice the protein and fiber of brown rice and like any true rice, is gluten free.  It has a nuttier, crunchier texture than any other rice. Sometimes it’s mixed with brown, white, black and/or red rices for a “wild rice blend” which is really delicious.

Wild rice grows in rivers, creeks and shallow lakes and was harvested by canoe, mainly by the Chippewa/Ojibwa Indians of the Great Lakes Region (northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and west-central Ontario (Canada). 

It's considered a sacred plant by the Native Americans and is hearty. But the plant requires a real winter for the seed to break dormancy, so climate change could have a negative impact on this food source as temperatures increase. Conservation programs are underway to reinvigorate wild rice growing regions to benefit not only humans, but wildlife, too. Where rice is abundant it drives biodiversity in those areas. Wild rice feeds waterfowl (mallards, ducks, etc.) and the beds create habitat for breeding and nesting. Moose, muskrats and minute invertebrates all feed on or use wild rice as well. 

Many Native American people today rely on this rice for income. Wild rice is harvested by hand, so it is not inexpensive. This is another reason why it’s sometimes mixed with other rices in rice blends in order to cut the cost. I find this to be a great idea for not only cost reasons, but also because an all-wild-rice dish can be a bit overwhelming.

So how did the Native American people typically prepare wild rice? I read that it was often served with berries (such as blueberries, blackberries or cranberries) and meat. Though I haven’t tried that, a couple of ways I like to make it is either warm, mixed with other rices as a side dish to chicken or whatever, or in a salad. At this time of year you’ll find stuffing recipes using wild rice instead of bread for a gluten-free version. Some of them look quite good. This recipe was recommended to me several years ago by my sister-in-law. I modified it slightly by mixing the 2 rices together. The original called for all wild rice.

Wild Rice Salad

2 cups water, divided

½ tsp salt, divided

½  cup wild rice

½ cup brown rice

1 6-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved, reserve marinade

1 6-oz. can green peas (or use frozen and cook them)

1/3 cup coarsely chopped green or red bell pepper

3 green onions, chopped with both white and green parts

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

¼ cup toasted slivered almonds, for garnish

Dressing:

1 1/3 cups light flavored oil such as canola or grapeseed

½ cup white vinegar

¼ cup grated Parmesan

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. celery seed

½ tsp. ground white pepper

½ tsp. dry mustard

¼ tsp. paprika

1 clove garlic, minced

First, we’re going to cook each of the rices separately, and later combine them. In 2 pots with lids, bring water and salt to a boil. Add the wild rice to one pot and the brown rice in another one, and stir each well. 

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer the wild rice for 45 minutes to 1 hour, the brown rice for about 45 minutes (or follow the directions on the bag). Drain excess liquid from both and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake well. Chop all the veggies.

When the rices are done cooking, in a large bowl, combine them with the vegetables, reserved artichoke marinade and half of the dressing. Toss well.  

Just before serving, toss again and taste. Add more of the dressing if needed. Taste for salt and sprinkle with the almonds and serve. This is best eaten at room temperature.

For Native American recipes featuring wild rice, consider visiting www.nativefood.blogspot.com.