Super quick healthy stir fry

For a quick healthy lunch try a stir fry.

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil – or use water for McDougall
2 Cups cooked brown rice, hot cold or frozen
1 tsp miso paste or bouillon dissolved in 2 Tbps water
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 cup carrots, chopped or precut baby carrot
1 cup spinach, fresh or frozen
A dash of tenderness (as the spoon says on the pic)
Optional – any other veggie, frozen green beans work really well in stir fry

In large pan, wok or pressure cooker, set to medium high heat
Add oil (or water) and seasoning
Dissolve miso or bouillon in water, add to pan
Note: if using water and not oil be sure to add a teaspoon or more water as needed to keep the pan moist during this entire recipe. Non stick works best for this type.
Add veggies and stir every minute or so until the harder veggies start to get tender.
Add rice, cover, and stir every minute or so. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Serve hot. Salt to taste

I make a huge batch of this with any frozen veggies I can find and the fresh ones that need to be eaten. I typically like to sauté onion or shallots, when I have the time.

As I mentioned above frozen green beans work especially well in this recipe. I had this huge bag and didn’t know what to do, because roasting makes them tough. Stir fry is perfect, they come out really good.

Options: use sesame oil for a more Asian flavor, or Tamari-soy sauce.

Sushi fun

I call these monster sushi rolls! With organic brown texmati rice, agave nectar, salt, cucumber, avocado & nori and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

I put too thick of a layer of rice, but actually I like it!

Steps:
Cook the rice, I used texmati organic brown rice

Slice veggies and filling long and thin

Cover the sushi mat w plastic wrap on both sides.

When rice is done and still hot mix in agave nectar and sea salt.

Spread rice onto mat.

Stick in freezer

Toast nori in a dry frying pan on low, or VERY quickly in a toaster oven.

Remove mat from freezer, should be warm or cool but not hot.

Place nori on top of rice.

About 1/4 way down, laying perpendicular (opposite direction) to the precut markings on the nori, put some filling. Make the amount of filling equal all the way across. Don’t over fill, the filling should only cover 1/8 to 1/4 of the space, and lay across rectangularly. (if you need to, look up how to make sushi, to be clear).

Fold over the mat, starting from the edge closest to the filling. Roll tight and peel back the mat as you go, as not to get stuck inside the sushi roll.

Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

Cut the sushi roll from top down, into 6-8 equal sized pieces.

Serve w soy sauce, Tamari, ginger miso dressing, lemon, or your choice of condiment.

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This was a fun experiment making sushi balls, since my son peels out the nori sometimes.

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It been some time since I last made sushi, It was like learning to do it all over again. A few notes:

-cover the sushi mat in plastic wrap, saves a big mess and makes it easy to roll the sushi. Normally the nori is put on the mat, then a thin (lol) layer of rice), then flip, etc… In this case that’s not necessary, put down a layer of rice directly on the plastic wrapped mat. Then the toasted nori, then veggies… Etc.

-A sharp big knife is key. I used a serrated carving knife to cut the sushi.

-kids have lots of fun w sushi, sticky rice, filling it, rolling, they really can take part in all the steps. The sushi balls are lots of fun for kids too, have them put pieces of anything they like in it, like chocolate chips, raisins, seeds, the list is endless! So happy creating 🙂

Chocolate rice

Chocolate may not be part of my colic-free diet, but carob sure is. So this morning I decided to make this yummy “chocolate” rice.

Brown rice, cooked, hot or cold
Unsweetened carob powder
Maple syrup
Sea salt
Splash of rice milk.

Mix everything but the rice together until u have the desired sweetness and smoothness. The rice milk will thin it out a little.
Mix in rice.
Enjoy

The look of it reminds me of cocoa rice krispies.

Sweet Rice-meal

This dish was a welcomed change from oatmeal, but just as satisfying and tasty. It also is Perfect for my colic-free diet.

Brown rice, any kind, cooked
Maple syrup, or sweetener of choice
Sea salt to taste
Cinnamon to taste

Mix hot or cold rice with remaining ingredients and serve.

Note: dates soaked in hot water, just enough to cover, sit until soft, remove from water and then mashed and mixed in is a great sweetener. The water can be used as well, great for smoothies.

Low-fat Mac N Cheese

brown rice pasta
butternut squash soup – just enough to coat the pasta, it had oat-milk in it too.
nutritional yeast – gave it a cheesy taste
salt, pepper

My 3 year old wanted the pasta before I finished making the soup, he had this (and loved it!)

brown rice pasta
thick oatmilk – enough to coat
salt

The pasta was hot & oatmilk was thick and cold, so it wound up the perfect temp for him.

Left-over Ideas – Rice

It’s a very rare occurrence that I have left-over cooked rice, however with the change of season, and our embrace of potatoes and sweet potatoes the brown rice I made isn’t getting eaten.  Now time to get creative!

here are some ideas on what to do with left-over rice

un-fried rice & veggies, in a pan add water, soy sauce, seasoning and chopped veggies.  Cook until veggies are tender.

Soup!  Add to any vegetable soup.  I keep my rice in the fridge and add it to soup when the soup is nice and hot, the rice cools down the soup and the soup heats up the rice.  It’s a perfect addition to a veggie soup, especially one that doesn’t contain starches.

Cereal – Blend rice with boiled water, just enough to make a mushy consistency.  Add some maple syrup, cinnamon and berries.  For additional sweetness mash a banana.  If the rice is not soft enough cook for a few min on low after blending with water.

Freeze it – did u know rice can be frozen.  This works well with brown rice.

Milk – blend with hot water and strain.  Add some vanilla and a pinch of salt.  Stays fresh for about 3-4 days.

Add to salad – (kale avo salad pictured) – rice makes the perfect addition to a nice salad.

Rice Milk

Since embracing the McDougall way I have been getting very inventive with our food.  Very rarely do we drink any type of milk (nor do we have dairy), but on occasion J loves coconut milk.  He’s a 3 year old, I’m not concerned with the fat content in coconut for him, nor do I restrict his diet.  However, I am finding that he prefers the low-fat food over what he used to eat. For example, this morning I made him rice cereal, with coconut milk, he ate about half of it.  Then I made some rice milk and made myself some cereal, he ate it up!  I tasted a tiny bit of his while I was preparing it and instantly my face and lips became oily, yuck, what a difference!  My body has become so clear that it will eliminate oil so much quicker.

Rice Milk from cooked rice

1/2 C cooked brown rice
1 1/2 C water
dash salt
opt:  vanilla, dates, maple syrup  (I leave my sweetener out, and add it to the dish instead)

Blend water and rice until only some mush is left of the rice.  Strain twice.  Add other ingredients and mix. Store in refrigerator.

 

Rice Milk from raw rice

1 C uncooked brown rice
4 C water
dash salt
opt:  vanilla, dates, maple syrup

Rice Cooker:
Rinse rice
Cook water and rice in rice cooker until done.  Blend, add more water if needed.  Add sweetner, dash of salt, &/or vanilla.  Store in fridge.

Stove-top:
Bring water to a boil, add rice.  Bring to boil, stir occasionally.  Take off heat, set aside, covered, for 3 hours.  Cook again for approx 20 min, or until the rice is very soft and sticky.   Blend & strain 2x.  Add sweetner, dash of salt, &/or vanilla.  Store in fridge.

 

Add water to taste, the less water, the thicker the milk will be, the more water, the thinner.  The flavor will be more mild the more water added while blending.

The strained rice can be used for a mushy rice cereal, just add sweetener and enjoy.

Rice Pudding

2 C brown rice
6 C water
cinnamon and sweetener to taste
opt. vanilla
opt. salt to taste

rinse rice
Cook rice with all ingredients, except salt, in rice cooker.  The rice will come out sticky and mushy.

top cooked rice pudding with salt and fresh fruit.

Note: Increase the water for a softer, mushier rice.

Rice Cereal

1 C brown rice, cooked
1/4 C rice milk
dash of cinnamon
1 tsp maple syrup  or 1 mashed banana
optional:  fresh fruit

Mix all ingredients and serve.  Can be served hot or cold.