Healing Rice

I love rice! Plain and simple I think it's a great staple to have in the cupboard. Cheap, easy and quick to cook, nearly everyone likes it and it's a good clean complex carbohydrate to have in your active lifestyle.

But it can get boring and bland if you eat a lot of it. So I try and make it more interesting and fun using the below recipe. In typical Lifestylejeanie style I never measure anything and just make it up as I go along but I'll give you the approximate ingredients here. Feel free to add in any other veggies, spices, or oils you typically use. But the recipe here has been created to include as many healing foods as possible.

We all tend to get run down from time to time and so this is a particularly good staple to make weekly and keep in the fridge to add (hot or cold - just reheat thoroughly) to any meal. All the ingredients are packed full of healing properties particularly the turmeric, ginger, garlic and coconut oil. I've described these in more details below.

It's also great on the go. I typically travel with this as it's perfect at room temperature and stays fresh for well over 12 hours when you're on the move. It is also filling and tasty. What's not to like!

Ingredients:
Portion size of Rice of your choice. I find Basmati and Wild rice are best.
Large handful of organic Spinach
Chopped organic Peppers
Chopped organic Onions
2 cloves (or more!) or diced organic Garlic
1 inch of peeled and diced organic Ginger
1 inch of Turmeric (powdered or fresh)
1 teaspoon of Paprika
3 heaped spoons of organic Coconut Oil
Cracked Himalayan pink salt to taste
Cracked black Pepper to taste

Prep Time:
5 minutes

Cooking time:
10-15 minutes

Method:
Cook the rice as per instructions on your packet.
While it is cooking prep all the veg and spices.
Drain the water once it is cooked and leave in the pan on a low heat.
Add in the Coconut Oil and stir to melt it, coating the rice thoroughly.
In a separate pan with a dash of oil cook the onions, garlic, ginger and turmeric. 
Add in the chopped vegetables and spices and mix thoroughly.
Add the rice to the veggies and mix well.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Dietary Information:

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Wheat Free

Sugar Free

Full of healthy vegetables

Garlic is antibacterial and antiviral so excellent for fighting colds and flu.

Ginger is good for digestion issues, nausea, natural anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system. 

Paprika is high in Vitamin A, E and Iron. It also has anti ageing properties, prevents hair loss and promotes sound sleep.

Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory with amazing healing and cancer fighting benefits.

Coconut oil is a healthy fat that doesn't degenerate at high temperatures, heals the lining of the stomach and overall boosts your immunity.

Himalayan Pink Salt has over 84 vitamins and minerals and is low in sodium. Read more about the benefits of it here in this article I wrote. 

Serving Suggestions:
This really is so versatile. It is a lovely side with any main dish, meat, fish, omelette etc.
I recently brought a big bowl of it to a BBQ as a healthy side.
It's colourful and appealing in a cold buffet.
I make a big batch and store it in the fridge to have at a moments notice.
You can also add some protein in to make it a complete meal. Some chopped left over meat an/or some eggs to make it egg friend rice. It is really tasty. Or even nicer some fresh organic prawns! Yum

Storage Instructions:
I keep this in a covered bowl or container for up to a week in the fridge. It also travels well for up to 24 hours.  When reheating ensure it is thoroughly cooked through.

So there you have it guys, cheap, healthy, suits most diets and boosts your overall health. And to boot it tastes delicious!

Tuesday's Change Week 27 - Spice it up!

People often complain that healthy food is boring and tasteless. Cardboard or grass are often terms used!

But it doesn't have to be that way. Not only are herbs and spices full of flavour they are so good for you too. Spices don't have to make things taste hot and uncomfortable they just add flavour and interest while making you healthy at the same time.

My favourite herbs and spices are listed here along with some recipes I include them in. I've also listed their amazing benefits with some tips on how to add them seamlessly into your diet.

Ginger
Benefits - Ginger is good for digestion issues, nausea, it is a natural anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system. 
Recipes: - Healing Soup, Carrot Cake Muffins, Burgers
Tips: Fresh ginger root is best but if you can't get this dried ginger is better than none. Grated fresh ginger in some sparking water is delicious on a hot day with a slice of lemon. Or add it to sauces, curries, stir-frys etc.


Garlic 
Benefits - Garlic is antibacterial and antiviral. It is good for colds/flus and infections.
Recipes - Guacamole, Chicken Kiev, Healing Soup, Spicy Sausage Stew, Burgers, Pesto
Tips - Garlic is smelly but can really spice up a meal. The benefits far out weigh having smelly breath for a few hours!


Cinnamon
Benefits - Cinnamon helps to lower your blood sugar and burn fat more effectively.
Recipes - French Toast, Carrot Cake Muffins, Granola, Pancakes
Tips - Cinnamon is a great replacement for sugar in foods as it almost tastes sweet. People add it to their coffee or in baking.

Turmeric
Benefits - See my blog post here on the amazing benefits of Turmeric
Recipes - See the post above and Spicy Sausage Stew, Healing Soup
Tips - This spice is best used fresh, it looks similar to a small root of garlic. It has an intense yellow colour so be careful of getting it on your skin or counter tops!


Paprika
Benefits - Paprika is high in Vitamin A, E and Iron. It also has anti ageing properties, prevents hair loss and promotes sound sleep.
Recipes - Sweet Potato Wedges, Chicken Kiev, Spicy Sausage Stew, Burgers
Tips - Paprika doesn't have too strong a flavour and so can be added easily to most savoury foods.

Cumin
Benefits - Cumin aids digestion, lowers blood sugar and prevents hypoglycaemia (excellent for people with diabetes), fights viral infections, is rich in Iron and has many other benefits 
Recipes - Burgers, Spicy Sausage Stew, Healing Soup
Tips - Cumin is best paired with red meat or tomato based dishes. A small amount is enough to enhance any dish.

Rosemary
Benefits - Rosemary boosts immunity, increases circulation, aids digestion, is an excellent anti-inflammatory - great for asthmatics, and increases concentration. 
Recipes - Sweet Potato Wedges
Tips - Rosemary tastes delicious with meats and vegetables. Fresh is best, I have a small herb plat that I take sprigs from while cooking.

So this week's Tuesday's Change is to add some spices or herbs to at least one meal a day, if not all of them. Get experimenting and trying out different combinations. You don't have to limit yourself to the ones listed above. Every spice or herb has a benefit.

Any questions about this change or any of the other previous ones just ask!

Tuesday's Change Week 12 - Turmeric

About 2 years ago I was introduced to this wonder spice. I have been reaping the benefits ever since. Turmeric is a staple in my household and I try not to go a day without using it. Whether it's sprinkled into scrambled eggs, on some rice or thrown in a soup to add some colour this spice is so versatile and does wonders for your health.

Turmeric can be bought in 2 forms, dried and in powder form (available from most supermarkets) and in raw root form (available from most organic food stores or health shops e.g. Quay Co-Ops in Cork)

The benefits of Turmeric are outstanding and this golden spice was recently proven more effective than 14 common prescription drugs including popular cholesterol, steroid, anti-depressant, chemotherapy and diabetes medication. Read more on this here.

It is great after a really tough work out as acts as an anti-inflammatory and will really help with the dreaded DOMS!

Some more benefits are listed here:

So there are so many reasons to include this in your diet. Let's now look at simple ways to include it!

Check out my recipe here for my healing Carrot and Giner Soup that contains turmeric.

I also add it to rice every time I eat it, boil the rice as normal, drain any remaining water, add some chopped veggies and a teaspoon of turmeric and teaspoon of coconut oil. Mix together and you have tantalising, turmeric rice!

You can add a 1/2 teaspoon to some scrambled eggs or a teaspoon to any sauce based dinners you make like bolognese, stews, pies etc.

You can make this golden milk recipe here.

 So the challenge is to have turmeric in at least 5 meals in the week.  It's that simple.

Best of luck and reap the benefits of this wonder spice!