Black Rice Pudding/Sticky Coconut Black Rice

Breakfast is quite the celebration of gluten; breads, pastries, pancakes, breads, cous-cous, semolina, paratha, naan and more breads.

 

So where does that leave those of us who want to be gluten-free? I appreciate that there are some great GF breads and flours out there, but the majority are highly refined and I can't help but question their nutritional value. 

 

I've experimented with GF cereals but after a few days, I can't face them.

 

It's summer at the moment so porridge isn't too appealing. 

 

Omelette's are a great option, but I'm not always feeling up for eggs.

 

I enjoy yogurt with a mix of fruit and nuts but if I want to fuel up it isn't the best choice.

 

Enter Black Rice Pudding.

 

Growing up in Darwin in the far north of Australia, I was lucky to be exposed to some amazing foods from Southeast Asia. One of which was black-rice pudding. It's a very simple and highly nutritious dish made with glutinous black rice. I was introduced to it as a Balinese breakfast dish, but they also make it in Thailand, where they call it sticky coconut black rice. 

 

I had to double check, but glutinous rice, does NOT contain gluten, it's just a reference to it's viscous texture when cooked.

 

It can be eaten for breakfast or if you want to serve it as a dessert add more sugar.

 

 

1 & 1/2 cups glutinous black rice

5 tbl brown sugar/palm sugar - or more to taste

150 ml coconut milk + extra to serve

 

optional extras

kaffir lime or pandan leaves

tropical fruit to serve e.g. mango/pineapple/banana

 

Warning: on occasion your black rice might contain the odd stone, which could cost you a tooth. The best way to find them is place the rice in a saucepan and add a few cups of water and very slowly swirl your hand around the base of the pan like you would to wash the rice. Listen very carefully and feel for any stones. The stones are usually quite obvious and easy to find this way.

 

 

Okay once you've washed your rice, add about 2 and 1/2 of water and place it on a medium heat.

 

 

Bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes.

 

Keep an eye on the water level, you want it to reduce, but don't let it dry out because it will start to stick to the bottom.

 

Add another 1/4 or 1/2 cup of water if needed.

 

 

After 30 minutes, test if the rice is cooked. The outer part of the rice is always a little firm, it kind of pops when you bite it. Whereas the inside should be nice and soft.

 

Ideally the water level should be the same as the rice at this stage. If it is to watery, let it reduce for another 10-15 minutes.

 

Add the sugar and lime leaves, stir to dissolve the sugar.

 

NOTE: the sugar must only be added after the rice is cooked!

 

 

Add ~150 ml coconut milk, stir it through and allow to come back to the boil.

 

Remove leaves and you're done.

 

 

Serve with a generous dash of coconut milk and some fresh fruit.

 

Pan fried bananas work a treat too.

What exactly is a lifestyle drink?

The "lifestyle drink" section in one of the major supermarket chains has always bothered me. It makes me laugh every time I walk past it. Who came up with this? What does a sugary drink have to do with lifestyle? It's mostly iced teas and sports drinks with a few alcohol free wines and beers.

 

 

Speaking of sugary drinks, a couple of days ago, the Australia Governments National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) released their revised dietary guidelines (which happens every 10 years) and for the first time they recommended people "limit added sugar", especially in drinks. Placing it in the same category as added salt and alcohol. I thought it already was.

 

Their strongest evidence-based argument is that; when people indulge in a sugary drink they don't consider these calories as significant and are not likely to cut back on other foods. 

 

Like Oprah says, "don't drink your calories!"

 

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) oppose this new recommendation on the premise that there isn't enough scientific evidence to support it. Dr Geoffrey Robinson, Deputy CEO of the AFGC states that "the jury should still be sitting on the fence on that one". He goes on to say that "there's been evidence even in the last couple of months indicating that sugar is no more than a carbohydrate" Seriously? How does this guy sleep at night? It's like the climate change argument. How much scientific evidence do you need? What about common sense?

 

Why don't we all just survive on processed cheese, white bread, sports drinks, fruit roll-ups and multi-vitamins? Sounds to me like good old Geoffery would approve.

 

These guidelines are based on thousands of peer reviewed papers. I'm so proud of the NHMRC for standing their ground on this one. I'm sure we don't appreciate how much pressure they would have been under going against the AFGC's own recommendations.

 

Which brings me back to the "lifestyle drinks" section in the supermarket. I fundamentally object to the categorisation of a sugary drink being related to lifestyle. It gives it a positive connotation e.g. if you drink Gatorade/Powerade, therefore you must be a hardcore sportsman; or drinking iced tea is good for you because it contains antioxidants.

For the record, I think sports drinks are a gimmick and the majority of people who drink them, don't need to. And the antioxidant properties of your iced tea are more than likely counterbalanced by the added sugar and artificial flavours it contains. If you want antioxidants, why don't you just have a cup of tea?

I admit I drink the occasional soft drink or iced tea. I'm not saying we should cut them out completely. What I am saying is that I don't understand how the average person thinks its okay to drink these things on a daily basis.

One third of men and just over half the women in Australia are over weight or obese. How did we get so lost? How sad that it's our governments responsibility to give us healthy eating guidelines in the first place? The rich knowledge of generations past has been lost and now we don't seem to know how to eat.

If only the NHMRC guidelines could be "eat food, not too much, mostly plants" - (Michael Pollan, In defense of Food). But people seem to have forgotten, what is "food". It certainly doesn't include "lifestyle drinks".

 

Sorry for my blog hiatus, I've moved interstate and well, life gets complicated sometimes. I have lots of food posts coming though, so please keep reading!

Mexican Corn Pizza

Homemade pizza is a quick, easy and highly adaptable meal that everyone can enjoy. Like pasta sauce, everyone has their own methods and today I'd like to share mine. For the base I prefer to use either wholemeal pita bread or tortilla wraps and I'll be researching gluten-free bases in the near future! Pita bread and tortilla wraps are cheaper, thinner and therefore a comparatively healthier option to designated "pizza bases" available in the supermarket.

If I'm in a rush I usually make a quick tomato sauce using 2 tbl tomato paste, 1 clove of crushed garlic, 1 tbl water, 1 tbl olive oil and some fresh basil/oregano. If I have more time, I make a tomato sauce along the lines of my Tasty Tomato and Mushroom Pasta Sauce except I skip the mushrooms, making it with anchovies, garlic and a tin of tomatoes and let it simmer it for 35-50 minutes.

 

Today's recipe has a vague Mexican twist. I made these pizza's just before I decided to take a break from gluten. They were delicious and a lovely change from the more traditional homemade style of pizza.

Sauce

3 tbl Black bean pate/refried beans

1 tbl tomato paste

1 clove garlic

1 tbl olive oil
1 tbl water

 

Toppings

spring onions

black olives
jalapenos

quick roasted corn

red capsicum

mushrooms

grated cheese

Making a pizza is similar to making a stir-fry, the key to low stress cooking is doing all your prep before you start putting your pizza together.

 

So first of all pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.

Next start on the quick-roasted corn. It may seem tedious, but the sweet roasted corn flavour is pretty central to this recipe.

Heat your the BBQ and wet a peeled ear of corn under the tap (do not dry). Place corn on a plate and cook in the microwave for 2 minute bursts until it is cooked. Mine took about 6 minutes total, but all microwaves are different.

 

Place the corn on a medium heat BBQ, turning frequently for about 5-10 minutes until all sides are golden. Once it is cool enough to handle, cut the corn away from the cob ready to be used (I eat whatever corn is left on the cob).

Prepare you tomato-bean sauce.

 

I  had a bunch of left over Martha Rose Shulman's Black Bean Pate. It tasted great but I think I cooked it too long and it was a little dry. You could easily substitute this for tinned refried beans.

 

Mix 3 tbl Black bean pate/refried beans, 1 tbl tomato paste, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbl olive oil and 1 tbl of water in a small bowl.

Then finely chop a little spring onion, mushroom and capsicum. Remember any vegetables you add, contain water and you don't want a mushy pizza, so cut them finely.

Now you are ready to make your pizza. Add a thin layer of tomato-bean sauce

Veggie it up, don't forget the black olives and jalapenos!

Then cheese it up

Bake until golden. Once out of the oven, let it rest for a good 5 minutes
(or as long as you can retain self control)

Enjoy!
 

 

Baba Ganoush (eggplant dip)

In the spirit of cutting back on bread and trying to find interesting alternatives for satisfying lunches I made a big batch of Baba Ganoush. It's very similar to humus, except the main ingredient is eggplant instead of chickpeas. Roasting the eggplant is time consuming but as long as you are home for the hour or so it takes to roast, it isn't be too much of an inconvenience.

 

2 large Eggplants

2 tbl tahini

1 tbl yogurt

1 small clove garlic

juice from one lemon

salt to taste

2 tbl olive oil

 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, cut eggplants in half,.

 

Sprinkle lightly with salt and a little olive oil.

 

Roast for ~45-90 minutes, until golden brown and more or less halved in size.

 

Using a spoon scrape the flesh away from the skin and place into a deep bowl. The skin of the eggplant has great nutritional value. Unfortunately baba ganoush is a smooth, creamy dip with the removal of the skin being a critical step.

 

As a compromised, I eat the skin while I'm making the dip. As a cooks treat and so as to not waste any of the eggplant.

 

Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.

 

Using a handheld mixer, blend until smooth.

 

Enjoy generously with raw vegetables, pita bread or as part of a big salad

Is it time for gluten-free?

It’s pretty trendy to go gluten-free these days, the Paleolthic diet for example has an almost cult-like following these days. Personally I believe total elimination of any single food group is a tad extreme and should be avoided wherever possible; although if you’re a celiac you don’t have that luxury.

 

The key to a healthy diet is lots of fruits and vegetables, with everything else in moderation, but moderation is a tricky thing to quantify. A typical western diet can contain up to 3-4 serves of gluten based foods every day, not exactly what you would call moderation.

 

I’ve had IBS since I was a kid. A few years back I had all kinds of tests, only to be told, “hmmm there doesn’t seem to be anything seriously wrong with you. You have IBS”. Followed by some sketchy advice about how to manage it. All this really meant was that this particular medical professional didn’t have a clue what was wrong with me. I am not alone.

I know some people diagnosed with IBS have had success undergoing the long, tedious process of strict elimination diets -  no processed sugar, alcohol, caffeine, dairy and gluten. Where slowly you reintroduce one element and see how your stomach reacts. The only thing is food intolerance's have been shown to be cumulative, making the whole elimination diet path a drawn out, challenging process. Not to mention, who really wants to know they shouldn't eat donuts?

 

Over the years I have identified a few triggers, roasted red capsicum, roasted pumpkin, too many chickpea based dinners, red meat and high fat foods all cause me grief if I over indulge. As far as dairy is concerned, I only eat cheese and cream in small, infrequent amounts, whereas cows milk out. Interestingly a daily serve of natural yogurt seems to cause me no grief at all.

 

So why am I talking about this now? I have some reoccurring issues with my lower back and recently my osteopath suggested my digestive issues and lower back problems might be linked. I put up with my IBS because I can tolerate the side effects. However the lower back stuff is pretty shitty and if they are in fact linked, I'd even consider giving up alcohol if it would make it stop.

 

As a result, over the past month and a half I have been experimenting on myself. Ten days without any gluten based foods, then a few days with and I am sad to report I think there is a direct correlation between my stomach’s happiness and my consumption of gluten. This is one of the main reasons why I haven’t blogged.

 

So for now breakfast is a rolled oat, puffed rice, coconut, almond and apricot muesli, often prepared the night before with a spoon full of yogurt and 1/8th of a cup of water. Making it super creamy in the morning. Lunches are the hardest, I’ve been alternating potato, sweet potato and chickpeas with salad. Making eggplant dip or humus has also been a nice lunch time snack. I'm also partial to an apple, some cheese, sultanas and nuts. In an attempt to not impose my gluten free efforts on my boy I had bolognaise sauce with chickpeas the other day while he had pasta. I tell you it wasn’t half bad.

 

I see this as an intolerance issue, I’m not giving it up for good… because well I don’t want to. I’m also hoping in time, after it's had a break, my tummy will protest less when I indulge in the occasional piece of cake or toast.

Wholemeal Oat, Honey and Raisin Cookies

Here is a great little cookie recipe I found on Whole Grain Gourmet, which I tested out with excellent results. It contains no sugar and is pretty "healthy" as far as a cookie goes. The website says they freeze well, which is good because it will help stop me from eating the entire batch in a couple of days... maybe. The original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, but I followed the whole grain gourmet's recommendation to add more, plus I added mixed spice too, yum!

 

 

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 ½ cups of rolled oats

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

2 tbl cinnamon

1 tbl mixed spice

½ tsp nutmeg

 

½ cup honey

½ cup oil

1 tbl golden syrup

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

 

½ cup raisins

 

In one bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.

 

 

After mixing the dry ingredients, I added the raisins, and with my fingers separated them out so they were evenly distributed in the mixture.

 

 

In another bowl, add all the wet ingredients. Tip: Measure the oil first, then use the same 1/2 cup measure for the honey and it wont stick.

 

 

Whisk the wet ingredients together.

 

 

Add the wet to the dry and mix until combined.

 

If it feels to wet, add a little extra flour (I did).

Cool the mixture for 20 minutes in the fridge.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius

Using two teaspoons press a small amount of mixture into a tight ball and drop onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, then gently press down with a fork.

 

 

Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes at 170 degrees or until golden on the bottom of the cookie, be careful because they burn easy.

 

Black Bean Chilli

This post follows directly on from Black Beans 101. Martha Rose Shulman has a number of recipes using her perfectly simmered black beans. The first one I tested out was her  Black Bean Chilli. I've been searching for a vegetarian chilli recipe for ages and I'm so happy I found this one.

I made a few changes, primarily due to a lack of canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce available in Australia. As a substitute I added paprika, fresh chilli and apple cider vinegar. I also added some celery, because it was in the fridge and needed to be used.

It's thick, rich and delicious!

1 pot simmered Black Beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions finely chopped
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 fresh chillies
3 sticks celery
1 tbl dried chilli
1 tablespoon lightly toasted cumin seeds, ground
425 gm tin tomatoes
2 tbl apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tbl paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt
1/2 cup chopped coriander

Make the black beans as directed, preferably the day before you wish to serve.

Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and celery

 

Cook, stirring often, until the onion is lightly colored, about 10 minutes.

Add the fresh chilli and garlic, fry for a minute or two until fragrant

 

Then add the spices, dried chilli, cumin and paprika. Cook, stirring, for two to three minutes, until the mixture begins to stick to the pan.
 

 

Add the tinned tomatoes, vinegar and oregano. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

  

 

Stir in tomato paste then simmer for another 15 minutes, stir often to prevent it from sticking and burning.

 

Add the Black Beans to the tomato mixture and bring back to a simmer.

 

 

 

Continue to simmer, stirring often, for 45 - 60 minutes.

 

Taste and adjust salt.

 

I've been eating this all week in various ways along the theme of a burrito salad.

Served with brown rice and/or sweet potato

Garnished with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, black olives, coriander, jalapeños, spring onion, grated cheese, natural yogurt and corn chips.