Blissful Bites (35 page)

pressure-cooked brown rice

• Makes 5 to 7 servings

This is my favorite way to prepare brown rice because pressure cooking makes the grain sweet and flavorful. Depending on your climate, it may not be the best way to cook grains, but give it a try. Lundberg medium “Golden Rose” is my favorite brown rice ever!

1 cup medium-grain brown rice, washed and soaked four to six hours

1
¹
⁄
₄
cups filtered water

1-inch strip kombu or pinch sea salt

Drain rice. Place new filtered water, rice, and kombu in the pressure cooker. Lock lid in place and heat over medium flame. When up to pressure place flame deflector (if you have one) underneath the pot and simmer on low flame for 45 minutes. You want the flame low enough to keep the dial up to pressure, but not so high that there is heavy steam coming out of the top. Turn off flame and allow pressure to come down naturally. Or release dial if in a hurry. Fluff with a rice paddle and stir in kombu or sea salt.

not-so-forbidden rice salad

• Makes 5 to 7 servings

I love black rice because it's quick-cooking and has a unique taste profile. Feel free to change up the veggies and spices to make your own unique dish for each season.

1 cup black forbidden rice, washed

1
³
⁄
₄
cups plus
¹
⁄
₂
cup filtered water

Pinch sea salt

2 cups sweet potatoes, small cube

1 teaspoon tarragon

1 teaspoon coriander

Dash black pepper

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon tamari

¹
⁄
₃
cup packed basil, chiffonade (page 27)

Sea salt, to taste

Place rice, 1
³
⁄
₄
cups filtered water, and a pinch of sea salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce flame to a simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat
¹
⁄
₂
cup water in a medium skillet. When it begins to sizzle, add sweet potatoes, a pinch of sea salt, and spices to the skillet and combine well. Cover and let simmer for about five minutes. Add a touch more water if it's sticking and stir in the remaining ingredients except basil. Cover and cook for another three minutes.

When rice is done, place in a medium bowl with the veggie mixture. Fold in all the ingredients until well combined. Season with sea salt, as needed.

• Makes 5 to 7 servings

These are a great healthy substitute for fatty french fries and go great with
cashew-garlic aioli
,
on page 156,
fire-roasted tomato sauce
, on page 129, or
basil-cashew cheeze sauce
, on page 127.

Oil spray, for casserole dish and baking sheet

1 recipe for
basic polenta
, on page 144

2 tablespoons fresh sage

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon paprika

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon nutmeg

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon coriander

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Combine additional ingredients, except sea salt and black pepper, in the pot with polenta and follow the directions in the
basic polenta
recipe, on page 144. Lightly spray medium casserole dish with oil. You want a dish that will make the polenta about
¹
⁄
₂
inch thick (about 9x13). Pour polenta inside and smooth over evenly. Let sit for 45 minutes until it hardens.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Carefully flip the polenta out onto a cutting board and slice into french-fry shapes. Spray a baking sheet with oil, place fries about
¹
⁄
₄
inch apart, sprinkle sea salt and pepper on top, then spray lightly with oil. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake another 20 minutes or more, depending on how crunchy you want them.

sage-infused polenta fries with cashew-garlic aioli

• Makes about
¹
⁄
₄
cup