Cuisines Collide in a Casserole

Rice is a dietary staple all over the world. It is tasty, versatile, filling and relatively cheap. The last attribute could be its most attractive selling point right now as people who never had to worry about their household budgets struggle to pay all the bills. Complement any variety of rice with a well-stocked pantry and you’ve got a recipe for economical eating.

In my continued quest to clear out my pantry before Passover, I decided to make use of the bag of organic short grain brown rice I haven’t touched in a while. Hmm, what to do with it which would be worthy of publishing on the web? I refer to my well-worn copy of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison (a veritable encyclopedia of vegetarian ingredients and recipes) for some inspriation. Opening up to the section “About Rice” in the Grains chapter, I found a recipe for Baked Spanish Rice. The recipe calls for Arborio rice, a stubby short-grained white rice which is great for making risotto due to its inherent starchiness. I could use a similar cooking technique with my short-grained brown rice because it is has a similar sticky quality.

I didn't want to simply follow the recipe (even though I actually had all 20 ingredients it called for) because that's no fun. And I couldn't copy it simply substituting brown rice because whole grains require more liquid to cook properly. But I was glad that Ms. Madison reminded me of the sun-dried tomatoes I had sitting on the door shelf of my fridge. A quick scan of the vegetable drawer revealed a piece of gingerroot on its last legs and some wilted basil - better use these things up before it was too late. So the idea to create an Spanish-Indian fusion rice casserole was born!

This particular fusing of cuisines using rice as the centerpiece is actually quite logical. Both cultures have layered rice casseroles in their traditional cooking repetoire. The Spaniards make paella infused with saffron, tomatoes and garlic, adding poultry, chorizo sausage and shellfish in stages as the dish cooks. Indians make a vegetarian meal out of rice layered with vegetables and flavored with sweet & spicy spices - usually including saffron like the Spaniards - and tangy yogurt. Both dishes can be cooked in the oven which ensures even cooking and decreases the chances of peaking (no peaking!!!).

East-West Rice Casserole
Serves 4

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 Tablespoons gingerroot, minced
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
5 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), thinly sliced
1 cup short-grain brown rice**

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 Tablespoons basil, chopped (or use parsley instead)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8 x 8 glass or ceramic baking dish. In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable broth.

2. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Add spices, gingerroot, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add rice to saucepan with onions & spices. Stir to coat rice with seasonings and cook 2 minutes. Add hot broth and salt to rice mixture and bring to a boil. Add basil and allow to boil for a minute, stirring.

4. Transfer rice to prepared baking dish, cover tightly with foil and place in preheated oven. Bake for 55 minutes. Remove baking dish from oven and allow to sit, covered, for 15 minutes. Fluff rice and serve.

**If you have weak digestive capacity (ie. are predominently Vata in constitution or have compromised agni, digestive fire), then soak the rice overnight. Drain rice before making recipe and use only 2 1/2 cups of broth.

Blueberry Couscous Cake

The two opened, half-eaten boxes of coucous in my cupboard reminded me of an interesting vegan dessert (or sweet snack) recipe I learned about back in college. "Couscous cake" isn't actually a cake. Rather, it is a molded block of couscous sweetened with fruit juice or sugar. If not prepared with oil to lubricate the semolina wheat granules and not properly fluffed, couscous naturally sticks together. I suspect that the person who invented the recipe turned a clumpy mishap into a healthy treat that is now embraced by vegetarians who shy away from conventional cakes made with eggs and dairy products.

The recipe that was handed down to me uses apple juice in place of water. The naturally occuring fructose in the juice along with some frozen blueberries serve as sweetening agents. When the cooked and flavored couscous (you can add cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract or lemon zest) is pressed into a mold and allowed to chill overnight, it emerges as a "cake" solid enough to be cut into individual slices.

I came across a delicious-sounding recipe on the internet for a "Coconut Vanilla Bean Couscous Cake" that uses coconut milk as the liquid. Since I didn't have a can of coconut milk on hand, I figured I'd make a lactovegetarian version using the organic, grass-fed, non-homogenized* milk in my fridge (since it is illegal for grocery stores in Massachusetts to sell raw milk, Sky Top Farms milk is the next best alternative available at the local Whole Foods Market). I also opted for honey instead of evaporated cane juice (aka. cane sugar) because it is a less refined product and thought its stickiness would help hold the cake together. Note that Ayurvedic authorities do not recommend heating honey. If you are concerned about the toxins that are supposedly formed when honey is heated then you can either substitue agave nectar or just be careful not to boil the honey in the milk as directed.

Blueberry Couscous Cake
Serves 4

1 1/4 cup milk (organic, grass-fed is preferred)

1/2 cup frozen blueberries (no need to thaw!)

3 Tb honey

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste

pinch of salt

1 cup couscous

Combine all ingredients except for couscous in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, covered. Transfer prepared couscous to a greased (I used olive oil) pie plate and pat down. Cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, cut into slices. Serve with whipped cream or Greek-style yogurt if desired.

*Homogenization is the process by which the fat globules in milk are broken down into smaller particles so they can remain suspended within the liquid portion of the milk instead of rising to the top. Consumption of homogenized milk has been associated with increased rates of heart disease and diabetes. Milk allergies have also been on the rise since the advent of commercial homogenization. Because homogenization increases the surface area on the fat globules and disrupts their natural membrane, more of the casein (milk protein) and whey are incorporated into the new one which is formed.

Kitchen Sink Polenta

Now that Purim (just another holiday which gives Jews an excuse to eat, drink and be merry) has come and gone, I have set out on a personal culinary quest of ridding my pantry of all grains and legumes before the start of Passover. Last weekend, I cleaned out my refrigerator. I threw away several botched fermented vegetable experiments. Even though I knew I'd never eat the funky cabbage, moldy cukes or slimy beets, it was sad to see them go down the drain (they didn't smell so good either). I wiped down the shelves with biodegradable kitchen cleaner and shook all the dried bits of onion and garlic skins out of the veggie drawers. What a relief!

So now, I have to tackle the cupboard. I've got opened packages of brown rice, amaranth, lentils, rice noodles and more. What shall I do with all the random dribs and drabs of loose bulk grains left over from the cooking classes I've taught this past winter? Time to get creative - the thing I like best about being a chef.

I thought I'd begin my spring cleaning project by tackling the polenta:

***

Kitchen Sink Polenta

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup minced onion

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt (the amount will depend on the type of broth you use)

1/2 cup polenta (aka. cornmeal grits)

1/4 cup amaranth

6 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 - 1 cup grated Havarti cheese (or whatever kind you have on hand)

3 Tablespoons chopped herbs (I used parsley and basil in this recipe)

salt & black pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add broth, water and salt and bring to a boil. Whisk in polenta and amaranth, stirring. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is quite thick - about 20 minutes.

3. Stir in olive, cheese and herbs. Cook another couple minutes and season with salt & pepper.

Mind-Body Nutrition

Do you consider yourself a “healthy” eater but still feel like something is lacking in your diet? Perhaps you crave something sweet after eating an enormous vegetarian black bean burrito at the local Tex-Mex joint. Or you find yourself dozing off in the afternoon even though you opted for the veggie burger & steamed broccoli (instead of beef burger and fries) at lunch. Isn’t a vegetarian diet supposed to make you feel good? Aren’t we supposed to eat more fruits and vegetables?
Since entering the twenty-first century, a case can no longer be made for including French fries in one’s daily vegetable tally. However, the nutritional status of ketchup is still ambiguous in many people‘s minds. The bottle claims the condiment to be a good source of lycopene (a phytochemical shown to decrease the risk of certain cancers). If you were to slather a generous serving of the red stuff on your veggie burger, you’d meet 4% of the daily requirment for Vitamin C. Why shouldn’t that count? Assuming the trace amount of vitamins detectable in ketchup is significant, despite the high fructose corn syrup; then do you give yourself brownie points for eating a vegetable or a fruit (it tastes more like a fruit to me)?
Geez, what did people do before the invention of the mandatory Nutrition Facts label? They probably enjoyed their food a lot more and certainly didn’t suffer anxiety obsessing over healthy eating (not technically an eating disorder, the term given to the angst and extreme behavior evoked by trying to eat too healthfully - orthorexia, is currently being studied by clinicians and academics).
With so much evidence linking specific nutrients to the prevention of diseases like arthritis and diabetes, the delicate effects that food has on a person’s emotional and mental state is overlooked by researchers. Aside from the consequence that carbohydrates have on serotonin levels which in turn alters mood; mental well-being does not come up in discussions about eating to satisfy one’s nutritional needs. Sure, certain vitamins and fatty acids have been associated with decreased risk of developing mental disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. But the science is based on a strictly biomechanical understanding of the brain.
Ayurveda views the mind as a non-physical entity which is not confined to a single organ. In addition to determining a person‘s personality, the mind in a stream of consciousness that flows throughout the entire body and is altered by subtle qualities (so subtle that they can not be detected by conventional modern means) inherent in the Universe. These subtle qualities, or “essences”, also known as gunas, exist in all things including edible substances. There are three gunas: sattva, rajas and tamas. Sattva is the quality of purity, truth and light which promotes balance & spiritual development. Rajas is the quality of activity and movement so leads to desires, passion and outward action. Tamas is the quality of dullness, inertia and darkness that creates ignorance, lethargy or laziness.
While all three gunas are necessary to some degree, Ayurveda emphasizes the cultivation of sattva because it encourages a state of balance which ultimately facilitates healing. Yogis who aspire to higher levels of spiritual attainment also focus on a lifestyle and diet that is sattvic in nature. Sattvic foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and high quality dairy products, are thought to have a rejuvenating effect on the body and calm the mind.
Typically, yogis eschew meat due to its mainly tamasic quality which saps the body of energy and suppresses agni leading to the build up of toxins (Ama). Rajasic foods like onions, tomatoes and vinegar are also avoided because they are believed to encourage egotistical behavior, anger and jealosy.
A nutrition theory that truly appreciates the intimate connection between mind and body should therefore consider the influence of the gunas. The gunas help to explain certain paradoxes that exist with conventional thinking. Examining the inherent energetic qualities of Nature’s bounty also allows for a more individualized approach to diet. For instance, mushrooms are actually tamasic, unlike most other vegetables which synthesize light and are therefore sattvic. While a mushroom burger may not have the same effect on the arteries as one made with beef, it will leave the consumer with a similar dull feeling due to tamas.
Let’s return to that black bean burrito. Why would a well-meaning omnivore leave the table desiring something sweet after polishing off a vegetarian menu item? Sure, black beans and most whole grains (we’ll assume that the restaurant offers whole wheat tortillas) are sattvic. The onions, peppers, garlic, sour cream, guacamole (it’s made with avocadoes) also stuffed inside the burrito are rajasic. The combination of all these ingredients could be over stimulating and cause the body to crave something which will calm the senses down. The perfect antidote would be some nice juicy sattvic fruit or a sweet lassi.
Alternatively, if the burrito joint is of the “cheap” persuasion - which relies on canned beans, poor quality or previously frozen vegetables, refined white flour products and microwave ovens - you may be suffering from a tamasic hangover. No matter how “healthy” the ingredient list, the poetic menu description is mere hyperbole and downright fraudulent if the food ultimately served is nuked, overcooked or leftover from the previous week. So the gunas are key!

Sattvic foods include well-prepared whole grains, legumes (except for peanuts), nuts, seeds, fresh & dried fruits, leafy vegetables, root vegetables, honey, fresh dairy products and ghee (see side bar for great source of top quality ghee).
Rajasic foods are onions, garlic, radishes, peanuts, eggs, caffeinated beverages, vinager and other fermented foods. In the short term, sugar is rajasic.
Tamasic foods include mushrooms, meat, fish and white flour. Sugar is tamasic in the long term. All deep-fried, microwaved, stale, leftover, frozen and overcooked food also take on a quality of tamas.

Sprouting isn't just for Hippies

I've started sprouting and soaking a variety of grains and lentils over the past month. As if I don't already spend enough time in the kitchen, I decided to try some even more meticulous methods of food preparation after attending the Four Fold Healing Conference. Some of the information presented by Dr. Cowan with regard to diet conflicted with certain Ayurvedic principles I hold dear but most of his guidance reinforced my knowledge. Ayurvedic cooking techniques, as I have described in previous posts, are designed to "pre-digest" food and enhance agni (the digestive fire). Dr. Cowan and Sally Fallon advocate a diet that relies more heavily on animal products - high quality ones like raw milk & grass-fed beef; but they also emphasize the importance of properly preparing food to ease digestion and ensure assimilation of nutrients.

Whole, unrefined grains are praised by nutritionists for their relatively high vitamin and mineral content (compared to refined grains and white flour), but methods of preparation which maximize their health benefits are often ignored. Recipes designed to appeal to busy families offer shortcuts that undermine the natural goodness of key ingredients like brown rice and wheat berries. Whole grains need to be soaked to neutralize their phytic acid which binds with minerals like calcium, iron and zinc thereby inhibiting absorption of these nutrients. Adding something acidic (like lemon juice or vinegar) to the soaking liquid can help reduce the soaking time required. Using whey (the liquid that runs off in the production of cheese and which you can acquire by draining yogurt in cheesecloth overnight) to soak grains introduces lactobacilli which break down phytic acid even more effectively.

Commercially produced whole wheat bread and whole grain breakfast cereals may cause more harm than good (and may be a contributing factor in the prevalence of food allergies). Most convenience foods which proclaim to be "made with whole grains" contain more white flour, sugar and other additives than they do actual whole grains. And the processing of whole grains by major food manfacturers does not help the body to assimilate them. If anything, it makes them harder to digest and introduces toxins.

So the trick to including more whole grains and legumes in your diet with the most health benefits is to adopt habits that make them as convenient as processed foods. First, you'll need to stock your pantry with the right ingredients (in my book, grabbing something from the cupboard is certainly more convenient than stopping at Dunkin' Donuts for a bagel on the way to work).

Here are a few things that I have started to do:

1. Place a serving of rolled oats in a small saucepan with water and a little whey before I go to bed at night. In the morning, I just add some raisins & cinnamon, turn on the burner and I have a hot breakfast in about 5 - 7 minutes.

2. To sprout lentils, I soak them overnight then rinse them twice a day (once in the morning while cleaning up breakfast and right before bed, after putting my oats on the stove to soak) until they grow their little tails. (There are a ton of resources on the web which explain the how and why of sprouting.)

3. If I notice my fridge getting empty, I immediately begin soaking a cup of brown rice, barley or other grain that I think I'll want to eat for lunch (with veggies and sprouted lentil soup - recipe below).

4. For a quick snack, I grab a piece of Ezekial bread, made with 100% sprouted grains, and spread on some organic, grass-fed butter or ghee. Yum!

Sprouted Lentil Soup

Makes about 3 servings

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled & finely chopped

1 sprig thyme or rosemary (optional, but delicious)

1/2 cup lentils sprouted to yield about 3 cups

4 cups broth (vegetable or homemade organic chicken broth)

salt & black pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil in medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute a couple of minutes until soft. Add garlic, celery and carrot. Cook about 5 more minutes until vegetables are tender. Throw in thyme or rosemary spring and cook a minute.
2. Add sprouted lentils, broth and some salt, to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and, covered, for 10 minutes. Season with additional salt & pepper, to taste.