I wanted to try something a bit different with the wild rice this time so I picked apart several pilaf recipes and came up with my own. This recipe can be easily adapted to cater vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup wild rice
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1-2 carrots
1/4 cup roughly chopped almonds
2 cups low sodium GF chicken broth
1 cup mushrooms (sliced)
1 cup white wine
1 gala chopped apple
salt & pepper to taste
1 lb ground turkey (*optional)

Directions:

Heat the coconut oil in a large stainless steel skillet on medium-high.

Add the chopped onions and let them cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
(*if you choose to include ground turkey, add it now until it has browned, then continue with recipe)
Add the uncooked rice and vegetables, stirring frequently until the vegetables begin to soften slightly.
Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the broth and wine, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes (until rice is tender).
You shouldn’t need to stir it while it cooks, but you can take a quick peek once in a while to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom.
Once rice is ready, mix in the chopped almonds and apples and serve!

Ingredients:

1 14oz can Eden organic garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1/2 avocado
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed butter)
3 tbsp organic coconut milk
1 tbsp garlic
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp unrefined sea salt

Preparation:

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and process until smooth and creamy. Serve with fresh veggies or Que Pasa corn chips.

Sweetened with almond amasake and raw honey it’s packed with flavour and nutrients. Amasake is a fermented brown rice beverage which can be used as a natural sweetener and raw honey contains live enzymes which aid in the digestion of carbohydrates. Cinnamon is added, not only for it’s flavour, but for it’s ability to slow the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating.

Brown basmati rice is a great place to start if you’re new to the texture and flavour of brown rice. Soaking the rice in water for 12 hours or overnight also helps to break down the fiber and improves the absorption and digestibility of the nutrients it contains. It also cuts the cooking time in half. Just reduce the amount of water you use to cook the rice by about 1/4 depending on how firm or soft you like your rice. Stay tuned for a blog post on the health benefits of coconut oil and coconut milk.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown basmati rice, soaked for 12 hrs
1 400ml can of coconut milk
1/2 cup almond amasake (Green Cuisine is the brand I use)
1 tsp-1 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp cinnamon or to taste
1/4 cup raisins

Directions:

Cook brown rice according to package directions replacing 1/2 to 3/4 of the water with coconut milk, reducing the overall liquid by 1/4 if you soaked your rice.

(My brown basmati rice called for 1 cup of rice to be cooked in 2 cups of water for 50min. I combined 1 cup soaked rice with 1 cup coconut milk and 1/2 cup water, simmering over low heat, with the lid on until the liquid was absorbed and rice was tender about 25min)

Once your rice is cooked add 1/2 cup almond amasake, additional coconut milk to desired consistency, raw honey* and cinnamon to taste. Mix well and stir in raisins.

*Only add raw honey to your rice pudding when it’s cool enough to eat, so the live enzymes are not killed by the heat.

Serve warm, immediately after cooking or cool and refrigerate. I enjoy this rice pudding cold as a snack or dessert. For breakfast I add chopped almonds for the additional protein.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten free pancake mix
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup gf brown rice or almond milk
1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil
1/4 cup gf/cf chocolate chips (or 3/4 cup blueberries)
1/2 tsp gf vanilla extract
Pure maple syrup or raw honey to taste

Directions:

Beat egg and then add the remaining liquid ingredients, mixing well. Combine with the pancake mix in a large bowl and whisk vigorously until thoroughly mixed. Fold in the chocolate chips or blueberries. Let batter stand and pre-heat a nonstick griddle to medium-high temperature.

Pour 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle and cook until the top is bubbly or approx 5 min. Turn and cook until golden brown, approx 5 min. If necessary, adjust the batter by adding more pancake mix or rice milk, one tablespoon at a time. Continue with remaining batter.

Makes eight 4-inch pancakes. Serves 4.