Medetative Cooking

I opened my door today to silence. I flipped on the light switch and saw darkness. I realized as I stepped into my house, that even the fish tanks vibrating bubbles were missing. I was attuned to the silent refrigerator. I heard my breath in and out.

The dogs began to stir; I realized the power was out.

I've never noticed before how incredibly silent life can be with no lights, no noise, no movement. It was incredibly peaceful.

I quickly let the dogs and out and returned to the silence. As I lit candles, the energy quotient in the house increased. While the peace remained, the house became less still. I breathed in the beauty of our house by candlelight.

After a few breaths, I was reminded of my groceries. I hastily put them away, took a few more breaths in my kitchen lit by a single candle, and decided upon cooking in the dark.

Each movement was quiet, slow, suiting the surrounding environment. If I drove my knife through the pile of veggies, I risked cutting myself. I lit the burner for the Basmati rice with a lighter and watched the flames dance for a few seconds before I put the pot on the stove. Instead of sight, I relied on smell and feel, making sure my red bell pepper was thin enough, smelling the just melted butter in the pot on the stove. Just as placed the lid on the rice, the power came on. My heart skipped a beat.

I blew out my candle and shrugged, having just put the potatoes in my frying pan. The power went off again. I smiled, breathing in happily. After a few exhales, the power was back on. This time it stayed on. I finished preparing dinner and sat down at my candle lit table with my book as my companion. If every meal was made with such serenity, I might be eternally filled with it's peace.

Basmati Rice
If you've never tried this Indian rice, you should- it's incredible melt-in-your-mouth good and very flavorful. Eschew your rice maker; it is best prepared on the stove. The proportion of water : rice : butter is easily halved or doubled.

You'll Need
2 cups water
1 cup Basmati rice
1/2 stick of butter
pot with a tight fitting lid

1. Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat, moving continuously, as not to burn it. Add the rice.

2. Continuously stir the rice in the butter until it comes to a "boil."

3. Add the water, and let the mixture return to a boil.

4. Once mixture is at a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cover the pot with a tight fitting lid.

5. Cook for 25 minutes, making sure to never, ever, ever take off the lid. Once the rice has cooked fully, take off the lid and fluff with a fork.

Smoked Chicken, Red 'n Rice

We had another whirl-wind weekend. Friday night we balloon-bombed some friend's bedroom before they came home from Paris. (They a couple's room that just got engaged.) Saturday we dropped the barks off with their "Aunt Sarah" and headed up to Athens for a co-worker/friend's wedding. The wedding was a lovely intimate event at the Foundry Park Inn. We woke up late

this morning and headed back into town to get ready for Nick's parents coming into town later this week.

After so much activity, I am glad to have a simple dinner. While I smoked a rosemary chicken, I cleaned the house. Now that I'm done cleaning, I am cooking the red beans and rice with staples from the pantry and fridge.

Smoked Rosemary Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 small white onion
1 clove garlic, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Paprika
salt

1. Clean and rinse the chicken. Remove the innards.

2. Stuff the chicken with rosemary, onion, and garlic.

3. Rub the outside of the chicken with EVOO. Next, rub the chicken with paprika and salt.

4. Put into your smoker. Cook at 264-300 degrees Farenheight for 1.5-3hrs. (My 4 pounder took 1.5hrs exactly.)


Red Beans and Rice
thank you, Foodnetwork.com for this recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and small diced
• 2 (1-pound) cans red kidney beans
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Saute garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper until tender. Stir in kidney beans, onion powder, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Reduce heat to low and let mixture simmer slowly while you cook the rice.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and stir in rice and butter. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes without removing the lid. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Fold rice and beans gently together and transfer to a serving dish. Serve garnished with cilantro.

White VS Brown Rice

One of the changes I've made during this diet-changing-speed bump is incorporating brown rice into my diet. For many Celiacs, rice is a mainstay carb in our diet- we use it in flours, cereals, breads, baked goods; as a thickener; as a side dish. I am a HUGE white rice fan- I love basmati, jasmine, sushi rice. My aunt and my cousins brought to my attention how many nutrients are lost in the processing of rice to make brown rice white rice. I've been marinating on this thought for a few months, as brown rice has never been my favorite.

Another celiac friend of mine from work has been super-careful about his rice intake. Not the type, as much as it's origin. He and I both have had bad reactions to "tainted" rice. I have stopped buying rice from the farmer's market for this reason. There is no way to be sure they haven't processed or stored their rice with un-G-F ingredients. My recommendation is to rinse your rice thoroughly before cooking. If you use Nishiki rice, or possibly other Japanese rices, the rice plumps way better when cleaned. (A Japanese friend of mine made that recommendation.)

Here is my favorite link I discovered on my Google search of "White VS Brown Rice." http://www.lammd.com/opinion/brown_rice_vs_white_rice.cfm This is what the site says:


Milling is the process that creates the difference between brown and white rice. The variety of rice may be identical, but milling removes the husk from the grain and turns the brown rice to white. This is why milling is often called "whitening".

By removing the outer layer, which is also known as the bran layer, milling alters the nutritional value of the rice. It is in this bran layer where most of the nutrients are stored. The white rice that most of us eat comprises of mostly carbohydrates, with the nutrients stripped off in the milling process.

Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar inside the body. While carbohydrates are a good source of energy (yielding 4 calories per gram), excessive carbohydrate intake leads to sugar imbalance and adult onset diabetes mellitus. Carbohydrate consuming is also addictive. White rice is a large part of the world's diet , and reduction is not a easy process. One way is to consume brown rice instead.

The following chart shows the nutritional differences between brown and white rice. As can be observed, fiber is dramatically lower in white rice, as are the oils, most of the B vitamins, and important minerals.

	Brown Rice (one cup)	White Rice (one cup)
Calories	232	223
Protein	4.88 g	4.10 g
Carbohydrate	49.7 g	49.6 g
Fat	1.17 g	0.205 g
Dietary Fiber	3.32 g	0.74 g
Thiamin (B1)	0.176 g	0.223 g
Riboflavin (B2)	0.039 mg	0.021 mg
Niacin (B3)	2.730 mg	2.050 mg
Vitamin B6	0.294 mg	0.103 mg
Folacin	10 mcg	4.1 mcg
Vitamin E	1.4 mg	0.462 mg
Magnesium	72.2 mg	22.6 mg
Phosphorus	142 mg	57.4 mg
Potassium	137 mg	57.4 mg
Selenium	26 mg	19 mg
Zinc	1.05 mg	0.841 mg

Bran contains several items of major importance - the two major are: fiber and essential oils. Fiber is not only filling, but is recommended in the prevention of major diseases in this country such as certain gastrointestinal diseases and heart disease. The National Cancer Institute recommends 25 grams of fiber a day, a cup of brown rice will give nearly 3.5 g, while an equal amount of white rice not even 1 g. The oils that are present in the bran also help to lower the risks of heart disease by decreasing the levels of serum cholesterol in our bodies. These are good oils that the body needs and not bad oils (hydrogenated vegetable oils) such as those found in French fries.

Carbohydrate-rich diets can be helpful in weight control provided that the carbohydrate is complex and not simple. Simple carbohydrate such as sugar will lead to obesity, cancer, and a myriad of other diseases.

We are much better off, then, to eat a well balanced diet low in fat and rich in complex carbohydrates. Brown rice completes the diet in a way that white rice cannot even begin to approach.