Serious Oatmeal

As I have been discussing serious oatmeal with some people, I will share my process here...

First, this was today's version:

Serious Oatmeal

Two day prep

I usually prepare Oatmeal for two days at a time. I take one measuring cup of steelcut oats (I get them from ShopRïte, at $3.29 for 30 Oz of organic oats), and prepare it overnight in my trusted Zojirushi NP-GBC05 rice cooker. It is ready for me at 6:30 AM with the timer.

Then I add:

• a shredded Granny Smith apple, 
• 1/2 pint blueberries
• 1 tbsp goji berries
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp cocoa nibs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
   

and I let that sit on "keep warm" for min 5 mins.

The daily plate of Oatmeal

Then I save half for next day and I serve the other half, fixed up as follows (in this case):

• a ring of berries (stawberries, raspberries, etc.) and other fruit (today it was Raspberries and Starfruit)
• a sliced banana sometimes even more fruit (I love me some jackfruit).
• a tbsp of hemp seed (part of my Omega-3 for the day)
• A drizzle of Balsamic vinegar.

And here is another version:

Serious Oatmeal also, but with Strawberries

A note, you do not want to O/D on Omega-3. Too much is no good, what matters is the proportion between Omega-3 and Omega-6. Personally, I use 2-3 tbsp a day of hemp seeds, milled flax seed, or chia seeds. That seems to be about right for me. Individual mileage may vary, so consult with your plant-based doctor at the time of your physical ;-)

Rice in the hood

Buying, keeping, and preparing organic brown rice is easy, but it does require some thought.

First, if you are equipped with that most essential kitchen tool, the automatic rice cooker with an GABA brown rice cycle, that will determine what rice you buy. If you are still wondering if you should own such a device, do read my earlier post that I linked to in the previous sentence. The long and short of it is: if you have one of the fancy models with GABA brown rice cycle and a timer, it's better than having your own personal cook - they don't talk back, and they deliver like clockwork, never mind the GABA brown rice cycle takes two and a half hours.

If you do not have such a device, nor a pressure cooker, you might have reason to buy parboiled brown rice, which recently was available in many stores in the neighborhood, including this one at Neerob Bazaar:

Della Parboiled Organic Light Brown Rice (Quick Cooking)

The facts of life are that brown rice is healthier, but it takes longer to cook, and that is an excuse to buy parboiled rice. However, the downside is that it won't keep as long as raw brown rice, and you cannot cook it on the GABA-cycle, so if you do have a pressure cooker, or certainly a good rice cooker, you might want to skip this one and go for the raw (preferably organic) brown rice. Neerob Bazaar offered a good choice here too, from Laxmi brand:

Laxmi raw Brown Basmati Rice

 Basmati rice is always a flaverful choice, and Laxmi is certainly a good brand, however this is not organic rice. For a good organic rice, you need to make the trip to Good 'n Natural, at 2173 White Plains Road. They carry the full line of Lundberg Organic Rice, which is the best rice you can find in America today.

Lundberg Organic California Brown Basmati Rice

Personally, being a household of one, I prefer these 2 lbs packs from Lundberg, or other similar packs, because raw brown rice has limited shelf life.  You can find the best guidance on keeping food on the StillTasty website, and their specific advice for brown rice, here, states clearly that brown rice has a shelf life as follows:

1. In the pantry, in air-tight containers, 3-6 months.
2. In the fridge, 6-12 months
3. In the freezer, 12-18 months

The bottom line is: buy rice according to your usage pattern. Stale rice spoils the fun. Particularly if you're learning how to enjoy food more, which is what happens when you go vegan, the flavor of rice will hit the palate strongly, and life is too short to eat inferior rice.

Aside from this general guidance, there are some interesting rice mixes coming on the market, which are certainly worthwhile if you can find them. In our area you can find some mixed rices in the Lundberg family at Good 'n Natural, but also Chang-Li Market sometimes has interesting options, such as this Healthy Grains Rice from Taiwan, which is mix of raw brown rice, black rice, wheat, pearl barley, millet and buckwheat in a vacuum-sealed 2.6 lb bag:

Healthy Grains Rice Blend at Chang-Li Market

 Other good staple rices are Nishiki brand, which is a regular at Chang-Li, here:

2 Lb packs of Nishiki Brown Rice at Chang-Li Market

Other interesting varieties you can find at Chang-Li are red rice, here:

Red Rice at Chang-Li Market

and black rice - sorry, I forgot to take a picture, but you'll find it in the aisle with Chinese staples. The oriental black rice, also known as forbidden because it once was the reserve of the emperor, is real rice, and it is absolutely delicious. It is very different from American black rice, which you will find in gourmet stores, or in health food stores such as Good 'n Natural, which is a grass variety, and not a proper rice at all. Having said that, it is also delicious, and people often mix about 20% with their rice when they cook it, which adds depth to the flavor of the rice.

Lastly, another interesting rice blend, which I love, is this one:

3-Lb bag of Organic 10 Mixed Grains, from May-Wah on Hester Street, NYC

May-Wah Vegan Market is a good resource to know about for vegetarian or vegan foods, and/or meat alternatives. It is worth a periodic shopping expedition. This particular blend, Organic 10 Mixed Grains, contained Organic Brown Rice, Organic Sweet Brown Rice, Organic Oat Groats, Organic Rye Berry, Organic Barley, Organic Buckwheat Hulled, Organic Millet Hulled, Organic Wehani Rice, Organic Forbidden Rice, Organic Quinoa. It is a delicious alternative to just plain rice.


That's all for this report. Happy rice shopping! And, not to belabor the point, but, there obviously never is a reason to eat white rice in any form, it essentially has very little nutritional value.

Secret Weapons for Vegans: Rice Cookers

For one thing, in going vegan, you'll have a lot more fun cooking than ever before in your life, there's lots to discover, and as per usual, the key to it all is to make your kitchen efficient.

The pattern that has evolved for me is preparing some cold dishes ahead, so they're always ready to grab. That might include Tabouleh, or French Lentil salad, Black Bean Salsa, and usually I make some hummus so I can quickly make crackers with hummus and cucumber (and I like some sprinkles of Tajin or Siracha, or Sambal). Also I always have some quinoa, which I like to add to salads (minimum one a day, and meal size), and brown rice, or other whole grains.

Some of the tools you will find yourself looking for are a salad spinner, a mandolin, and generally sharp knives, plus I like to have a mortar and pestle around for crushing garlic and grinding spices. All these and more add convenience to your life. However, the one instrument that is absolutely indispensable and the key secret weapon for the vegan lifestyle is the rice cooker. And with rice cooker I mean a serious, top of the line automatic rice cooker, which must have a GABA brown rice (GBR) cycle and a timer function. The reason for having GBR is nutrition: GABA brown rice is simply more nutritious because the germination cycle allows Gamma-aminobutyric_acid (GABA) and other nutrients to develop, making it much more nutritious in the same way that various sprouts (beans, broccoli) are so exceptionally healthy. The timer thingy is phenomenal because it makes your life easier than having your own cook (rice cookers are endlessly patient), and you can put on your breakfast at night, to be ready when you wake up, and put on brown rice for dinner after you finish breakfast, so it's ready when your day is done. The extra money for the fancy models is easily worth it.
Here are two of my favorite designs (I am considering primarily the smallest models, for a one person household):

• The ideal might be a rice cooker with Induction Heat and a pressure cooker, but Zojirushi doesn't make one in the smallest size, so my favorite is their NP-GBC05 which has a 3-cup capacity that is great for one person households and small families. I have had this one for years, and I can honestly say that without it, my transition to a fully vegan lifestyle would have been almost unthinkable.
• Another phenomenal option would seem to be the Cuckoo CRP-EHS0309F, which is the same small size (3 cups), and offers generally the same conveniences as the Zojirushi, but it adds the pressure cooker feature, which does save time when you're in a hurry. Admittedly the timer should allow you to always cook ahead, but sometimes you forget, or you have a change of plans, and then saving time does count.

So, there you have it. The one thing to know is that brown rice has a shorter shelf-life than white rice, because it is more "alive." So you do not want to over-buy brown rice, lest you end up eating stale rice all the time. There are plenty of choices at most good supermarkets, and in our neighborhood Chang-Li is my favorite destination for rice, although, when I have a chance, I like to get some mixes like Organic 10 Mixed Grains at MayWah, or any one of the Lundberg varieties. Lundberg is the leader of the pack in terms of quality organic rice varieties and various products. The closest place you can get it in our neighborhood is at Good 'n Natural on White Plains Road by Pelham Parkway, which is one amazing health food store. Other places where you'll find Lundberg rice include Fairway, Whole Foods, and most any healthfood store in town.

Of Cauliflower and Curry Sauce, Black Rice and Roasted Mushrooms

Cauliflower is plentiful just now, and with the many Bangladeshi markets in my area, good curry is not hard to find... not to mention one nearby building is nicknamed (among Bangladeshis) the curry palace, because it has such an overwhelmingly Bangladeshi community. Steamed cauliflower with curry sauce is an old favorite, that I had not made for many years, but with the new vegan regime, I suddenly got interested again.

Black Rice is great stuff, it tastes terrific, and it has high nutritional value. It also makes for an interesting contrast with the white of the cauliflower, and I like this particular combination better than cauliflower with brown rice (white rice of course is a no, no). I cook it in my trusty old Zojirushi rice cooker like brown rice, on the GABA Brown Rice cycle. Black Rice is easy to find in my area. The Chang-Li supermarket usually stocks at least two varieties, a Chinese one, and my favorite from a company named Heartland:

Heartland Products at Chang-Li in the Indian section

From the same company comes also a lovely black quinoa, which I love also. 

According to the Wikipedia article cited above, black rice contains iron, vitamin E, and more antioxidants than Blueberries. What more do you want? But the Wikipedia article continues: Black rice contains essential amino acid like lysine, Tryptophan; vitamins such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2, folic acid; and is a good source of minerals including iron, zinc, calcium and phosphorus. And, like I mentioned above it creates an interesting picture on your plate with the cauliflower.

The Recipe

If you don't have a steamer, Chang-Li has classic bamboo steamers. So, steaming the cauliflower is easy. Rice I usually make ahead for a few days, then comes the critical piece, the curry sauce, based on a recipe from Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-based Cure (page 163). Esselstyn's book is the Bible of the "plant perfect," a.k.a. "no-oil vegan,"  diet. My principal difference with the Esselstyn recipe is that I don't want to be too stingy on the curry, so for his 1-2 teaspoons, I substituted 1-2 tablespoons, and I use heaping tablespoons to boot, but the amount will vary with the type of curry you are using.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1-2 tablespoons white miso
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-2 heaping tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of arrowroot, dissolved in water. (Added last)

Preparation:

1. Blend the rice and water together in a blender, food processor, Nutribullet, Vitamix, etc. to liquify the rice.
2. Add the nutritional yeast, white miso, garlic powder and curry powder, blend together.
3. Bring to a boil over low flame, stirring continuously.
4. Turn off the heat and add the dissolved arrowroot to thicken.

This is the best curry sauce recipe I have ever found, and it makes a nice, thick sauce if you get the arrowroot right.
It could not be easier: pour a liberal helping of this curry sauce on your cauliflower on the plates. Serve with roasted mushrooms (with rosemary), or a Seitan or Kao-Fu stew, or some bean dish to complement the proteins in the rice.

For the record, Arrowroot can always be found at Chang-Li too in the West Indian section, and they also have some excellent organic miso, both white and red.
Around here the nutritional yeast can be found at Good n Natural, at 2173 White Plains Road.

The more I get into this, the more fun I have with all the new recipes.