Recipe – Rice Croquettes

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup bread crumbs or Grape Nuts

3/4 cup cashew or soy milk

4 T. chopped onion

1 cup chopped nuts

1/2 t. sea salt

Combine milk, onion which has been simmered slightly in water and sea salt and pour over the bread crumbs or Grape Nuts and let stand for about 10 minutes. Then add the rice. Form into croquettes, and place on a cookie sheet or baking dish and bake about 45 minutes at 350º.

Recipe – Anita’s Rice

1 cup unpolished brown rice

1 cup coconut milk (fresh recommended)

2 medium diced onions

2 medium diced tomatoes

1 bulb garlic

1 ½ inch piece small ginger

1 ½ tsp. salt

Bay leaves, cardamom, optional

inch turmeric and cayenne pepper-optional

Small bunch of cilantro

Small bunch of mint

½ cup olive oil or water

Saute` onions, bay leaves and cardamom in olive oil or water on medium heat. Once pinkish in color, add a little turmeric and cayenne pepper. Also add finely ground ginger and garlic paste. Keep stirring over low heat till all the ingredients are nicely cooked. Then add tomatoes with the salt, finely chopped mint and cilantro. Transfer this mixture to rice, coconut milk, and ½ cup warm water and put into a rice cooker. Cook well and serve hot with gravy, or vegetable or pea curry.

Food For Life — Impurities

“Scrupulous cleanliness is essential to both physical and mental health.” Impurities are constantly thrown off from the body through the skin. Its millions of pores are quickly clogged unless kept clean by frequent bathing, and the impurities which should pass off through the skin become an additional burden to the other eliminating organs.

“Most persons would receive benefit from a cool or tepid bath every day, morning or evening. Instead of increasing the liability to take cold, a bath, properly taken, fortifies against cold, because it improves the circulation; the blood is brought to the surface, and a more easy and regular flow is obtained. The mind and the body are alike invigorated. The muscles become more flexible, the intellect is made brighter. The bath is a soother of the nerves. Bathing helps the bowels, the stomach, and the liver, giving health and energy to each, and it promotes digestion.

“It is important also that the clothing be kept clean. The garments worn absorb the waste matter that passes off through the pores; if they are not frequently changed and washed, the impurities will be reabsorbed.

“Every form of uncleanliness tends to disease. Death-producing germs abound in dark, neglected corners, in decaying refuse, in dampness and mold and must. No waste vegetables or heaps of fallen leaves should be allowed to remain near the house to decay and poison the air. Nothing unclean or decaying should be tolerated within the home. In towns or cities regarded perfectly healthful, many an epidemic of fever has been traced to decaying matter about the dwelling of some careless householder.

Perfect cleanliness, plenty of sunlight, careful attention to sanitation in every detail of the home life, are essential to freedom from disease and to the cheerfulness and vigor of the inmates of the home.

“In the teaching that God gave to Israel, the preservation of health received careful attention. The people who had come from slavery with the uncleanly and unhealthful habits which it engenders, were subjected to the strictest training in the wilderness before entering Canaan. Health principles were taught and sanitary laws enforced.

“Not only in their religious service, but in all the affairs of daily life was observed the distinction between clean and unclean. All who came in contact with contagious or contaminating diseases were isolated from the encampment, and they were not permitted to return without thorough cleansing of both the person and the clothing . . . No impurity was to be tolerated in the presence of God.” Ministry of Healing, 274–279.

Give this some serious thought as you enter the house of God each week to worship your Great Creator, and make sure that you meet His requirements physically as well as spiritually!


Nut, Lentil and Rice Loaf

 

1–2 T. water

2 cups steamed brown rice

1 cup mashed lentils

2 T. chopped onions

1 T. whole-wheat flour, browned

3 T. cashew milk

1/2 t. sage

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Salt to taste

 

Sauté onion and sage in a small pan with distilled water. Mix browned flour and milk, stirring until smooth. Add this to the onion. Add the remaining ingredients. Pack into a loaf pan and bake at 350° for 20–30 minutes.

 

Health – Grains

Wheat and other grains are widely used to make bread, pancakes, soups, etc., but not many know that there are also medicinal uses for these grains.

Barley flour made into a poultice can be used for the treatment of inflamed skin. A nutritive and demulcent (soothing for irritated mucous membranes) drink is made from barley by making a mixture of one part barley to 10 parts water, boil for 20 minutes and then strain. This can be used on feverish patients and where there is inflammation and mucous in the respiratory and urinary organs. The drink is soothing to the stomach and intestines and can be very effective in helping long-standing constipation. It acts as a general nerve tonic bringing back vitality to a weakened system making one feel more cheerful. It is useful in cases of diarrhea, pulmonary disease, inflammation of kidneys, liver disease, and mineral deficiency. Barley water can be diluted with milk to prevent the formation of hard masses of curd in the stomach of young infants. Another way to make a drink is to boil 2 ounces of barley in four pints of water until reduced to two pints; then add lemon juice or licorice root or raisins for flavoring ten minutes before taking off the stove.

As a tonic, barley water can be drunk regularly.

Oats may be made into a drink by boiling an ounce of the grain to a quart of water for half an hour. This drink can be taken where a laxative is needed or used for a diuretic. A nourishing broth for nursing infants may be made by mixing equal parts of oats, wheat and barley; grind the mixture and add four tablespoonfuls of the flour to one and a half quarts of water and boil until reduced to one quart; then strain and sweeten and give daily. Oats are considered helpful in cases of uremic poisoning and diabetes and to help where there is a thyroid deficiency. The oat drink or gruel is good in cases of fever and has been used in cases of poisoning from acid substances. The drink will usually be accepted by patients of weak digestion when other foods are rejected. It is considered to be good to restore the nervous system and as a tonic after debilitating sicknesses. It seems to aid the heart muscles and the urinary organs. It is recommended as an all-around drink for the sick, weak and healthy. Oatmeal or rolled oats is good for regulating normal and healthful blood sugar in the early morning hours. Oats are one of our few food sources used for obtaining iodine.

Brown rice, which contains an easily digested starch, is beneficial for stomach or intestinal ulcers and for the relief of diarrhea. A poultice of rice flour can be used to relieve skin inflammations of various kinds. We have seen serious cases of diarrhea respond most effectively to rice water made by boiling one ounce of rice to one quart of water for 20 minutes, straining and drinking. This drink is also used in cases of congestion, acute head pain, nausea, fainting, difficult breathing, stomach cramps, colic, worms and as a sedative.

Rye is recommended for individuals engaged in sedentary activities. It is believed to combat arteriosclerosis, and high blood pressure. Boiling three ounces of rye to a quart of water for 20 minutes produces a refreshing, soothing and mildly laxative solution.

Millet is an easily digested food good for constipation and beneficial for weight gain and general emaciation. It is considered good where mental or physical weakness exists and also for pregnancy.

Corn is considered good in cases of emaciation, anemia, constipation and as an overall body building food. The balance of unsaturated versus saturated fatty acids in corn oil helps lower the blood lipid levels. The suggested dose of corn oil is two tablespoons taken upon arising and before the evening meal for a few weeks or months. Some Indians would steep corn in lye to be used as an intestinal anti-spasmodic. Blue corn meal mush was applied hourly to bullet wounds. Others have used a corn meal poultice for skin ulcers, swellings and rheumatic pains. A cup of parched corn to two quarts of water lightly boiled for 20 minutes, then strained and drunk has been found useful in cases of nausea and vomiting in many diseases. Cornmeal gruel is excellent for convalescents. Cornbread is thought to be of benefit for those suffering from kidney or liver diseases.

Wheat has been recommended in cases of arthritis, rheumatic fever, and in some types of cancer, pulmonary disease including tuberculosis, anemia, and physical and emotional weakness. It is felt that the vitamin D in wheat helps in rickets and other vitamin D diseases. One recipe for a good heart remedy is to soak a half of a cup of coarse ground wheat in a thermos of hot water overnight. Eat this each morning for three months.

We can make a mild grain drink as indicated above with any of the grains by lightly roasting the grain; then gently boil one cup of the grain to two quarts of water for about 20 minutes, strain and add honey and a little cream or milk.

Another way to make a mild grain drink is to soak one cup of seed in two cups of water for 16 hours (24 hours in colder weather). Strain off the water and let the soak water ferment in a warm place for another 36 to 72 hours. It is then ready to drink. Another method is to soak the grain for two or three days after which the soak water may be drunk and then refill the container with water for another soak with the grain. After each drink refill the container; this can be repeated for up to two weeks. This mild grain drink should taste somewhat like whey. The best soaking temperature seems to be between 68 degrees and 77 degrees F. The drink is rich in protein, carbohydrates, dextrines, saccharine, phosphate, lactobacilli, saccharomyces, and Aspergillus oryzae. Many find this drink beneficial to the digestion. It is nonalcoholic and rich in B vitamins. It has been observed that acidophilus bacilli or lactobacilli create an acid medium in the intestine, destroying any unfriendly, disease-producing putrefactive bacteria. Many who use this drink feel that this enzyme-rich drink has helped them with minor to the most serious health problems. Likewise the regular drinking of the roasted grain drink has produced in others a feeling of well-being and vitality.

Excerpts from School of Natural Health

Recipe – Wild Rice Salad

3 cups water

2 cups uncooked wild rice

2 cups finely chopped dried apricots

2 cups dried cherries

1 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 ½ tsp. salt

 

In a large saucepan, bring water and rice to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until rice is tender. Drain if necessary. Transfer to a large bowl; cool completely. Meanwhile, place apricots in a small bowl; cover with boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes; drain. Stir the apricots, cherries, and walnuts into rice. In small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and salt, Pour over rice mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Recipe – Almond Brown Rice Stuffing

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 Tbpn margarine

1/2 tsp. chicken style seasoning

1 medium tart red apple, cored and diced

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cups cooked brown rice

Cook almonds in margarine in large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown. Add apple, onion, celery, chicken style seasoning, and thyme; continue to cook until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir in rice; cook until thoroughly heated. Bake in tightly covered baking dish at 350 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Serves 6.

Food – Rice is Life

Remember when rice choices in most stores were pretty slim—brown or white, short grain or long? Today, bags of Arborio and boxes of basmati are offered alongside these basics, and jasmine rice is no longer relegated to Chinese take-out.

A grain belonging to the grass family, rice is life for billions of people. It is related to other grass plants such as wheat, oats and barley that produce grain for food and are known as cereals. Throughout history rice has been one of man’s most important foods. As a cereal grain, it is deeply embedded in the cultural heritage of the societies for more than half of the world’s population, especially in East and South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies. It is the most rapidly growing source of food in Africa, and is of significant importance to food security in an increasing number of low-income food-deficit countries.

Tolerant to desert, hot, humid, flooded, dry and cool conditions, rice will grow in saline, alkaline and acidic soils. It is the grain with the second-highest worldwide production, after maize (corn). About four-fifths of the world’s rice is produced by small-scale farmers and is consumed locally. Rice cultivation is the principal activity and source of income for about 100 million households in Asia and Africa.

Rice is the most important grain with regard to human nutrition and caloric intake, providing more than one-fifth of the calories consumed worldwide. A great source of complex carbohydrates, rice is healthful for what it does not contain. Rice has no fat, no cholesterol, and is gluten and sodium free. A good source of vitamins and minerals such as thiamine, niacin, iron, riboflavin, vitamin D, calcium, and fiber, rice also contains resistant starch, which is the starch that reaches the bowel undigested. This encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria, keeping the bowel healthy. It is also a fair source of protein, containing eight essential amino acids. Rice contains no additives or preservatives, making it an excellent inclusion in a healthy and balanced diet.

The increased selection of rice opens up a world of recipe possibilities. With the right rice, you don’t need a mile-long ingredients list to make dishes with international flair. Following is a quick guide to some of the choices you’ll find on boxes and bags of rice:

Arborio – This Italian short-grain rice is used for risotto because its high starch content makes it creamy and thick when cooked.

Basmati – Fragrant, fluffy, and light, this rice, grown in the Himalayan foothills, is standard in Indian recipes and pilafs.

Brown – Unlike white rice that is “polished” to remove the bran coating, nutty-flavored brown rice is a whole grain that’s high in fiber.

Jasmine – This long-grain Thai variety rice has a light, slightly floral flavor and aroma.

Sushi – This sweet, sticky short-grain rice is also great in desserts and risottos.

Beginning your meal with rice opens your plate up to better eating. That’s because rice attracts colorful vegetables, savory spices, and leaner protein entrees. Rice also leads to eating a wide variety of ethnic cuisines and, since everyone loves it, more family time at the dinner table.

RECIPE

Almond Brown Rice Stuffing

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 Tbpn margarine

1/2 tsp. chicken style seasoning

1 medium tart red apple, cored and diced

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cups cooked brown rice

Cook almonds in margarine in large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown. Add apple, onion, celery, chicken style seasoning, and thyme; continue to cook until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir in rice; cook until thoroughly heated. Bake in tightly covered baking dish at 350 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Serves 6.

Health – What About Wild Rice?

Here are some interesting facts about wild rice from the site Vegetarians in Paradise.

Contrary to what many people believe, wild rice is not rice at all but a grass. …

The Algonquin, Ojibwa, Dakota, Winnebago, Sioux, Fox, and Chippewa tribes used wild rice as an important staple in their diets. … The grain was so valuable to subsistence that tribes sometimes waged wars over wild rice territories. The Chippewa even carried small pouches of wild rice with them whenever they traveled. …

The Chinese favor these plants not for their cereal grains, but for their broad leaves and young shoots that they incorporate into their cuisine. The leaves are used to wrap dumplings, while the shoots are cooked and eaten like asparagus.

Traditional Harvesting

In times past, the annual harvesting of wild rice began a month before actually reaping the rice with great ceremony among the many tribes that would gather at their chosen harvesting lakes. The flavor and color of wild rice varied considerably from region to region among the lakes because of varying soil conditions, water organisms, and the changing environment. Since the Indian tribes knew the area well, it could be said they were staking out their favorite spots.

In late August and September of each year, during the period known as “rice moon,” their celebrations resembled a lively country fair. When the time “was right,” the ricing chief would declare the proper day for harvesting. Then pairs of Indian women slowly roamed the grassy lakes in their birch bark canoes. One would take her place at the front of the boat and paddle with a long pole; the other used two long cedar or juniper sticks to bend the tall grass-heads and gently shake the seeds of the pale-green stalks into the bottom of the boat. A canoe-full of wild rice was considered a good harvest day.

Some of the grains would fall back into the water and become the seeds for next year’s crop. Since the seed kernels do not all ripen at the same time, the women made numerous trips at intervals of four to six days to harvest the seeds that continue to mature. Minus the pre-harvesting ceremony, this three-centuries-old gathering method is still used today, which explains why this wild-crafted grain tends to be a pricey luxury. Some have even referred to truly wild rice as the “caviar of grains.” Today, the men of the tribe share the harvesting task. …

In former times to loosen the hulls of the wild rice, the young children would dance on the grains that were placed in a shallow pit lined with deerskin. The rice would then be strained through blankets to separate the chaff from the kernels. Today, the wild rice is put into bags and hand-pounded with clubs to loosen the hulls. The women then winnow the grains by lifting their filled birch-bark trays and tossing the seeds into the air, allowing the winds to carry off the hulls.

Today, the wild rice is winnowed on the reservations in large 30-gallon drums with paddles inside that loosen the hulls as the drums are turned. …

Nutritional Benefits

Wild rice towers over other grains when it comes to amounts of protein, minerals, B vitamins, folic acid, and carbohydrates. While the protein content of 1/2 cup of cooked wild rice measures 3.3 grams, that same quantity of long grain brown rice contains only 2 grams. The bonus is that the wild rice, though high in carbohydrates at 17.5 grams, has only 83 calories for 1/2 cup cooked.

Using the same 1/2 cup measurement of cooked grains, the folic acid content soars over brown rice with 21.3 mcg for wild rice and 3.9 mcg for brown rice. According to the University of California Berkeley Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition, 1/2 cup dry wild rice provides 95 mcg or 48% of the RDA (200 mcg) of folacin for men and 53% for women.

The niacin content of wild rice is also a stand-out figure, with 1.06 mg for 1/2 cup cooked. Potassium packs an 83 mg punch, and zinc, which is usually available in trace amounts, registers 1.1 mg.

While 1/2 cup cooked wild rice offers 1.5 grams of fiber, it contains 26 mg of magnesium, a healthy balance of B vitamins and only .3 grams of unsaturated fat. Small amounts of calcium and iron are also part of the wild rice picture. …

Cooking

Wild rice should be rinsed before cooking to remove any unwanted particles, such as hulls or storage debris. Put the grains into a saucepan with warm water to cover, and stir the rice around to allow any particles to float to the top. Skim off the particles and drain the water. It’s best to repeat the rinsing one more time before cooking.

As a general rule established proportions for cultivated wild rice use 1 cup of dry wild rice to 3 cups of water, with salt to taste. We suggest 1 teaspoon of salt. Combine these in a 2 or 3-quart saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to medium low, and steam for 45 minutes to 1 hour. When fully cooked, the grains open to reveal their purplish-grey inner portion, giving each grain a striking two-tone appearance. This quantity will yield about 3 to 4 cups of cooked grains, depending on variety.

Wild-crafted wild rice proportions use 1 cup of grain to 2 cups of water with a cooking time of 45 minutes. … www.vegparadise.com/highestperch311.html

Try some wild rice. Make it into a salad with chopped, diced, and shredded fresh vegetables including cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, scallions, bell peppers, carrots, and cabbage. Add a few chopped raw nuts of your choice, and season with a hint of fresh minced sage, oregano and lemon juice. You can also grind it into flour and use approximately 25% of the flour in batters for muffins, pancakes, and breads. You’ll enjoy the extraordinary richness of flavor.