The Hemp Connection:
brown rice

1 cup brown rice cooked
1 and 1/2 cup spinach
handful of basil
l1-2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 Tbsp flax seed oil
1/3-1/2 cup water
chop garlic. Place all ingredients except for the rice in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over 2 cups of rice and mis until evenly spread on the rice

I'm sharing with you a link to an FAQ about brown rice and arsenic, located on the Growing Naturals website.

To clarify our relationship with Growing Naturals, they have sponsored one of our events, and I am a Growing Naturals Guru, meaning from time to time I am asked to respond to nutrition issues that may come up at corporate headquarters.

In this case, it was ME who actually contacted THEM, as I wanted to know what to tell the many people we have encouraged to try their product. This statement was prepared independently of inCYST. I simply wanted reassurance myself, and to be able to provide reassurance to our fans, that we did not steer them toward a dangerous product.

I was not compensated in any way for posting this link.

Please ask any questions you have to feel confident about using Growing Naturals products.

Last Saturday an inCYST student from California was in Phoenix and we spent the morning together. We ended our visit at Costco, and it turned out to be the day they were passing out the free annual Costco cookbook. Was that ever a lucky moment! (I made a note on my calendar to send out the 2009 alert in advance so all of you can get yours, too. I did check and saw tons of them on eBay if you can't wait another year.)

Costco cookbooks are some the most awesome cookbooks available. The recipes aren't hard, and the food photography is so beautiful it makes you want to make and eat every recipe…right now!

I distracted myself from the disappointing outcome of the Bears/Vikings game on Sunday (sorry, Vikings fans!) with my annual ritual of going through the cookbook page by page, and listing all the recipes to try in the coming year. I'll be sharing some of them with you, since they are so tasty.

Today it's Breakfast Risotto made with brown rice. I recently said I would be highlighting foods high in magnesium, and my progesterone series got me side tracked. Brown rice brings me back! In addition to being a good source of magnesium, brown rice is a decent source of tryptophan (which is needed to make serotonin).

It is also a good source of manganese, which is important for healthy nervous system function, the production of sex hormones, and antioxidant activity.

The Phoenix inCYST students all decided it was a breakfast they'd definitely eat, which is perfect, since people tend to complain about not liking breakfast. This one fits with what I always say, you don't have to eat breakfast food at breakfast time! Plus, brown rice is a carbohydrate that can be perfectly fine in your diet if eaten in moderation. Can you see by the photo what I mean about wanting to make things right away?

Breakfast Risotto
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup instant brown rice
1 8 ounce can unsweetened pineapple tidbits, drained and liquid reserved
1 12 ounce can undiluted evaporated skim milk
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup sliced roasted almonds
1 medium banana, peeled and diced

Combine water, rice and pineapple liquid in a 2 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, sirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, 7-8 minutes.

Stir in milk and increase heat to high. When the mixture boils, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the milk has been absorbed and the mixture is soft and creamy, 10-12 minutes.

Stir in pineapple, raisins, coconut, almonds, and banana.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Cooking in Style the Costco Way

Enjoy!