I am not Irish. But who doesn't love an excuse to throw a party with great friends, good food and Guinness? This year was a last minute one... we'd planned on a simple family dinner, and purchased a small-ish corned beef roast from Whole Foods (not thrifty) the day before. After reading up on the preservative 'saltpeter' or sodium nitrate - which is added to normal corned beef - (finding that it is also used in explosives) - I had planned to try and cure my own. There is a salt brine that I had read about - (see here) - but I was not going to have time to cure it for a week... so the spendier Whole Foods one was our next best bet.

Sunday morning - last minute, we had extra friends who wanted to join. We didn't have time to go up to WF again... so we decided to break down and buy some nitrate-filled roasts to cook, too. We'd feed the natural beef roast to the kids (spare their pure little bodies of the chemical) and take one for the team. It was fun to compare and contrast the flavors of the natural vs. the nitrate-filled meat. I was worried that the natural one would pale in comparison - but it was great! (though I did add some more pickling spice, allspice & garlic to the cooking water to make sure it was flavorful enough). Corned beef takes 5-6 hours to cook, so we started them in the morning with the carrots and potatoes in the pot. Then, I like to add the chunks of cabbage at the last minute so they don't get too soggy. A lovely plate of corned beef & vegetables served up with a selection of mustards, a big green salad and a tall glass of Guinness = St. Patty's Heaven.

What I wanted to quickly share today, though - was a recipe to use up the leftovers! We usually never have much meat left... but I always have lots of cooked potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Since they've been simmered in water to cook, they are a bit too soft to fry up in a pan - and in year's past - they hadn't been a favorite leftover.

I had planned to make a potato and leek soup sometime that week - but had used up all of my potatoes for the Corned Beef & Cabbage the night before.

We were gifted a BlendTec blender by some dear friends that same night of the party (insert angels singing the hallelujah chorus here!!) so I was excited to put it to use. I simply took my cold, cooked leftovers: potatoes, carrots, cabbage - and pureed them quickly in my new toy! A new soup emerged:

Leek, Butternut & St. Patty's Day Leftover Soup!

3 large leeks - washed & sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic
fresh and/or dried herbs (I used fresh marjoram & dried herbs de provence), chili flakes, s&p
8-10 cups chicken stock
1 whole butternut squash - peeled & cubed
a splash of our favorite hot sauce for added 'umami'

I started the soup by slicing 3 large leeks and a generous amount of garlic and sauteeing with a combo of fresh and dried herbs, salt & pepper. After about 10 minutes, I added my frozen chicken stock (previously made) - and a whole butternut squash - (peeled & chopped into small chunks). After the chicken stock melted in the pot of leeks & squash, I added the pureed St. Patty's leftovers. I let it simmer on the stove for a few hours and then tasted. It needed a bit more salt - and (what my favorite cooking show calls 'umami' - it's that added flavor component that can kick up a dish's appeal) ... so I added a splash of Pepper Plant. The soup was creamy & flavorful - and it was a fun way to use up some soggy leftovers.

So ... next year I will plan better - take a try at curing my own corned beef - and invite a heap of friends... it will be fun having an easy go-to soup to make the next day, as well!

Let's talk about rice. I remember being baffled when I realized that white rice was a stripped form of the whole grain (it's naturally brown). No, I thought... isn't white rice just a different type of grain? Silly me. Nope - it's similar to white flour (in that the fibrous, outer bran and germ have been removed.) I then, assumed that white rice was unhealthy. With more research, I am now convinced that it's not necessarily true. The fact is - whole grains (as well as nuts, seeds, beans) need extra care, you can read more here and here. Ancient cultures always soaked, fermented and sometimes sprouted their whole grains. It is essential to soak these types of foods overnight (preferably with a small amount of whey or unfiltered apple cider vinegar ) in order to eliminate the phytic acid content. Phytic acid prevents your body from digesting your food - which can have serious consequences in leaving you vitamin and mineral deficient - as well as causing digestive issues. People who eat large amounts of cereals and commercial bread are asking for dietary trouble.

From the Westin A. Price foundation: (side note: W.A.P. was a dentist who traveled the world in search of the healthiest teeth & people groups. His discoveries were incredible - there were many indigenous peoples who were in fabulous health - eating traditionally prepared (fermented foods, veg, meat products) as soon as these people groups introduced processed grains & sugar into their diets - their dental and overall health began to decline: OK, sorry...here's what they say about grains:

"Phytic acid in grains, nuts, seeds and beans represents a serious problem in our diets. This problem exists because we have lost touch with our ancestral heritage of food preparation."

"Through observation I have witnessed the powerful anti-nutritional effects of a diet high in phytate-rich grains on my family members, with many health problems as a result, including tooth decay, nutrient deficiencies, lack of appetite and digestive problems.

The presence of phytic acid in so many enjoyable foods we regularly consume makes it imperative that we know how to prepare these foods to neutralize phytic acid content as much as possible, and also to consume them in the context of a diet containing factors that mitigate the harmful effects of phytic acid."

To sum up:

Eating whole grains regularly (like brown rice, whole wheat) without soaking first... can actually be worse for you than eating occasional white rice or white flour!

To get the benefit from the vitamins, minerals and the fiber - soak your brown rice overnight in warm water with a few teaspoons of: apple cider vinegar, whey or lemon juice. Before cooking, rinse and cook (for best nutrition - add butter and fresh stock).

Also ... the healthiest bread you can eat is whole grain sourdough. It contains the vitamins, minerals and fiber - but it has been soaked/fermented in the souring process.

Back to rice. White rice (and white flour) are pure starch - and nearly completely devoid of vitamins or minerals. Although Asian cultures eat a lot of white rice, they ingest incredible amounts of seaweed and fish - both extremely high in vitamins, minerals & healthy fats. Makes sense that there is a healthy balance here.

ONE LAST RICE TIP...

I have found that following the recipe on the bag of rice ALWAYS produces soggy, pasty overcooked rice. Are you ever disappointed with your rice coming out too wet or sticky? I have found that reducing the amount of water by about 20% does the trick. I end up with fluffy - perfectly al dente (can't help it, I'm Italian) rice. For example... for my soaked brown rice - I cook 1 cup with only 1 1/2 cups liquid. Also - I always sautee some fresh chopped garlic in the pot first, then add the rice, and the liquid. If cooking in water - always be generous with the salt. (Sea salt adds wonderful minerals).

After considering these things - if I don't plan ahead (don't have any rice already soaked) I will cook white rice. It's kind of a treat to us! I believe in consuming as many beneficial 'superfoods' as possible (kale, seaweed snacks, chia & flax seeds, fresh vegetable juice, nuts & seeds, home made sauerkraut & fermented veggies, kefir & kombucha) so - eating some white rice now and then doesn't hurt. In fact - it hurts LESS than cooking brown rice without soaking!

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Wow. That could have been a post in itself - but I started out wanting to share a simple & thrifty recipe that turned out delicious the other night.

Mediterranean Rice Bowls

I was out of meat for the week (we are buying less of it now that we've chosen to only purchase local, 'happy' meat) so I had to be creative. I have been cooking a large pots of beans (2 lbs. at a time) for awhile now.

I soak them (with some acidic medium - whey or vinegar added - I use my leftover sauerkraut brine) overnight - then rinse and cook in salted water (and a clove or two of garlic) until tender. Since I make a lot - I freeze the leftovers in small batches so that I always have properly soaked & prepared beans on hand! This thrifty tip saves time & money. Canned beans are not soaked (bad for digestion) and cost much more... so why not give it a try?

Back to the Mediterranean Bowls...

I grabbed all of the fresh veg I had in the fridge:

1 random yam

4 or 5 carrots

2 whole onions

3 or 4 scallion (green onions)

1 or 2 red bell peppers

3 or 4 zucchini

Chopped all of these into similar sized chunks.

Frozen, cooked garbanzo beans (thawed in warm water)

Seasoning:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling

cumin (for the mediterranean flair), paprika, salt & pepper

Italian Parsley & scallions - chopped - for garnish

Lemon wedge & chili flakes to top

I threw all of the lovely colorful veggies into the roasting pan (color=healthy!) except for the zucchini and garbanzo beans. I roasted the harder veg for about 30 minutes at 425 (I think? or was it 400...) once the carrots and yams were nearly done, I added the zucchini and garbanzos and switched to broil. I took them out once the zucchini was getting crispy.

A scoop of rice, topped with the roasted colorful mix - sprinkled some parsley & scallion and generously drizzled on some Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Sprinkled with salt, added a squeeze of lemon and some chili flakes (for the adults). For not being sure what I was going to make that night... I was reminded how wonderfully healthy & thrifty we can eat - by substituting healthy legume protein instead of meat.