Onigiri- Japanese rice balls.

I'm so excited about this healthful, flavourful number, all the kids have been literally jumping up and down for more!!! Not too, often i come across a recipe like this i don't have to 'tweak' a little for one reason or another. This one will go on the family favorites list! Even little Miss Lexy enjoyed getting covered in rice!




I stole this recipe from Yumi Stynes, I saw it a while back on Chanel Ten's 'Circle' here is the link:
http://ten.com.au/the-circle-onigiri-japanese-rice-balls.htm

i virtually followed the recipe, i did substitute a couple of things.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup black jasmine rice
1/3 cup black quinoa
1/3 cup red quinoa
1/3 cup white quinoa
1/3 cup brown rice
apple cider vinegar
1 cup short grain white rice (i used arborio- high starch- and all i had)
Nori sheets
Fresh ground salt

Method:

1. Soak all quinoa, black jasmine, brown rice, and a splash of apple cider vinegar overnight. (i actually soaked around 18 hours and got the most gorgeous little sprouts happening, which gave the end product a beautiful look!!)
2. half an hour before cooking throw in the white rice. soak.
3. rinse several times (and then fill the pot's water level to about 1cm above the rices).
4. cook on high, once is boiling like mad, turn it down, and simmer 10 mins.
5. take off heat and let it sit for 10 mins.
6. mould into whatever shape you like (you can purchase the moulds though) but i think we will mould a different shape every time! Fun!
7. salt to taste, cut nori to size and wrap.
8. serve! (tastes good with a bit of soy sauce too)
9. Optional extras / fillings:1/3 cup adzuki or mung beans added to the soak, tinned tuna, umeboshi plums, Japanese daikon pickles.

These are such a great all rounder, i made mine in the morning, as i sent some to school for lunches, they are a great snack, and great side dish/accompaniment to a meal. And they taste and look SO good :) the photos don't do them justice!

Truffles! (home made nutella gone wrong!)

You could hazard a guess here and say I completely wrecked my attempt at home made Nutella!! I wanted to be able to activate the hazelnuts, then process like a nut butter and add a small amount of rapadura and enough carob or cocoa (i used carob here- its sweeter, less bitter)  to make it a little sweeter and chocolaty!! I'm thinking ill attempt it again when i have my dehydrator, as i think the nuts need to be dried out again a little more thoroughly. (my oven is fairly old, and i don't trust it to stay under/around 50 degrees to preserve the enzymes etc etc). Might also get some hazelnut oil to help bind it all together.

Anyhow, i had also soaking from yesterday, some pepitas, sunflower seeds, so i decided to make some truffles!

Ingredients:

• 500g activated hazelnuts
• 200ml-ish water
• 1/2 cup activated pepitas
• 3/4 cup activated sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup rapadura
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup carob powder
• 1/2 ish cup of coconut concentrate (get a good portion of the oil in there)
• 1/4 cup linseeds
• 1/4 cup chia seeds

Method:

1. Process nuts, water and coconut concentrate, just keep adding the coconut until it starts to come together 
2. process pepitas and sunflower seeds, (i only did this separately as my food processor bowl was too small)
3. throw all the ingredients in a bowl,
4. mix well and roll into balls, (if preferred roll in coconut, seeds etc as in above image)
5. enjoy!

Like i said, i think it would be improved by dehydrating the activated nuts etc, and i don't think it is sweet or smooth enough for the hubby. But i know the kids will like it :) Cant wait till they get home from school!!

Store a few in the fridge, and the rest in the freezer! This batch made around 50! (remember i cook for 7!) you could easily adjust these to your own tastes, you could sweeten it further, throw in a bit of vanilla, experiment with the texture, etc etc! Too much goodness in here to list! :) Ill be enjoying one after my run :)

busy busy busy!!

I received my newest order of grains, spices, nuts and seeds today!! yay!

I have been busy! i have soaking for tomorrow:

• hazelnuts
• pepitas
• sunflower seeds (some for baking, some for sprouts)
• chia seeds for sprouting (and I'm going to try grow the plant also)
• black and yellow mustard seeds for sprouting (hubby doesn't like alfalfa, so offering a bit more variety lol)
• and a batch of whole wheat flour for tomorrows bread comparison, i want to compare the following for flavour:
•  small amount of sourdough starter, longer soaking time (12-16hrs)
• more sourdough starter, shorter soak (say 6-8 hours)

So there will be a planting and cooking frenzy tomorrow no doubt!! oh fun!

The perfect oats. Nutritionally, and otherwise.

OK, after many many bad batches of porridge (soaking in acid mediums etc etc) i have decided to exploit the temperature factor we have going for us in QLD, and the time factor by soaking my groats 12-18 hours) this should well and truly make up for the lack of low pH, needed for optimal phytase action. So reduce phytic acid, keep flavour!!

 

• grab some oats groats, soak overnight with a generous handful of rye (grind and add to soak water)
• Rinse off soak liquid and rye flour in the morning.
• Blend (i only blend so i can give it to the younger generations, i prefer the grainy texture) and cook with a fair bit of water
• Serve with whatever the heck you like! This morning we had some organic dried figs, and all spice(the kids had a splash of milk and a dob of honey too), but i find the fig is enough sweetness for me :)

 Best enjoyed with a table full of family :)

The KISS principle :)

Sorry i know this doesn't have much to do with food, but.... i just had to add this!

I think i have found the keys to happiness!!! I'm so freaking happy all the time!! i have to share! :)

Keep things simple!!!

Eat a variety of real foods

Learn stuff, Get creative

Get outside, Get active

Communicate

Love passionately

Stress less!

 Happiness will follow :)

Notice there is no money reference? Money doesn't really mean that much to me and certainly does not equal happiness. In fact i measure my wealth in an entirely different way. I guess it's a perspective thing? For i am rich with love, family delights, friends, memories, plans for the future, and all of life's treasures that one cannot purchase!!

Life really can be simple. Its a choice.

So tell me what makes you happy?

Frustration Stations!!!

Does anyone else get frustrated with the latest "don't eat this, its bad for you" crap? or the new fad supposed to help you lose weight? or perhaps the newest "super foods"......I DO!!!!

Ive just read an article on grains, and why they are so bad!!! coming from a personal trainer, trying to teach people how to lose weight. Now I'm a personal trainer, and i have only ever guided people in their diets, and i never told anyone to completely remove an entire food group from their diets. I never gave 'professional recommendations', or 'prescribed' anything (as she does later in her article)! I'm afraid it is not in my scope of practice!!! I'm so mad! anyhow, the three things she cites (referring to someone else's article, that is now inaccessible) are that 'grains are so bad because of ': 1) Leptin resistance, 2) effects of phytates, and 3)'quite a bit more'.

Interesting. Now I'm no professional, but what i have read, leptin resistance (and obesity) has a whole load more to do with fructose over consumption. Not only that, but these handy little hormones, are said to regulate appetite. They do so by acting as a satiety signal after a high calorific meal. Now please educate me here, but is this where the grain thing comes in? because it is energy dense? so is sugar. and fat. and alcohol. and protein. I think this girl is a twit! Phytates, are easily reduced, and not all bad. and as for the 'quite a bit more' who knows?

Granted there are many people out there who have troubles with grain based foods. I cant touch white bread, it makes for the most incredible stomach pain and two days of bloating, without fail. Not only that it looks disgusting to me!! I would argue that it is not the grain that is bad for you, its the preparation. Does anyone else see the irony in having your white bread with added nutrients?? You are paying for someone to strip your grain of all nutritional quality, then paying another to make it for you. Of course adding in some laboratory manufactured additives to make it 'better for you'. Hmmmm

Don't give me this crap that cows milk will kill you, only eat raw food, grains are bad for you, eat goji berries standing on your head and you will lose 10 kg shit!!. It annoys me when even the people that are trying to help you- are just adding to the myths, and hype, and misinformation out there.

i guess common sense isn't so common any more!! Rant over!

veggie patch #3

I really have created a monster here! The more i learn, the more i want to learn! the more i do, the more i want to do!! Hubby and i have been working on a new veggie patch, we had a tree taken out a few weeks back, and it has opened up a lot more usable space in the yard!! though the roots left behind have been a bit of a challenge! So i guess we are only early days, I'm working on improving the soil, as one end is very hydrophobic, and nutrient replacement and generally needs a lot of work! and the other end is where the tree came out, so I'm working here on boosting nutrient content, and root removal. (excellent exercise ill add!!)

The beginning

Setting the stage and soil improvement. 

Ill give hubby the credit for the awesome border to the patch, but the digging....that's all me!! lol

I'm also learning how to extract the seeds from the foods we love, and be able to germinate those seeds. some just need to dry out, others you need to sprout in water, and others need to go mouldy!! amazing!did you know that the tomato seeds, need mould to remove the gel type stuff that encases the seed, in order for them to be able to germinate! wow, i love that stuff! As you can tell, i have been a bit of a cheater (or time saver lol) and bought seedlings, and/ or seeds. Well no more of that!!. We have been getting a lot of seeds just from the foods we eat. The ones we can't, we will buy, but only the once!!



I'm so excited! It is another step, to our goal of self sufficiency! :) Growing food is awesome! I also love to share that amazing time with my family! :) Happy times :)