Quick and Healthy: Fried Rice

Since I'm asking you to share a favorite easy recipe, I thought I'd share one of mine. Actually it's not mine though, so I'm going to refer you back to where I got this yummy recipe:

http://accidentalvegetarian.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-do-really-good-fried-rice.html

I'm not at all a vegetarian, but I'm thankful to the "Accidental Vegetarian" for sharing her recipe! My only tweaks to the recipe are that I sprout my rice with vinegar. And I leave out the saffron (a bit to pricey) and sorry, but I've yet to find the ginger paste, so I do just use the ginger powder--don't recommend it, but that's what I actually do and it's still super yummy!

Looking forward to posting our first contest entry recipe, so send in your best!

Quick Whole Foods Recipe Contest!

It's a juggling act to balance whole foods cooking with time and modern life! So, give me your best recipe. It has to meet my standards of cooking (or only be cheat a little) and be easy. 15 minutes would be great, but longer will do especially when the cook is just waiting on something in the oven. :)

Right now my family does things like hot dogs (organic beef ones) when we don't have a meal ready, but those are neither cheap nor that healthy. :) So, give me your best recipe. It does not have to be a main dish, but does need to be something simple to help when there is "nothing to eat". I'm probably a little prejudice toward main dishes though. And whatever my family likes best will win.

I will summarize my health standards so you don't have to read ALL my old posts before entering:

-Grains, beans, rice, and nuts should (mostly) be sprouted or soaked for full nutrition.

-Fermented products are good (around our house we often have kefir and fermented salsa--recipe is on here)

-No artificial products, canned products, soy (except fermented soy and small quantities of non-GMO products), pork, or shellfish. 

-Must be something you've made before and have clear instructions (so when I make it--it works and taste good!) 

-I only use quality whole food, so milk is raw milk, oil is olive oil or coconut oil (not canola or vegetable oil), salt is Real Salt etc. You do not have to spell all that out if you don't want to. 

-While I think organ meat is fantastic for your body, we can only handle it when it's really well hidden in food. 

-We use homemade bone broth and do usually have some of this on hand. 

(A hint: the judge's family doesn't eat much fish. :) )

 Prize will be awarded only if there are at least 15 entries! Prize will be a $5 gift credit to Amazon.Not huge, but I don't really make money off this blog (probably should work on that, but I'm too busy homeschooling and trying to cook from scratch and just don't have time to care!) If I have a lot of entries I MAY award 2 prizes instead of one, especially if I can't make up my mind.

 Deadline for entry is June 5th.  Recipes should be submitted to the e-mail address in the about me section on the left side of the page. Submission indicates permission to post the recipe on this blog. Please include a name to post with your recipe (can be a screen name, first name, or whatever). Also feel free to include your blog or website if you want that listed. Up to 3 recipes per person allowed.

 Feel free to send a photo (that is a reasonably sized file) to go with your recipe to entice me to try it. I don't promise to try every recipe--only those that sound good (otherwise it would be months before I could decide!) AND you are also welcome to have your friends comment on the recipe if they try and want to say how great it is! :) Again, prize will be award to my favorite recipe, so no promises to be "fair". That's about it.

Can't wait to see your recipes! Please do me a favor and share this with all your healthy friends. The more people that enter, the more recipes we all get to try!

If you don't have a recipe, look here for how you can still enter to win:  http://lymeadehealth.blogspot.com/2012/05/another-way-to-win.html

A contest is in the works

Just wanted to give you a heads up on what I'm planning....I'm on the lookout for "convenience whole food". Who can keep a standard of practically perfect food in our fast-paced world? So, sometimes we eat healthy and sometime we just eat! Not "fast food", but not as healthy what we wish we could eat. But I'm trying to work on more foods that meet my standards that are easy. So, I'll be giving a prize to my favorite quick and healthy recipe. And of course I'll be sharing all the delicious recipes with you!

So, start looking for your healthy recipes and I'll post more info next week.

Update on my health--A Miracle!

It's been ages since I invested much time here. I've got a great reason too! 2 1/2 years ago I was miraculously healed from Lyme disease at a church prayer meeting. I've yet to be able to get my story down on paper (or should I say a computer screen!), b/c it's very personal and there is so much I want to tell. But the short version is I was healed and so I don't sit around at my computer near as much! In all honest, I'm still building back to full strength from the years I got "old" too early, but I'm just a little out of shape, not sick! God mercifully freed me from bondage and has set me on the path of restoration. He deserves the glory.

One day, I plan to tell you the whole story--something I've meant to do for years! And share with you some of our updated health practices. But for today, this is a start. :)

Soaked Grain Bread Recipe

This is my whole food, freshly ground, soaked grain bread. It's as healthy as Ezekiel bread, but much yummier! I use a grain mill and a Bosch mixer, so my flour measures a bit different and I don't need to let it rise twice. If you try it, tell me what you think!

Lymeade Lady Bread

12 (to 13) c. freshly ground whole wheat or whole Kamut flour

 ¼ c. apple cider vinegar
3 ½ c. water

Add liquid gradually to flour. Mix in Bosch on low speed and leave to soak for 12-24 hours. Cover with plastic wrap on dough to keep moist.

Add:

7 ½ TBL ex. virgin coconut oil (4 TBL= ¼ cup)
7 ½ TBL honey
2 egg
1 TBL salt
3 ¾ TBL yeast

Mix on low speed until moistened (break into pieces with hand if needed). Then knead on medium speed (3) for 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic ball. If it is too liquid-y, gradually add more flour. Grease pans while waiting.

Shape loaves and/or other breads (approximately 6 loaves)***. Don't let dough dry out--keep covered. Let rise in greased loaf pans for 30 minutes or until doubled. For the fluffiest loaves, be sure to let it rise enough in the pans before baking.

Do the Touch Test:
1. Press the dough on the side with the tips of two fingers lightly and quickly about 1/2 inch into the dough, and;
2. If the impression you made stays, the dough has doubled. If the indent quickly disappears, it needs a little more time; cover and let rise longer.
Don't over rise; or it will flatten out in the oven. You want just the right point where it has risen all it can or should, but not too much.

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from pans and cool loaves on their sides on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

**Dough can be made into various types of bread. Here’s what I often do: Shape 3 portions of dough into loaves (filling a bit less than half the bread pan).

Shape another portion of dough into a ball and press down to make a pizza crust. Work from inside to outside, leaving a thicker edge as a crust. While waiting prepare sauce, cheese, and toppings. Cook about 12 min without preheating or 9-10 with preheating. Crust should be cooked, but not brown. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings and cook another 10-15 min. until crust is brown.

Use remaining dough to make a small stuffed crust pizza. First I make crust and cook 10-15 min. Then, I put on topping and top crust and cook another 10-15 min. OR use remaining dough to make a dessert pizza with honey, cinnamon, and diced apples.