We love our rice cookers. Well, I love mine at least.  I use the Miracle Stainless Steel Rice cooker, no chemicals to worry about like the plastic ones - it is an all stainless steel bowl.  Anyway, there is so much you can do with these bad boys.  Aside from just cooking up the perfect batch of rice, you could use it as a steamer to steam potatoes, shrimp, crab legs, vegetables.  I make soups, sauces and stews.  Your imagination is your limit.  Here are some of our favorite recipes.  Give them a try…tell us what you think…please please post a response.  I’m lonely on here…

RICE COOKER JAMBALAYA

1 1/2 c. uncooked rice
1 lb. shrimp or crawfish
1 stick butter, melted
1 lg. onion
1 c. bell pepper
3 ribs celery
2 tsp. Cajun Seasoning
2 cans beef broth
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. Accent

Combine all ingredients in the rice cooker and cook on regular cycle.

SLOW COOKER SWEET AND SOUR PORK

2-3 pounds cubed pork
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine or cider vinegar
1 large onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into slices
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons water or apple juice
1 1/2-inch square cube ginger, freshly grated
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 green peppers, cored and cut into quarters

Spray crock-pot liner with olive oil spray. Combine soy sauce, water, and cornstarch with brown sugar. Put washed and dried pork into crock-pot and stir in remaining ingredients except green pepper and tomatoes.

Cook on low for 8 hours. Stir in green pepper and tomatoes.

Cook on high for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve on a bed of rice.

Variations: To make Polynesian pork, eliminate tomatoes and stir in cubes of pineapple and cashews during the final hour.

SHRIMP PILAF

1 med. onion, chopped
1 chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 c. rice (rice cooker measuring cup)
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms & liquid
1 can beef broth
1/4 lb. butter
Salt & pepper
1 lb. shrimp

Combine everything together and pour into the rice cooker and turn cooker on. When done, the cooker will go off.

SPICY BLACK BEANS AND RICE

Black beans are high in protein, magnesium, manganese, folate, potassium, calcium and iron. They are economical and can be purchased in bulk and stored in airtight containers (like the Oliso Vacuum Sealer) for at least one year.

1 lb dry black beans
1/4 cup olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 shallot, minced (optional)
2 bell peppers (red or green), chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 packet Goya Sazon (seasoning)
1/4 cup white wine (or wine vinegar)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon Frank’s Hot Sauce

Pick over beans to remove imperfect beans and any foreign matter. Rinse well in cold running water.

In a pan, bring beans to a boil in 6-8 cups water. Boil over high heat for 3-4 minutes, then cover and set aside for an hour. Alternatively, boiling can be omitted if beans are soaked overnight.

Drain and rinse beans. In a large saucepan, soak beans in 8 cups fresh water. (This time, do not drain.)

In a skillet, sauté onion and pepper over medium heat until onions are tender and translucent. Add garlic and oregano when onions begin to color (about 5 minutes). Do not allow garlic to brown. Add remaining ingredients; mix well.

Stir mixture into beans in saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low.

Simmer until beans are tender. Serve over steamed white rice while still hot.

Can be prepared in a Crock-Pot. Just soak beans overnight and put everything into the Crock-Pot in the morning. Set on low and cook for 8 hours, or until beans are tender.

If you own a small (2.5-4 quart) pressure cooker, these can be prepared in less than thirty minutes. Sauté onions then add pre-soaked beans to pressure cooker; cover with water or broth and remaining ingredients. Cover and cook at 10 lbs pressure for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and allow sitting 10 minutes, then reducing pressure; seasoning to taste and serving.

Can be frozen in smaller portions for up to 6 months. If preparing larger quantities just for freezing, omit the seasonings and add them in while reheating, instead.

Recipes donated by www.cooks.com

Ok, so I wasn’t always a grocery shopper.  I mean, I’ve been a bachelor for years and it wasn’t on my top priority list.  That was until I got on my health streak (which I have continued for YEARS now).  So, I thought I’d share some good tips with you when you go to the store.  Check it!

What You Should Buy At The Grocery Store?

Do you know what you need when you leave for the grocery store, or do you just pick up foods and toss them into your shopping cart ad-hoc? Grocery shopping might not always be the most fun task on your “to do” list, but it can be made easier and quicker if you shop with a list. If you know what you need to purchase before you enter the sea of glimmering cereal boxes and walk down the aisles of candy land lane, you can prevent yourself from tempting foods that just aren’t healthy for you, or better yet, you can stop yourself from overspending at the check-out line.

But, that’s not all; if you make a list ahead of time you can fill your basket with healthy snacks, eat healthier meals throughout the week and build a shopping list that will last a lifetime.

Here are some staple items to put on your list:

Vegetables and fruits are best when in season and should make up the largest part of your list. Vegetables and fruits have vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and are low in calories.

Meats should be mostly fish, - think omega 3s - and poultry, but don’t eliminate your hamburgers and steak. Serve lean cuts of beef and pork cooked in olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

Whole grains are important for vitamins, minerals and fiber. Choose quinoa, millet, spelt and steel cut oats. Choose breads and cereals made from whole grains and read labels.

Dairy products such as milk and cheese should be eaten in moderation and kept low in fat. Goat’s cheese such as feta is a great option. If you do not want bovine dairy products, choose almond milk, rice milk or soy milk.

Salad Dressings often hide refined sugar and poor quality oils. Make your own. Buy olive oil and balsamic, mix together with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Remember to Drink water, juice and herbal teas; all are good choices. Better yet, make your own juice to eliminate unhealthy preservatives and hidden sugars found in the juices from frozen concentrates and supermarket shelves.

Choose certified organic foods when possible. Certified Organic means your meats, fruits and vegetables are free of added hormones from animals and free of pesticides.

Find what works best for you, but here are some grocery items I keep on my weekly shopping list:

· Steel cut oatmeal, stevia or organic maple syrup to taste

· Plain non-fat organic yogurt (or make your own yogurt), stevia to taste

· Non-fat milk

· Seasonal fruits

· Season vegetables

· Certified organic chicken

· Certified organic ground turkey

· Raw almonds

· Raw walnuts

· Dried raisins, apricots and mangos

· Ezekiel whole grain tortillas and bread

· Fresh sliced deli meat

· Feta cheese

· Spinach Lettuce

Dark organic chocolate, 60% or more – delivers healthy antioxidants while it feeds your sweet tooth.  Isn’t that awesome?

Enjoy and Be Well,

Juicy Josh

www.877myjuicer.com

I’d like to see the look on my grandfather’s face if I time traveled back to 1950’s America and told him I ate a diet consisting primarily of uncooked, raw food.  He’d probably spit hot borsht at me.  A man of true serenity and balance, he did live to be 99 so, in preface to this article, I restate my overarching belief in the moderation of all things, including diet.  Neuroticism around food is unhealthier than unhealthy food.  At least that’s my opinion.

That said, I eat healthy, I pay attention to what goes into my body and I am pretty aware of its effects.  The last several years have seen a rise in popularity of what is most usually called the Raw Food diet and there’s some real compelling evidence of its benefits.  The raw food diet is a diet where at least 75% of what’s eaten is unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed.   The theory is that heating food above 116 degrees F destroys enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption process. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and life force of the food you ingest.

The stated benefits of this way of eating are compelling.  Increased energy, improved skin appearance, better digestion, weight loss, reduced risk of common illness such as flu to more serious problems such as heart disease and cancer are just a few of the plusses.  Raw foods contain enzymes which greatly aid in their own digestion, freeing the body’s own enzymes to do the work unimpeded of regulating all the body’s many metabolic processes. Heating food degrades or destroys these enzymes in food, putting the burden on the body’s own enzyme production.  Eating food without enzymes makes digestion more difficult, leads to toxicity in the body, to excess consumption of food, and therefore to obesity and to chronic disease.  Raw foods contain bacteria and other micro-organisms that stimulate the immune system and enhance digestion by populating the digestive tract with beneficial flora and raw foods have overall higher nutrient value than foods which have been cooked.  The diet is also low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber and phytochemicals.

So what can you eat?  Basically unprocessed, organic, whole foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, grains, legumes, dried fruit, seaweed, freshly juiced fruit and vegetables, purified water and young coconut milk.  There are many books written about the diet but the one describing the easiest transition is 12 Steps to Raw Foods by Victoria Boutenko.

Now although at least 75% of what you eat should not be heated over 116 degrees F there are a few cooking techniques that can make foods more digestible and add variety to the diet, like sprouting seeds, grains, and beans; juicing fruit and vegetables; soaking nuts and dried fruit; blending and dehydrating food.

Skeptical?  Try it for a month.  If you don’t feel better you can write me a nasty email.

In the meantime…

Be well

JuicyJosh