Succotash with Germinated  Coconut Rice

Succotash with Germinated Coconut Rice

This is why I think I belong in Southern Cali. I love fresh ingredients too much! Not to mention the endless summer days, rolling hills of vineyards, and the gorgeous ocean!

I love the growing Farm to table dinners (check out that article!) that are ever so popular there and becoming so across the U.S. So, since I can’t get my fresh veggies right from the ground because I live in a little apartment surrounded by concrete and it’s cold here, I created this dish to make it feel like I just popped out of my lavish garden wearing a long white cotton dress with cowboy boots and the smell of sweet grass in my hair:)

(*I know a lot of my recipes have Coconut milk or oil in them. Coconut milk has such huge health benefits, it’s hard sometimes to leave it out! Plus, I love eating food that you might find in the Caribbean. If you do not enjoy coconut, then by all means substitute with cream, whole rice milk or almond milk instead.)

Ingredients (inspired by a bon appetit recipe)

2 Cups black eyed peas, or any other beans you like *(look at bottom of this post for proper preparation of beans)*

1 1/2 Cups diced carrots

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion

1 tsp salt / 1 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp fresh thyme

1 1/2 Cup diced zucchini

1 Cup diced red pepper

1 Cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 1/2 Cup of whole coconut milk

Large pinch of cayenne pepper

Large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups of Germinated Rice…why use Germinated Rice? Read here

Cut all you veggies to a 1/2 inch bite-size

Boil water and only cook the carrots until tender.

Dice up a Medium sized onion and place in pan with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Cook until translucent.

Then add salt + pepper + thyme

Next add a large pinch of cayenne pepper…

….and freshly grated nutmeg.

Then add all the veggies to the onion, toss. Add 1 cup of coconut milk. Simmer for 10min then add juice from 1 lemon and season to taste. Turn burner off and set veggies aside until rice is ready so the coconut milk can set a bit and the flavors mesh together.

Boil water and prepare your rice as directed. *But subtract 1/2 cup water from whatever amount it gives you. (Germinated rice takes 30 min. to cook) When halfway done cooking (15min in) add 1/2 Cup coconut milk. Cook until all liquid is absorbed.

Serve Succotash in a bowl with a big scoop of the Coconut Rice in the middle and squeeze a little more Lemon juice on top to bring out all the flavors before serving.

Enjoy!

You know that song that kids, and yes, adults sing about beans and what it does to you!!! Well read this and find out why!

From Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon….”Beans cause digestive problems not because they contain protein and starches together, but because they contain two complex sugars, farrinose and stachyose, which are not easily broken down by enzymes normally found in the intestines. Beans and other legumes will be more digestible if soaked for a long period before cooking as this process begins the breakdown of these starches. Beans properly prepared have provided nourishment to human beings all over the globe and can be easily digested by most people. Actually, there is no food on earth that is a pure starch or a pure protein.”…”Such care in preparation ensures that legumes will be thoroughly digestible, and all the nutrients they provide well assimilated because such careful preparation neutralizes phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors and breaks down difficult-to-digest complex sugars.”

So how to *Prepare:

Cover beans with warm water. Stir in the 2 Tbsp lemon juice or whey and leave in a warm place for 12-24 hours depending on the size of the bean. Drain, rinse, place in a large pot and add water to cover beans. Bring to a boil and skim off foam. Reduce heat and simmer for 4-8 hours. Add more water as necessary if needed throughout cooking time.

Kelly