Jasmine Rice Muffins ~ Pumpkin Spice & Coconut

It's taken me a while to figure out how to make a SIBO-safe muffin. I really thought about it a lot! What flour could I use? Um, none. In terms of grain-based flours, wheat of course is out, spelt is out, brown rice flour is out, any "gluten-free flour" blend is still packed with starch, so it's out, too. Then you have your nut flours, the foundation of most Paleo baking. But nuts are still really high in fiber, not to mention dense. A little bit might be okay, but not a whole muffin full. Think lead belly. Not appealing.

That's when inspiration struck. Why not make my own flour from Jasmine rice, the ONE safe, non-fermenting grain in the world, which I know about from the work of Norm Robillard and his brilliant Fast Tract Diet. For some reason, Jasmine rice is so starchless and fiberless (and probably nutrient-less, lol) that it doesn't feed gut microbes at all, at least not when you eat it in the proper quantity which is one half of a cup of cooked Jasmine rice. This translates to 1/4 cup of raw Jasmine rice...and from there, these muffins were born.

Once my idea hatched, I spent several weeks dreaming up a Jasmine rice muffin recipe. There was sweetness, flavor and texture to consider. I went with raw Jasmine rice that I grind myself, rather than pre-cooked, another option. For sweetener, Golden Lakanto (a blend of monkfruit and erythritol—zero calorie, zero glycemic, zero fermentation potential) works perfectly. There's a little (but just a little) bit of coconut flour and shredded coconut in the blend, while mashed, cooked Kabocha squash adds depth and consistency. (You could also use butternut squash, or even pumpkin itself.) It's a miracle I hit it perfectly on the first try. But I did. Here they are!

Jasmine Rice Muffins with Pumpkin Spice & Coconut 

Makes 9 muffins

Ingredients

¾ cups raw, uncooked Jasmine rice

¼ cup coconut flour

4 Tbs shredded coconut (+ a little more for sprinkling on top)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 pinches Himalayan pink salt

½ tsp baking soda

¼ cup Golden Lakanto sweetener

3 large pastured eggs

¾ cups mashed Kabocha squash

½ tsp natural vanilla extract

¼ cup melted butter, coconut oil or combination of the two

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 muffin tins with butter or coconut oil. Use a nut/seed grinder (or coffee grinder) to grind the raw Jasmine rice into coarse flour—it will feel like cornmeal between your fingers. Combine the Jasmine rice flour with remaining dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Place butter or oil in the warm oven to melt. Use a whisk to beat the eggs well in a separate bowl. Add mashed squash and beat again until there are no lumps. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine. Finally, beat in the melted butter/coconut oil, adding it slowly so the temperature doesn’t shock the eggs.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and begin adding the wet ingredients mix as you stir. Do your best not to overwork the batter. It will be very thick! When fully combined, divide batter between 9 muffin tins, filling each cup a little more than ¾ full. Press sides of batter down with your fingers to smooth and round the top. Sprinkle a bit of shredded coconut and add a tiny dot of butter on top of each.

Fill empty muffin cups half way with hot water. Put muffins in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or a little longer, up to 30 minutes depending. When tops start to brown and a sharp knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, they are done!

Breakfast Sausage Skillet with Rainbow Peppers & Jasmine Rice

My friend Sarah and I met for our weekly Mount Toby jaunt this morning at 7:30 and went for a 1.5 hour hike on empty stomachs with just a cup of tea between us. Normally I'm good with only glycogen for fuel—I like tapping into those stores—but for some reason, trudging up that hill today felt hard and long. By the time I got home I was super hungry. So I made a Breakfast Sausage Skillet.

When it comes to healthy, fast and easy, cast-iron skillet cooking can't be beat.

To make this dish, sautée some chopped rainbow peppers and a diced chicken sausage in cooking fat of choice. (I happened to have bacon grease on hand, but you could use butter or coconut oil, too.)

When the peppers are soft and the sausage is beginning to brown, add a half cup of cooked jasmine rice and some chopped tender leafy greens such as chard, spinach or arugula. Stir and cook until the greens start to wilt.

When the greens start to wilt, push everything to the sides of the pan to make a ring. Add a little more fat to the bare pan surface in the middle, and crack an egg right in the center.

Cook the egg 2-3 minutes, uncovered.

Then cover the pan and cook another couple minutes until your egg is done the way you enjoy it. If you like, you can sprinkle a little grated cheddar cheese all over the top before covering the pan, too.

Note: covering the pan "bastes" the egg so it comes out with a white coating on top. If you prefer the classic yellow, sunny side up egg look, skip this step.

(And how about that yolk, my friends? That is the color of a fresh, local, pastured egg yolk. The deep golden yellow color means it is rich in eye-healthy, antioxidant lutein. And that it tastes delicious.)

Once the egg is cooked to your liking, add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to a plate or bowl and add a fresh green herb to garnish.

I used fresh chives from my spring garden, but parsley or dill would be nice, too.

 Bon appetit!

Jasmine Rice Custard

On Sunday night I stayed up late, watching and then decompressing from the Season 6 premiere of Game of Thrones which took forever to load on my device due to the massive number of fans all over the world tuning in at the same time. It was an action packed episode, meaning lots of viewer adrenaline was generated—not the best way to promote a calm, sleepy sensation when the credits roll and bedtime finally arrives, which I mention here on Sexy Sibo only because the entire experience led to me waking up somewhat ragged the next morning and craving a soft, warm, comforting breakfast.

Usually I don't eat breakfast at all, so clearly something was up, but I can't talk about it because *SPOILER ALERT*

(Haha I would never.)

Because I only just made up this recipe yesterday, it is a work in progress. The idea was to create a sweet and creamy rice custard, which meant eggs and cream would be involved. I figured I'd need a double boiler to prevent sticking and burning, but I don't own a double boiler, so I improvised by nesting my smallest pot inside my biggest pot. The small pot contains the rice mixture. The big pot contains 4 cups of water, which you bring to a boil on high heat, turn down and keep at a low boil during cooking. Both pots get covered to keep in the steam, and it's the steam heat that cooks the custard.

If you own an actual double boiler, by all means use that to make this recipe, but you don't officially need one as long as you have two pots that can nest completely inside each other with their lids on.

I was pretty happy with how my Jasmine Rice Custard came out. To sweeten it, I used 2 teaspoons of erythritol and, to be honest, it wasn't really sweet enough. I managed, but next time I might use 3. Ideally, I'd add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup on top but sadly, I still can't eat either of those without bloating, pretend as I may. Erythritol or Lakanto (erythritol plus monkfruit extract) are my safest bets. (Stevia would work, too, but yuck—I think it would ruin this. I only like stevia in cold things like lemon water and lime gimlets.) Cinnamon also adds some sweetness of its own, not to mention the luscious heavy cream you pour on top.

This recipe makes two servings. If you are just one person, that means you'll have to eat serving number two tomorrow. If that is the case, be sure to heat it up!! When rice cools down, the starch molecules transform into "resistant starch" and feed SIBO bugs. But when you heat the rice back up, the resistant starch magically turns back into normal starch and, because this is Jasmine rice, the only rice that doesn't ferment, you shouldn't react.

Enjoy this comforting dish for breakfast or dessert. ♥

Jasmine Rice Custard
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients
1/2 cup raw, uncooked Jasmine rice
1 cup water
1 pastured egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon
pinch of salt
2+ teaspoons erythritol or golden Lakanto
1 teaspoon butter, ghee or coconut oil
heavy cream to pour on top


Directions
With a whisk, beat the egg in water with vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt until frothy. Pour over rice in top of a double boiler or in a small pan that can fit inside a large pot with the lid on. Stir in erythritol or Lakanto and butter, ghee or coconut oil. (I used ghee—it's wonderful!—but any of these healthy fats will do.)

Bring water in the bottom pan to a boil, cover both pots and keep at a low boil for 20 minutes. Give the custard a stir at this point, and continue cooking another 10 to 15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed and custard is firm.

Transfer a half cup of the custard into your favorite breakfast bowl, pour heavy cream on top and dust with more cinnamon. If you can tolerate honey or maple syrup, drizzle on top.  Better yet, sprinkle with golden Lakanto—it's pricey but perfect for this use, as it looks and tastes like brown sugar.

Enjoy!

SIBO ADVISORY: One half cup of cooked Jasmine rice is the safe serving size. More than that and you may be asking for trouble.

Reblogged from Evolution in a Toxic World by Emily Monosson.

MICROBIAL POLITICS

April 1, 2016 · by Emily · in Uncategorized · Leave a comment 

Recent studies suggesting that we each have our own microbiome fingerprints  and studies of the microbiome’s potential to influence our behavior has prompted a group of scientists at OneF Pharma to investigate the utility of microbiome fingerprints for determining personality traits. “Imagine the potential,” says Jody Smith, a researcher for the company, “crime scenes, job personality tests, even – as we demonstrate – politics.”

Their most recent paper published in PLOS-BS, shows how the microbes detected in fingerprints collected by scientists from podiums following recent political debates can be used to identify specific politicians. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, for example leaves behind prints filled with bacteria like Staphylococcus epidermidis a species that tend towards mutualism – or win-win for both bacterial host and human host; while Donald Trump’s microbiome are lighter on the mutualistic bacteria, dominated instead by species like Stahpylococcus aurelius, which can cause superinfections, spreading at the expense of the host’s microbiome.

“These are really just superficial tests,” cautions Smith, “because these are skin bacteria. Those that influence behavior are gut bacteria. But we are working on that too – collecting samples from cutlery and drinking cups used at the debates.”

[Correction: There is no evidence that Donald Trump’s microbiome is loaded with more offensive Staph compared with Bernie Sanders and vice-verse. Happy April Fools! ]

Introducing... Chubby Checkers ~ in delightful Pumpkin Spice! flavor :)

Okay, I admit it. I've been holding out on you. All the way back in October, I began working on a recipe for a sweet treat that is completely safe for SIBO and absolutely delicious! But I wanted to get the recipe as close to perfect as I could before I shared it with you.

I believe that day has come.

Anyone on a SIBO-specific diet knows one thing: there aren't a lot of legal treats involved. Back in my raw food days, a few Medjool dates with almond butter, some soft Turkish figs and raw cashews, or a row of organic dark chocolate after dinner were daily practice. Those days are gone, but not the desire for something sweet to delight the taste buds or finish a meal.

I call these delightful little treats Chubby Checkers. I suspect that they may be (*blushing*) my single greatest gift to the SIBO community. But of course that is for you to decide. 

Chubby Checkers are the Sexy Sibo version of a "fat bomb," essentially a carb-free, sugar-free candy containing mostly fat. Mine also contain some low-FODMAP protein powder for flavor and texture.

When it comes to low-FODMAP protein powder, there are just two choices: whey protein isolate or beef protein. (I know, gross. Just accept and move on.) Unfortunately pea protein, hemp protein, rice protein and other vegan protein powders contain FODMAPs, so we can't use them. It has to be beef protein or whey protein isolate. (Note: it's very important to use only whey protein ISOLATE, not whey protein concentrate, because only the isolate is lactose-free, and lactose is a FODMAP.)

The fat I use to make Chubby Checkers is raw, organic cacao butter—the best!

For protein powder, I've been using Pure Paleo from Designs for Health. Pure Paleo is created from something called Hydro-Beef and comes in Chocolate or Vanilla flavor. I've also used Vanilla Whey Protein Isolate from Bluebonnet, which is super high quality: cold processed, grass fed, the works. If you can't find Bluebonnet, it's fine to substitute with another whey protein isolate but read the label and, if the product is sweetened, make sure the sweeteners are strictly one of the following: stevia, erythritol or monkfruit (aka lo huan guo). No other natural sweetener is SIBO-safe.

If your protein powder is not sweetened, you can use one of the above sweeteners, or Lakanto. Crystallized sweeteners need to be ground up before adding to batter.

To create the "checker" shape you'll need a silicone mini-muffin mold, which you can buy online or someplace like Bed, Bath and Beyond for under ten bucks. If you don't have a silicone mini-muffin mold, you can still make this recipe using a shallow dish lined with waxed paper or parchment paper. When the candy hardens, just peel off the paper and cut or break the candy into pieces. I recommend you invest in a silicone mold, though. It makes a nice presentation and it's fun to use, especially when it's time to pop out the checkers!

Pop!

So far, I've got THREE yummy flavors of Chubby Checkers ready to share with you. But I wouldn't want to overwhelm. So today, I shall present to you just the latest: Pumpkin Spice!

Next up will be two different chocolate versions. I'll post a link from here to that page when it's up. Stay tuned! And enjoy. xo

Chubby Checkers - Pumpkin Spice!

This recipe makes 12 checkers.

Ingredients
2 oz raw cacao butter
1/3 cup Vanilla Pure Paleo powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
generous pinch of Himalayan pink salt (about one third of a quarter tsp measure)

Directions
Chop cacao butter into chunks if it isn't already broken up, and melt it in a Pyrex or ceramic dish, on VERY low heat, in your oven or toaster oven. My toaster oven has a low setting of 150 degrees F. At that setting, the cacao butter takes about 20 minutes to melt.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate dish. When cacao butter is melted, remove from oven and let it cool down a bit. Then, stir in the dry powdered ingredients using a whisk or fork. When batter is smooth and fully mixed, use a spoon to distribute it evenly between the 12 cups of a silicone mini-muffin mold. Transfer mold to fridge and allow candy to harden—this takes about an hour, tops.

Pop Chubby Checkers out of the mold (super fun part!) and store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Recommended serving size: 2 checkers.

Pumpkin Spice! Chubby Checkers

Breakfast Sandwich Hack

One of the easiest SIBO restaurant hacks is what I call a deconstructed sandwich. In other words, please hold the bread. 

Usually we think of sandwiches for lunch, but the breakfast sandwich is a great bargain and often comes with a nice mix of cheese and veggies, too. 

This one featured fried egg, mushrooms, cheddar and arugula. Yum!

Potatoes on the side are not for SIBO beginners. I've been at this a while and can now handle a spud here and there. If you're just starting out, pass on the home fries, pay an extra buck and ask for greens instead. 

I got this deconstructed breakfast sandwich at a sweet little cafe called Bread and Butter in North Amherst, Mass. It was pretty delicious!

Note: I asked for an extra egg because I was extra hungry. Pricewise, you pay more for two eggs but breakfast sandwiches always cost less than Benedicts, omelettes or scrambles, so it evens out. :)

Hot Toddy - a classic winter warmer

Drinking cold beverages when it's cold outside is counterintuitive at best. Enter the hot toddy. I learned how to make this delicious, warming drink last December and all I can say is: What took me so long?

A hot toddy is basically warm, sweet lemon water plus whiskey. Whiskey is one of the SIBO-safe alcoholic beverages, along with most plain spirits and dry wine. (We need to avoid the higher carb drinks like sweet rum, brandy and beer.)

I like Jamieson's whiskey in this drink; it's mild, smooth and flavorful without being overpowering. I use erythritol to sweeten (in place of the traditional honey or sugar) to guarantee 100% SIBO safety.

To make 1 Hot Toddy you need:

1/2 fresh lemon 

3 whole cloves

1 teaspoon erythritol sweetener (Zero)

1 jigger of whiskey (1.5 oz)

about 1 cup boiling water

Directions: Put water on to boil. Cut a nice, round slice of lemon off the end of the lemon half and stud it with three cloves. Juice remaining lemon into a teacup. Add the studded lemon slice, along with the teaspoon of erythritol. 

When water boils, pour half of it over lemon juice/clove blend until tea cup is about half full, and allow to steep for a minute or so. Add the whiskey, then top off with more hot boiled water to fill cup. Stir and sip!

For a nice variation, make your toddy with hot ginger tea instead of plain hot water. If you're in a fancy mood, a cinnamon stick makes a nice garnish (and stirrer) too. Very yummy all ways.