coconut jasmine rice

the scent of jasmine rice cooking on your stove is so exotic. i’m going to  research and try to find some cheaper jasmine rice (and spices) at an ethnic grocery store soon; i’ll post what i find out… i used the rest of my canned coconut milk from my bubble tea, but a carton (like So Delicious brand) is fine.

1 cup brown jasmine rice
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
sea salt
dried unsweetened shredded coconut

1. combine water, milk, a shake of sea salt, and rice in a medium-sized pot. bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer.
2. stir occasionally and make sure it doesn’t start sticking to the pot. long-cooking rice packages say it takes 45-50 minutes, but if all the water is absorbed sooner and your rice tastes done, it’s ready. serve with a sprinkling of coconut.

no-bake protein energy bars

you can make these officially vegan and gluten-free by using the appropriate chocolate chips, but i’ve still got Ghirardelli bittersweet chips. dark chocolate should be at least 70% cacao to reap its full antioxidant benefits, but hey, they’re 60%.

also, i bought my first tub of vegan protein powder. it was about $18, so i’m not dumping it in anything and everything… but you can add more if you like. really, you can make any changes you want to this recipe, which is why i liked it so much. here at Love Veggies and Yoga. you can easily grab one for a snack, and they don’t have to thaw out before you eat them- storing them in the freezer just helps them retain their shape.

p.s. (healthy) cookie fails can easily be  turned into protein bars! just add the crumbles to this recipe and use enough of the wet ingredients so they will stick together.

and a very important announcement: this is the last gluten-containing recipe you’ll find here, as i’ve decided to really stick with going g-free for various reasons, beginning fresh tomorrow.

1 banana
1 and 1/2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup agave (or maple syrup)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup vegan protein powder
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons chia seed
1/4 cup each of sesame and hulled sunflower seeds
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. first, in a large mixing bowl, mash the banana.
2. add everything else. mix very well.
3. line a smallish glass baking dish or plastic container with foil to make for easier clean-up. basically, choose a size that will allow you to spread the mixture evenly and get a decent bar thickness.
4. freeze. once frozen, remove and cut into bars or squares, depending on how long you want to ration these out!
5. tear off sheets of wax paper and sort of roll up your bars in them, separated by the paper, rather than literally wrapping them individually. place in plastic bags or tupperware back in the freezer.