DIY: Gluten Free Rice Milk

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Rice milk is killing my bank account. I love it, I drink it everyday, and when i don't have it it's all i think about. It's my addiction and since it's a healthy one I thought it was about time to start making my own - (like when a meth head realizes they can make their own meth lab! Except that is not healthy and they have to condemn tha' house after.)

* Since I found videos easier then the recipes online, I made a lil' vid showing my first attempt at making rice milk at home!
* This probably cost me around $5-10 dollars, to make 1.5 gallons of my own rice milk... when buying amazake 2-3 small drinks would cost me as much! I have no idea why companies charge huge amounts of $$$ for rice milk since making it actually doesn't cost much and a big part of the recipe is just water.

SUPPLIES YOU NEED ::::
*rice (brown is healthier)
*water
*Sweet Options: sweetener like honey, maple syrup or rice syrup, etc...
*Flavor options: vanilla, almonds, and/or other grains you can tolerate
*Pot, Spoon, Blender, Strainer (cheese cloth or stainless steal)



Do ya'll have any non dairy milk recipes? I would love to hear them! Almond, soy, and gang!

xoxoxox

The Sh!t I Don't Buy (or use)

For the last ten years I have not bought traditional (aka toxic) house cleaners, dish soaps, body soap, shampoo, conditioner, or deoderant. No, I don't shop lift them or get them for free... I stopped using that stuff and here is how it all started:::
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When I got diagnosed with Celiac Disease I was told that not only would my diet be changed but also anything I used as a personal care product, on any surface in my home or on my body needed to be gluten free also. Back in the day I already ate organic, and when I sent out nearly 100 letters and far more phone calls to companies trying to search for gluten free & healthy alternatives to clean up with not one company could say they were safe for me to use. Lawsuit worries, combined with the fact that gluten is in nearly every product Americans purchase in ways you would never guess.
What happened at the time was I was really sick, mostly bed ridden, mostly in a wheelchair and I thought 'what the hell, who needs that shit anyway!'
It wouldnt matter if I didn't use shampoo, it wasn't like I had a HAwT date while I was half dead and 80 pounds.
Much to my OCD mother's dismay, I began a life of chemical and gluten free discoveries about ways to naturally keep me and my home clean without creepy goops, sprays, lotions, potions that all came in wasteful packaging anyhow. My hair took a few weeks to adjust. My skin seemed to never care. My mom swore she suddenly could smell my armpitts (even though I had not put on deoderant for years prior to that time)... but I soldiered on.
And now ten years later...
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Here are the 'cleaners' I use instead of store bought products::::

1. Shampoo/Conditioner ---> Hot water plus Salt (or) Boiled lemon with lavender (or)Straight lemon squeeze (or) Vinegar (rarely unless i do something stupid like put olive oil in my hair to make it beautiful only to discover I can't get it to wash out for 3 weeks!)

2. Deoderant ---> I do like the europeans. Just wipe um' and go. Covering up your special hormonal scent is going to get ya in bed with the wrong kinda guy.

3. Mopping ---> I mop with water mixed with vinegar and baking soda. Alternately if you are not scent sensitive you can use an essential oil mixed in water to mop with, I use cypress.

4. Kitchen/Bathroom ---> A blender helps with this, cause if you blend ginger & lemon it makes an amazing surface cleaner. The ginger will eat through the nasty build up on your stove too! If you don't have a blender, using a lemon or vinegar straight up is good... i use apple cider vinegar cause it's gluten free.

5. Dishes ---> Hot water with fresh squeezed lemon. When something needs a scrub I use salt. If a pot has something caked/burned on the bottom boiling a lemon with water in that pot and letting it soak helps lift the skank.

6. Detergant ---> Baking soda ( and/or apple cider vinegar) works the best on clothes. Lemons are ok, but I don't think the PH is good for the clothes on a regular basis, especially natural fiber clothing.

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Much of the products people use these days are hype. We are led to believe by advertising that if we don't buy these things we will be covered in germs (I haven't caught a cold or flu or any contagious illness in many years), we are led to believe we will "stink" or be a "dirty hippy", or that babies shouldn't be allowed to crawl on our floor... but new studies have shown all our hand sanitizer use, anti bacterial shit, chemical for hair and body, and paranoia of the natural world (dirt & animals) is actually destroying our health. Doctors think that this faux cleanliness is the leading cause for allergies and autoimmune diseases, not to mention epidemic spreading of colds and flues.
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The saying is now "cleanliness is next to sickliness"...
and I believe it.
Read about it Here... here and at web MD here.
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Viva La NO SHAMPOO!

Xoxoxo

Eco Art: Glob Paints -Gluten Free, Chemical Free, Vegan!

Ya'll.... I am having a freak out! I have found gluten free, chemical free, vegan, food grade, 100% natural PAINTS!!! This is an idea I have been working on diligently for the last 2 years, compiling lists of pigments, experimenting with colors...... only to find someone has already figured out six of the best colors there are and they call them GLOB! Glob made their paint product so safe, you can use it on your body and flush it down the toilet with no environmental or health disasters.
I am so excited about these paint pigments being available that I have been running back and forth across the house announcing to anyone who will listen (cats and one terrified human) that I am going to be a painting diva-tron artist once again!
For my own plans to make pigments like this, I had planned on buying a dehydrator this spring for drying only paint pigments, then would grind them.... most my ideas are also food grade, but some are poisonous plants (like poke berries) we would not want to eat. The Glob Paints in the pic above are totally 100% food grade safe and affordable at 12$ for all six colors.... check out this diddy from their website:::

"You may have noticed that arts and crafts products do not list ingredients. Consumers rely upon "non toxic" certification, believing that their art materials have undergone sufficient testing to ensure the products they use are safe. Don't let these labels fool you.

Art pigments (colors) are commonly made from petrochemicals, and the actual hazards of these materials are not always known. In the US, chemicals that have never been tested for toxicity can be labeled "non-toxic." The rationale? There is no data to prove otherwise.*

Arts and crafts paints are exempt from consumer paint lead laws, and often contain lead, cadmium, and host of toxic ingredients* like formaldehyde (a carcinogen), one of the most common paint preservatives.

New environmental regulations and consumer demand has contributed to the numerous low to no VOC (volatile organic compounds) and environmentally friendly house paints now available.

Unfortunately, the artist market is far behind.

Paints may not only be hazardous to the consumer, but also the environment. Certified "non-toxic" pigments can still be toxic to fish and other wildlife.

GLOB™ products are sustainable and biodegradable, making them safe to wash down the sink and into our water supply.

Go ahead, Glob it on™!"

You best believe, I am going to glob it on... I am going to glob it on everything!

XoXo

Macrobiotic & Gluten Free Carrot Spaghetti Sauce

Holy Carrots! These are some organic carrots that grew in the garden here, aren't they girthy? I decided to make one of my favorite macrobiotic recipes with these big boys, a delicious carrot spaghetti sauce that uses NO tomatoes and gives this traditional (american-ized) Italian dish a sweet yummy twist! This carrot sauce can be used on anything you would use regular spaghetti sauce on- like noodles, lasagna, or gluten free pizza crust!

You will need:

• a bunch of carrots
• one small beet (to turn the sauce red!)
  
• red onion
• herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, bay leaf, sage etc..)
• celery
• shittake mushrooms (optional!)
• olive oil
• sea salt or ume paste
  

When I made this dish yesterday I didn't have all the ingredients on hand to get a picture of (no beets to turn it red and no mushrooms for extra flav'ah) , but it still came out delicious as always! Here is what you do:::

• Chop up the carrots, celery, and beet to simmer down till soft (30 mins or so)
• Put in a blender or smash up the carrots with a fork
• Add in herbs, salt and mushrooms to the carrrot sauce and cook in a pot another 10 mins
• In a separate pan saute the chopped onion (with some herbs) till soft (7 mins)
  
• Add onions to the blended carrot sauce and serve over noodles!

Voila! A tomato free spaghetti sauce that tastes better then the 'real' thing eva' did!
XoXOooo

Gluten Free & Organic Chickpea Burgers

Here is a recipe I made up a few years ago using chickpeas to make a nice yummy bean burger patty free of gluten, dairy, meat, and most any common food allergen! Each time I make it they come out a little bit different so I will share the basic recipe and you can make it your own with your favorite herbs, beans or spices. :)

What You'll Need:

• Eden Organic Canned Chickpeas (or other gluten free brand) - 2 cans
• Lundberg Organic Brown Rice -1/2 a cup
• Organic Herbs- rosemary, parsley, oregano or basil (whichever you like best, in amounts you like)
• Organic Red Onion - 1/3 chopped up
• Organic Olive Oil - couple teaspoons
• Ume Vinegar or Sea Salt- shake to personal salt preference

STEP 1: Cook the chickpeas and rice. I cooked mine with bay leaf, rosemary and ume plum for salt.

STEP 2: Smash the rice and chickpeas with a fork till textured. I made more rice then normal for this batch - a helpful hint is not too much rice and make sure all water is drained out, the burger will stick together better this way. Wet burgers will taste good but will fall apart.
STEP 3: Add chopped onion and herbs to the smooshed up chickpeas.

STEP 4: For pazzazz I added some grated carrot, then threw in the ume vinegar (salt source) & 3 teaspoons of olive oil.
STEP 5: Mix it all up and then form patties in your pan. You can cook them without oil, fry them with oil, or bake them to get an outside crunchy layer!!! I topped mine with baked shittake mushrooms and ate it straight out the pan with a fork. :) Mmmmmm. Goooood.
XoXOoo

Gluten Free & Organic Dried Fruits and Nuts!!! OMG!!!

Anyone with Celiac Disease or who is on a strict gluten free diet because of allergies knows what a pain in the A$$ finding basic & safe organic foods can be! I have literally searched for over 8 years to find organic replacements to my once healthy snacks of dried fruits and nuts, only to run into the problem of vendors dusting their packaging equipment with wheat every time. For a normal person this wheat dust practice ain't no thang but a chicken wang... for someone with Celiac this equals more symptoms then there are cowboy hats at a wild rodeo in Texas. People with Celiac Disease have been banned by faulty genetics from saving big bucks at the bulk food section in the health food store when seeking snacks because of vendor and store cross contamination, which may be the lamest thing about the diet for me. Screw bread, I want organic bulk whole foods that are safe!
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OK - so here is the kicker... I....Have....Found....ORGANIC...Dried fruits and NUTS safe for those with celiac! OMGAWD....
I found a company called Raw From The Farm online with the help of my good friend Noel, this store skips the middle man vendor BS and gets their goods straight from farmers. Now some farmers deal with these goodies plus gluten grains and so they will not be listed here, but for those products I asked about specifically here are the ones that the farmer themselves confirmed are gluten free:::

DRIED FRUITS:

• Raisins
• Dates
• Apricots
• Peaches
• Nectarines

Dried Nuts:

• Pecans
• Walnuts

NOT GLUTEN FREE: the sunflower seeds are not gluten free, which makes me wanna cry. Why Mr. Farmer WHy!?
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If you see other products on Raw From The Farm's website I didn't mention in this list please email them and ask them to write the farmers about the foods you are interested in - this company took the time to write each product I asked about and gave me the farmers response! How awesome is that?
To top the fact that these snacks listed are raw, organic, and gluten free the company also will package the goodies in your choice of a PVC/Plasticizer Free plastic bag or a compostable Eucalyptus Fiber baggie!! Holy eco coolness.

PS-- Does anyone know where someone with Celiac can order organic dried beans in bulk?

XoXOoooox

Organic, Gluten Free, Mayo Free Egg Salad Sandwich

Are you ready for this? I have not eaten a sandwich since 2001, right before being diagnosed with Celiac Sprue during the end of that year! I can remember my very last sandwich I ever ate, it was a "live food" sandwich from the All Natural Store in New Orleans, it was totally stuffed with organic veggies, tempeh, miso & dill, and totally a gluten death sentence for me... I remember picking the middle goods off the whole wheat bread and thinking 'the bread part is sick!' This last year I have finally healed enough to begin eating a few gluten free baked products, mainly all from a brand called Namaste. This is how I got today's idea to make a Egg Salad Sandwich using their sugar free muffin mix and a little cajun DNA to invent something yummy to replace mayo - I am born to make something out of what seems like nothing.
Egg Salad Recipe:

• 5 hard boiled organic eggs (chopped up)
  
• Fresh or dried herbs- rosemary, thyme, chives (or any flavor you like)
  
• Lemon squeeze 1/2
• Olive Oil (a few cap fulls)
• Ume Vinegar (2 cap fulls)
• Shredded carrot

Bread Recipe:

• Namaste's Gluten Free Sugar Free Muffin Mix (bake in the oven)
  
• Add a little extra oil to give the bread thickness- cause it's gluten free, basically it's gonna fall apart a little. ;)

You mix the egg salad makings together and then mash a bunch of it onto your "bread" slices. I drizzled olive oil onto the gluten free bread before layering the egg salad on. Mmmmmm.
Oooooooh HOly crap! It is so good! You know exactly what happened next after this next pic... I cleaned the plate. :)
XoXoXoxooooo

DIY: Organic Apple Butter

Another apple recipe! Why? Cause I have so many f-en apples here I don't know what to do!!! If apples were dollars I'd be riding my donkey by now and feeding all the hungry people the world over. Feeding them apples. Anyone nearby hungry?
Making Apple Butter is fairly easy , just like apple sauce - except it takes many more hours to reach the goal of butter then sauce.
First: Get all your organic apples together and rinse them off. Use however many you have, but starting with five big ones or more would be ideal since it takes a while to make.

Second: Peel them all, unless you like it chunky chewy. Wild apples have much harder skins then store bought, so if you want to strain the skins out later, you can use a cheese cloth to squeeze it through. Peeling is time consuming but it's a toss up which is easiest. :)
Third: Core them. Take out the apple core in the middle and feed it to the birds, the compost, the pig or horses - you don't want those seeds in your apple butter, they aren't for human consumption.
Fourth: Throw all the (no core) wedges in a pot with a little pure water in the bottom. You don't have to cut them small since they boil down into a sauce very easy on their own. Bring this to a boil and then settle it down to medium/low heat (so it stills simmers & bubbles). Over time the apple sauce will continue to brown. Add a pinch of sea salt to bring out the sweet flavor if you like.

Fifth: Stir and check, stir and check, stir and check for like 5 plus (meaning it can go into 7, maybe 10) hours! Make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom, otherwise it can be left alone for long stretches at a time to brown and thicken.Ohhhh look how brown that sauce got! Woo!...smooth and yummy like apple butta' should be!!! Vegan, gluten free, organic, and macrobiotic PLUS mmmmm tart and good :)
What do you eat your apple butter on?XoXo

DIY: Organic Apple Sauce (I swear it's easy!)

Oh My Gawd, apples are already falling from the trees here - more then I can possibly feed to the pig and chickens, more then the deer can eat, and more then I can hardly gather! It's a little early for apple season, but going with the flow of nature and positive thinking, when life hands you alot of apples make some apple sauce!
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Here's what you will need: organic apples (however many ya want or have around), pure water, and a tiny pinch of sea salt. Oh and a pot to cook in. :)
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First make sure to wash all your apples really well , whether hand picked or store bought. Then bring them over to the chopping block where the real action starts!

Second: It's up to you whether to leave the skins on or not - with store bought apples their skins usually turn into something so yummy & soft it borderlines candy, so I leave them on. These wild crafted apples have alot tougher skins and even though I left them on, I kinda wish I had left them off. However, apple skins = more nutrtion!
You want to make sure to core every apple - taking out the center rectangle that holds the seeds - and then throwing the fleshy outside part in the pot for cooking. (Ya don't want the cores in there because apple seeds are not good for you!)
Third: As you can see in the pic below it's not even important to chop the pieces up small, the apples will boil down into a sauce with no problem on their own. Throw in a pinch of salt and watch it melt into yummy-ness. It's all too easy! The only thing it takes is time... first you bring it to a boil, then you lower it to a medium/low setting on the stove and let it cook for about 2 hours. Stir is occassionally so it doesn't stick at the bottom.

NOTE: The longer you let it cook the darker brown the sauce will become - you can control the flavor like this. If you let it cook for 5 hours or more you will end up with the oh so yums APPLE BUTTER, which is very dark brown.
MMmMmMMmMmm! Oh yeah, I let mine cook for a few hours making it a medium light brown apple sauce with a strong tart flavor.
It made about a half gallon jar worth of apple sauce from all those tiny apples! YAY!
XoXo

Accepting Donkey Donations

I am now accepting donations to help me buy a donkey! It all started a few years ago when I began having seizures and could no longer drive a car, or even ride as a passenger without causing serious medical discomfort. Soon after realizing my new isolating plight I met an old man on Reems Creek Rd in Weaverville NC who was raising midget ponies, he loved his midget ponies so much he teared up talking about them & he said they were his only joy... after hearing him talk a flash of brilliance popped into my travel weary mind that I needed something to ride on that was just my size! Over the years I kept my wish alive, letting it evolve with my changing life- but as my situation became more 'small pony' friendly the economy became a monster. A monster that gobbled up all my money and left me rather poor.
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Donkeys are a hella expensive ya'll! Ranging around $500-$800 for one that will have been socialized correctly (with other animals) and will be friendly (with humans). You might be wondering why I don't want a horse or small pony but rather a donkey which will Hee-Haw all through the day and night!?! Donkey's are awesome creatures...they are just my size to ride on, they have minds more like dogs then horses, they do not need to eat any gluten grains as other livestock because it will make them get a fat neck and get sick (yay, i can feed my donkey safely with grass and hay!), they are very loving and loyal if you care for them right, they protect other animals from dangers like coyotes, they've got great personality and I am a donkey magnet! Donkeys are also magical fury cuteness... did I mention we can look eye to eye?!
Having a donkey to ride on would liberate my inability to get around very easily (I can only ride my bike so far in the rural mountains before I am exhausted completely). This would be a long term dream come true - some girls want fancy cars & a nice house, but I just want a donkey to be friends with.
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BTW- I already have a name picked out, and it's going to be Ju Ju Bean...oh and this is going to be our theme song together.
Go HERE and read about what neato animals donkeys really are! Then if ya want to donate to my Operation Liberation By Way Of Donkey, shoot me an email (or paypal it) at lesrichard {at} aol [dot] com or leave a comment about it here. :)

XOXO

HimalaSalt Rocks (Pun Intended)

Here's the reason I love this salt - I can not use any brand of food, organic or not, without first checking with a company whether it is completely beyond a shadow of a doubt gluten free. I mean gluten free in the most hardcore, no cross contamination or I get brain damage and digestive horror kind of autoimmune hell fire way. I frequently get the cold shoulder or no answer from companies when I inquire about whether products are free of cheap wheat fillers & dusting... here is what I wrote to Himalasalt:
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"Hey Ya'll !
I have celiac sprue and am on a gluten free diet. I have to make sure all my food is free of gluten, even of contamination with other gluten foods or the dusting of food belts by vendors.
Can someone let me know if your salt is safe for me to eat- by explaining how your facility works, and if there is gluten in the facility?
THANKS! leslie "
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This is the standard friendly inquiry I usually (hate to have to) send out, but I did not get the usual letter back - instead I got what every person with Celiac Sprue, food allergies of every kind, and those with chem sensitivities wants to hear!...
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"Dear Leslie,
We are a completely gluten free facility. We have our own certified organic/kosher for passover facility, where we do all of our own packing. We don't copack for anyone else, nor do we store any gluten, wheat, corn, nuts, shellfish, or any other allergenic substances in our facility. From what I've heard from many
other people like yourself, as well as grocery buyers across the country trying to find a clean product for their customers, we are the only ones that I'm aware of that maintains a facility of this type for packing salt.
Also, we do not iodize our products. Any salt that has been iodized has corn/dextrose included, as that is the base in which the iodine is delivered.
You can feel confident in the cleanliness and purity of HimalaSalt, and I wish you the best health ever!

My best, Melissa "
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Go Melissa! That letter was the unicorn at the end of the rainbow for those with food allergies! Thanks for making a product that is an example of what all consumerism should look like. I made some bad ass pickles with the Himalasalt using cucumbers, herbs and onions from my organic garden! :)
XoXOooo

Scooter Ride and Gluten Free Cookie

Today I went for a ride on an eco friendly scooter (the battery can be charged up electrically and it gets 100 miles to the gallon!) I felt like I was in some kind of romantic movie where the silly (national lampoon) Americans are touring the European countryside via moped... breeze blowing through your hair, bugs flying in your face, dirt in your eyes, hugging the driver tightly as it speeds up, and waving at every local passing by. Except this was just in my 'hood. These two old buildings at the end of Willow Creek Rd. would be the perfect place to have a thrift store. Right now it's a handcrafted broom studio.

I thought this beautiful tiny car was just my size! It said on the side it was a "midget".

Ya'll, if I wasn't excited enough about the awesome donkey I found yesterday, I found a whole 'nother donkey buddy today! She ran right up to the fence to greet me with her horse friend... I think I am a donkey magnet. It felt very beast master. (Please Gawd, send me my very own donkey.)

This barn and rickety silo are on Big Sandy Mush Rd. - it looks like a tower from a fairy tale. I want to climb to the top and let down my hair, or at least pretend to be prisoner. Oh Rapunzel!

These rocks are on the side of the road on Early's Mountain... it's sedimentary my dear. ;)The local dead reside here....

I ended my scoota' ride with gluten free cookies made with wild grown black raspberries!!! I picked the sweet berries right behind my house and used a Namaste cookie mix. Holy cow they were freaking good... mmmmm.

PS- Scooters (and cookies) are way better then cars. XoXo

Namaste Gluten Free Vanilla Cake

This is the first time I have baked and eaten a piece of cake since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2001! I made it with Namaste gluten free vanilla cake mix , just an egg, olive oil and water ... but I had topped it with organic strawberries, lots of organic strawberries that had totally disappeared into the black hole abyss of cake baking. See that pull, that strawberry swallowing vortex in the middle of the cake in the pic above... terrible but true, it reminds me of Freddy Kruger pulling his victim into the center of their bed and them disappearing into his Nightmare On Elm Street, (I know I watched too much gross TV growing up!) After some digging though, I found the yummy berries AND this cake tasted like freaking VANILLA ICE CREAM chew cookie heaven fluff. Happy Valentines to me!

PS- The reason it took me like 8 years to finally eat some gluten free cake is because many of the mixes had corn, dairy, or some other allergen in it that I also couldn't have (and just way too many ingredients in general) - so I gave up on finding any baked goods. Never give up hope!!! Whether it's for a baked good, some money, a cure, or just a hug today. :)

xoxo

Gluten Free Sushi Rolls

This is a quick, easy and completely void of any sushi making equipment recipe - I have loved sushi since I moved to Manhattan back in 1998 & discovered it at one of the many delicious vegan eateries throughout the island. I was so addicted to it that I'd show up at Fairway weekly for the goods made by the "sushi boy" (cute boy who's too young and makes one sushi and gives one free endamame beans from his pocket cause they have crush on each other). Ehem, anyway... here is what you need to make your own simple sushi rolls:
*cooked brown rice
*veggies (like avocado, carrots, cucumbers etc...)
*salmon (cooked) or tofu
*lemon
*ume vinegar or grain free soy sauce (for dipping)
*nori seaweed (unroasted if you don't mind roasting it yourself!)
FIRST: Roast your nori seaweed over your burner till it turns brighter green and crispy, then lay it flat and place a strip if rice on a far end. SECOND: Layer your thinly sliced veggies. I lightly steamed my carrots to make them easier to digest, but you can use them raw too- which is especially good in the summer. :)
THIRD: On top of the veggies layer your protein of choice. The cooked salmon is really good, but for those who are vegetarian tofu and tempeh work awesome too.( Tofu is my favorite kind of sushi!)
I always over stuff my sushi rolls (sushi burrito?), so if you want a tighter roll just add a little less of each layer to control the size of the roll when your done. I am sorry to say, but this pic below of the roll (below) before it's cut into circles kind of grosses me out... remember the part in Caddy Shack when the little girl screams "Doodie, Doodie!!!" about the candy bar in the pool?!?
Ok... so moving right along, LAST: You'll want to have some water ready to roll the sushi tight and make the seaweed stick together properly. I used lemon juice and water for flavor, rubbing it evenly all over the roasted nori. Then once it's done like in the pic above, take a sharp knife and cut one inch sushi rolls (as shown below).
Sushi is best paired with a salty flavor for dipping it in grain free soy sauce or ume vinegar. An extra squeeze of lemon will give it some yummy kick too!
mmmmmmm.
xoxo

Recipe: Vegan, Gluten Free, Macrobiotic 'Minestrone' Soup

The following recipe is an easy to put together faux minestrone soup that caters to eliminating many food allergens. I came up with this one using my slow cooking cajun skills and memory of how the taste of minestrone soup satisfies hunger on a chilly day.

• Organic Groceries You'll Need: Collards, Yellow Squash, Broccoli, Red Onion, Red Beans, Brown Rice Noodles (elbows or shells).

• Organic Seasoning : Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, Bay Leaf and/or Sage), Ume Plums or Sea Salt, Kombu Seaweed, Olive OilStep One: Chop up all the veggies and put them in the pot with water & your seasonings of choice. Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium.Step Two: Cook your Red Beans in a separate pan with bay leaf, rosemary, and pitted ume plum or sea salt. When they are cooked enough to be flavored you can add them to the pot of veggies to cook together.Step Three: Add your Brown Rice Elbows or Shells to the pot and keep simmering on medium till they are cooked through. Make sure to add another half ume plum or some extra salt for the noodles, which makes them easier to digest!

When you are done (I slow cook this for hours) and ready to serve add a little fresh olive oil & a shot of ume vinegar on top your bowl of organic yummy unreal minestrone soup... mmmmmm. This soup turned out so good I already ate 4 bowls today!

PS- If you have allergies to rice try noodles made of corn or beans instead. Another alternative is to add potatoes for a starchy flavor instead of noodles.