My New Blender

I have a really great blender. Really. White, glass jar, crunches ice. Sure, I melted the front in a mishap with the electric skillet, but, hey, it isn't THAT bad. Adds character. It's an old friend--- and essential for making rice milk, which is essential for our casein-free life.

But then I lost the O-ring. 

I have really great children. Really. In the process of raising responsible citizens, they help with the dishes. In the process of raising responsible citizens, the O-ring disappeared. 

But I needed rice milk. Right. Then. Argh. 

So I went to Wal-Mart and picked up a new blender. Need it with a food processor, too? Sure. Why not? 

Of course (of course!) as soon as I got home I found the old O-ring. Score. 2 blenders! And they have really come in handy with the amount of chopping and pureeing I do. The new blender made me realize how dull the blade of the old one had gotten over time. The new Oster blender can blend smoothies and rice milk much creamier than the other blender. 

So here is my recipe for Rice Milk:

RICE MILK

1 cup brown rice

6 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

Put the brown rice in a small crockpot and add 6 cups of water.

Cover and cook from 3-6 hours, the longer the better. Let cool.

Put half of the rice into a blender. Add water to fill. Blend for 1-2 minutes on high. 

Pour through a strainer into a large pitcher. 

Put remaining rice into the blender. Add water to fill and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend for 1-2 minutes on high.

Now here's the tricky part:

Pour the rice milk from blender into the pitcher with the rest. Then pour it from the pitcher back into the blender, and then into the pitcher, and then the blender. You get the idea. The turbidity of the pouring liquid mixes the two batches more effectively than a spoon. Chill. 

*****

I'll be making a batch of this in just a few minutes. Right after I find that O-ring...

photo courtesy of: http://khuzama.edu.glogster.com/brown-rice/

Rice Grits

On a whim at Wal-Mart, I decided to purchase Arrowhead Mills' Rice & Shine Rice Grits. We ate them this morning, and they were a big hit! Easy to make (though they do need constant stirring) and no sweetening required to make it palatable. Just add some salt and canola oil and you're good to go.

Not knowing how much I would need for our family, I made too much for breakfast. But all was not lost, as these make great leftovers, not like the congealed mass that corn grits turns into. The kids gobbled up the rest at snack time.

This recipe does not meet most paleo standards, but it is kosher, gluten-free, casein-free, corn-free, and Feingold approved.

Now we embark on the journey of learning how to make our own.

Here's the recipe I used for 9 people with enough leftovers for snack:

RICE GRITS

1 box (which was 1 qt) of Arrowhead Mills' Rice & Shine Rice Grits
2 tsp salt
3 T oil
12 cups of water

Place all ingredients in a large pot. Cook on medium/high heat, stirring constantly, until desired thickness.

Photo courtesy of: www.amazon.com