Delicious Black Rice Recipe

Part of my natural hair journey is taking care of my body from the inside out. If I’m healthy, my hair, skin, and nails reap the benefits. So, here’s one of my favorite vegetarian recipes:

black rice and spinach salad

You’ll need:

spinach, 
an avocado, 
a carrot, 
a tomato, 
garlic, 
parsley, 
black rice, 
olive oil, 
sea salt, 
grounded black pepper
manchego 

For some ingredients, I don’t really measure the exact amount. I think measuring can make cooking stressful and tedious. This salad recipe is suppose to be easy and delicious.


Step 1:
Boil some black rice. The best way to do this is pour the amount of black rice you want in a pot. Then, add some water such that the level is about an inch higher than the rice. Turn the heat of the stove all the way up until it begins to boil. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat all the way down to the lowest temperature. Cover the pot, and let it simmer. Periodically check on the rice to make sure that it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Tip: one way to avoid sticking is to drizzle a little olive oil over the rice, add a splash of water and stir.

Step 2:
While the rice is cooking, chop the spinach, tomato, and avocado. Then finely chop the parsley and garlic. Lastly, take a peeler shave a carrot into thin slices.











Step 3:
When the rice is ready, season it with a little sea salt and black pepper. Now that the rice is done, it’s ready for plating.
Tip: If you’re having trouble deciding if the rice is cooked, have a taste. If it is soft enough to eat, but firm enough not to be soggy, it’s done. Be careful not to overcook the rice. It does take longer to cook than white rice would, but it’s worth the wait!.

Step 4:
Add the spinach, avocado, tomato, carrot shavings, garlic, and parsley.

Step 5:
Add a little sea salt, black pepper, and drizzle some olive oil over the salad. 

Step 6: 
Top it off with a little bit of manchego.

Bon Appetit!

Let’s Talk About Juicing! (part 2)

In part 1 of Let’s Talk About Juicing I discussed the various health benefits that juicing has to offer and shared my first recorded juicing recipe.
Today, I’m going to share my second recipe. I hope you guys give it a try!
(If you enjoy reading this blog, follow me on tumblr, instagram and facebook @naturalsunited, and on twitter @naturalsunited2 )

This one is a Carrot Juice

You’ll need the following ingredients:

• About 2 dozen carrots
• 3 apples
• 2 inches of ginger
• 1 lemon

Once all these ingredients are juiced, I usually stir it up and store it in a glass jar. This batch usually lasts all week for me if I have a glass every afternoon.

Carrots are really high in antioxidants, has cardiovascular, and well as anti-cancer benefits. Apples are actually pretty high in fiber, vitamin C, and can help regulate blood sugar. The most surprising fact about it is that is among the few fruits that help fight against lung cancer! Ginger goes a long way for gastrointestinal health and can help boost the immune system. Lemons are another great source of vitamin C, also have a number of anti-cancer benefits, and it’s really good for your skin!Source:
http://www.whfoods.com

 

Let’s Talk About Juicing! (part 1)

With all this talk about natural hair and how to maintain healthy, or perhaps, long hair we tend to focus on what we apply on the body topically. Another important aspect is also how we treat our bodies on the inside. Your hair as well as your skin and nails can display the first signs of how your body is doing on the inside. If you’re breaking out a little more than usual, if you’re experiencing breakage in your hair, or even brittle nails, your diet could potentially be the source of the problem. I’m not even necessarily talking about foods we should not eat. I’m talking about foods that the average person doesn’t eat nearly enough: fruits and veggies!

That being said, one of my favorite ways to get my daily serving of vegetables is through juicing.

Juicing is a great way to consume a large amount of fresh fruits and veggies in an efficient way. It’s easier for your body to absorb the nutrients from veggie juice rather than chewing solid foods. Juicing is also a great way to detox the body, maintain good skin/hair, and has a plethora of overall health benefits as well (i.e. lowering cholesterol, preventing cancer and reversing diabetes). It’s also a great way to jump start weight loss or just encourage better eating habits.

Now that the lecture is over, the next few posts will be about my favorite juicing recipes! Give it a try and tell me what you think!

@naturalsunited on twitter, facebook, tumblr, and now instagram!

The first one is very simple:

Orange Juice 

Ingredients: 10 oranges

                  1 or 2 inches of ginger

The orange juice is loaded with vitamin C to boost your immune system. The ginger is great for gastrointestinal health, another boost for the immune system, and gives the juice a nice kick of spice.

source:

http://whfoods.com/