Perhaps you are like me and you have a cute little baby crawling all over your flat. This means, by default, that you need to employ complex mathematical
equations to figure out when to cook. Or maybe, your time in the kitchen is tapering off for other reasons. However, you can relate how crucial is to prepare in advance basic ingredients such as whole grains.
The first time I made this macaroon I was attempting to make a vegan option of some famous Italians pastries. The challenge was to make them as soft as the original ones without eggs and butter, well…the most staggering benefit of cooking from leftovers is that you can change your dessert destiny just raiding the fridge. At the first glance cooked brown rice may seems unlikely match for macaroons, but when its smooth taste is swirled into the slightly nutty dough the result is irresistible. Sure enough, you’ll need quite a bit of will to do not eat the whole thing before it goes into the oven.
Whole-grain brown rice is not only tastier but also contain a plethora of nutrients and antioxidants missing in the refined white variety. Among them there are vitamins B and E. Vitamin B group is a great support for the nervous system. In other words it helps you feel good, calm and stable. I usually relay on food rich in vitamin B when I’m particularly tired. Vitamin E is a great antioxidant that prevent fat accumulation and helps fight cholesterol.
An other essential point to understand the value of brown rice is the remarkable effect of the rice bran (the coating) on lowering blood sugar levels.
I have to admit that I love brown rice, it has changed my life. Since I eat whole food I experience more energy, clearer thinking and great mood. I use whole almond instead of almonds meal or peeled almonds, for similar reasons. Independently from the taste that is unquestionably better in the whole version, the oil in the nuts, when shredded or milled, gets very quickly rancid. This means you loose most of the goodness and subtile tastes get ruined.
For this recipe you need a little food processor or grinder, a medium bowl and perching paper.
Ingredients
½ Cup of whole almonds
½ Cup of cooked brown rice
2/3 Cup of desiccated coconut meal; plus some for decoration (optional)
1/3 Cup of brown rice syrup; plus some for decoration (optional)
Direction
Mill the almond and the rice separately. You don’t want any single rice grain to remain entire. Add a spoon of water if needed.
In a medium bowl whisk all ingredients thoroughly . You can use a spatula, or in a less orthodox but very effective way, your fingers.
With damp hands, take a little portion of mixture and shape into a ball that is half tinier than a golf ball. Place on the perching paper and repeat with the remaining mixture.
Bake at 150º C for 15/20 minutes or until slightly gold. Set aside to cool down so you can handle.
If you have some spare time remaining, it is worth to invest it to decorate your macaroons. Prepare a bit coconut and a bit of rice syrup in two separate bowls.
Dip and roll the macaroon in the syrup, then roll in the coconut. Arrange on a plate and serve.
This recipe has a startling simplicity which makes it perfect for dwindling time and listless cute-little-crawiling-baby-equipped cooks. However you can’t help but notice how quickly the macaroon wane from the plate and before long you will need to make them again. Personally I’m doubling the ingredients and store the macaroons, into the fridge in an airtight container. I cannot tell how long they last as in 3 days they are all gone!
SIMPLEGRAIN 