Super Easy Awesome Rosemary Beef & Rice

Rosemary Beef & Rice with Roasted Delecata Squash

Ingredients:

• Beef stew bone (grass-fed)
• Splash of organic apple cider vinegar
• Large organic fresh rosemary sprig
• 3 Lg. cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• Handful of fresh chives (or about 2 tsp. dry chives), or 1 small onion, quartered
• Salt & Pepper
• Sprouted organic rice* (brown or mixed)

Preparation:

• Take the stew bone out of the freezer and throw it into a large crock pot. Cover with water, add a splash of apple cider vinegar (pulls nutrients out of the bone) and cook on low overnight. 
• In the morning, add rosemary, chives, and garlic. Cover and continue to cook on low through the day. 
• About an hour before dinner time, turn off the crock pot, remove the stew bone into a large shallow bowl or glass casserole. Carefully remove the meat (which should be falling off the bone) shred it with a fork and put aside. Let the bones cool and then give them to your dog. 
• Strain the broth through a fine sieve, measure out two cups into a medium (2 – 3 qt. stainless steel pot) and put the remaining broth aside to cool. Add the shredded beef, 1 cup of sprouted rice*, a tsp. of salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. 
• Turn the heat to low, cover the beefy rice mixture and simmer according to the instructions for the rice you use. At the end of the cooking period, remove from heat, keep covered and let sit about ten to 15 minutes. 
• Stir and serve (sprinkle a little fresh minced parsley on top for color).

Total prep time – 20 to 30 minutes.

* For this recipe, I used a mix of TruRoots sprouted rice trio, organic wild rice, and organic jasmine white rice... but any rice will do-- keep it organic for good health.

I've made this recipe twice now. The first soup bone I used had much more meat on it. This time, not so much, but still enough to make a pretty meaty dish for two people-- with left-overs. The recipe lends itself to easy adjustment for any number of servings. Use enough broth for the standard rice recipe and add another half cup for moisture.

If you want a lot of broth, just use a bigger crock pot and more water to cook the bones. With my smallish pot, I ended up with about a quart of broth over and above the amount needed to make the rice dish-- it's going in the freezer for another day.

Why use sprouted rice? Sprouting (or germinating) the rice kernels releases dormant enzymes, softens the bran layer making it easier to digest, and neutralizes phytic acid in the grain. Phytic acid inhibits nutrient absorption, which is why it is referred to as an "anti-nutrient." Any grain or bean will be more healthful if it has first been sprouted... for all the same reasons.

The final comment I want to make on this recipe is that you will notice a layer of beef fat on your broth. Don't panic. Contrary to popular belief (based on...well, a popular belief), beef fat is not unhealthy. We've been sold a bill of goods, as they say, and made to believe that saturated fat is horrible and will harden our arteries, possibly before we finish our dinner.  As a matter of fact, it is quite healthy and should not be avoided. Beef fat is about 50 to 55 percent saturated fat, about 40 percent monounsaturated, and about 3 percent polyunsaturated. 

Saturated fats are important to cell and bone health, and they enhance the immune system. It is actually the polyunsaturated fats, the ones our health and nutrition "experts" keep telling us to eat, that contribute to a large number of disease conditions including (but not limited to) heart disease and cancer. One reason for this is their unstable nature. They go rancid quickly and break down under exposure to heat and air, releasing free radicals. Free radicals, as we all know, cause all kinds of mayhem in the human body and are to be avoided at all costs. Here is an interesting look at vegetable oils, many of which are high in polyunsaturated fat. You can also find a wealth of trustworthy information on the Weston A. Price Foundation's website regarding healthy fats and other nutrition topics.

A very important thing to keep in mind, though, is to make sure your meat is grass-fed (on clean, pesticide-free grass). Not all meat is created equal! Beef that is raised in a industrial feed lot will be saturated (pun intended) with antibiotics, growth hormones, and genetically modified grain loaded with toxins. Yes, you definitely want to avoid THAT kind of meat.

Enjoy!