How to Make Perfectly Browned Rice

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Our bodies turn starch and other carbohydrates into glucose for energy. When our blood sugar (glucose levels) is high for a protracted period of time, also known as hyperglycemia, it can damage nerves, veins, arteries and organs, like the pancreas- the organ that produces insulin. When the pancreas becomes damaged or stops working, as seen when a person is hyperglycemic, there is little or insufficient insulin produced which can lead to diabetes. 𝑺𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒔? 1. Brown your rice. 3. Don't make a habit of eating rice and beans in the same meal 4. Stop eating potatoes (except if you live in frigid zones or if you can't afford better quality vegetables). 5. Dont make a habit of eating pasta. 6. Don't eat sweets at every meal. 7. Eat more fruits and vegetables. ------- Ingedients: 2 cups basmati rice 3 3/4 cups water 3 tbsp olive oil Salt to taste (add no more than 1 tsp) Directions: 1. Add rice to a small bowl. 2. Gently rice rinse with water (as shown in video). Pour off water, using your hand to keep the rice from falling out. Repeat until water is fairly clear. 3. Fill bowl of rice with bottled water until rice is covered. Soak for 15 minutes. 4. During the last 2-3 minutes of soaking, heat your skillet on medium low heat. 5. Once heated, add olive oil to the pan. 6. Pour water off of rice and complete 2 once more. 7. Pour rice into pan and stir making sure all of the rice is coated with olive oil. 8. Stir the rice frequently (every 2 minutes) to ensure the rice is cooking evenly and to prevent sticking. Keep pan on medium low heat. 9. While the rice is toasting, place water into the pot and allow to come to a boil. 10. After about 7-10min, most of your rice should be lightly toasted. 11. Add water to the pan and stir. Be sure to scrape the sides and get all of the grains in the water. 12. Cover with a lid and allow to cook on low heat for 7-10 minutes. The rice is done when it's soft but still holds its shape. It is overcooked when the rice is too fluffy/mushy. 13. Let cool for 5 min. before stirring. 14. After 5 min, flake with a fork and serve😊

A post shared by (N)A(E E M A)H ZAAKIRAH (@simplyneema) on Aug 12, 2019 at 6:48pm PDT

Easy Peezy Lentil Chili

Picture is not taken or owned by Simply Neema

Even though this recipe is extremely simple it is absolutely delicious! Give it a try and let me know what you think:)

Ingredients:

2 cups brown lentils

2 tbsp. salted butter

8 cups water

8 cloves garlic (minced)

Note: I love garlic but if you don't, try adding 4 cloves of garlic and see how you like it. After you make it and it tastes like something is missing, add 6 cloves next time

1/2 medium onion (diced)

8 tbsp. tomato sauce

Note: If you can, please find tomato sauce in a glass jar not the one in the can. 

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1/2 tbsp. oregano

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. cumin

2 tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 - 2 1/2 tsp salt

Note: Start with 2 tsps. if that is not enough for you add an addition 1/2 tsp

Tools:

Medium sized pot with a lid

Mixing spoon

Cutting board

Kitchen knife

Tasting spoon

Directions:

1. As always, begin by preparing your mis en plas (fun fact) which is, a French culinary term that literally means "putting in place". This word is used in professional kitchens when it is time to prep your ingredients before you start cooking. Doing this will help save a lot of time in the kitchen.

2. Dice and mince the necessary ingredients (stated above in the ingredient list).

3. Heat up the pot on medium low heat. After about 2 minutes place butter in the pan. Allow to melt completely before adding other ingredients.

4. Swirl the pot around to evenly coat the bottom. Place garlic and onions in pot. Mix and let them sauté in the pan for about 30 seconds.

5. Place the seasonings (cumin, chili powder, oregano and cayenne pepper) and flour in the pot, stir and allow to toast for 30 seconds. Do not add salt at this point. (fun fact) Adding salt to the lentils before they are cooked causes them to become tough.

6. Add tomato sauce and water. Allow to come to a low boil.

8. Once the water is boiling, add the lentils, increase to medium heat and cover with a lid.

9. Allow the lentils to cook for 30 - 40 minutes. Stirring every 15 minutes

Note: Check the lentils after 30 minutes and taste them. If they are still a little crunchy cook them for an additional 10 minutes.

10. Once all of the lentils are soft, reduce the heat to low then add salt. Allow to cook for 5 minutes.

11. Taste to make sure the chili is seasoned to your liking.

12.  Add your favorite toppings or eat as is :)

I hope you try and enjoy the recipe. If you did, please feel free to send me pictures or a written review via Instagram (@SimplyNeema) or Twitter (@SimplyNeema). Also, if you liked the recipe, share it so others can enjoy it too. Thank you!:)

Lentil Curry Soup

Picture is not taken or owned by Simply Neema

(Red) Lentil Curry Soup

My version

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups lentils 

4 1/2 cups water

2 roma tomatoes (cubed)

1/2 medium onion (diced)

4 cloves garlic (minced), if you love garlic like me, mince 2 more cloves of garlic:) 

1 tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garam masala

3 tbsp ghee or butter
3/4 tsp salt

cayenne pepper (optional)

Tools:

Medium sized pot with a lid

Mixing spoon

Cutting board

Kitchen knife
Food processor (optional)

Directions:

1. Begin by preparing your mis en plas (fun fact) which is, a French culinary term that literally means "putting in place". This word is used in professional kitchens when it is time to prep your ingredients before you start cooking. Doing this will help save a lot of time in the kitchen.

2. Cube, dice and mince the necessary ingredients (stated above in the ingredient list).

3. Heat up the pot on medium low heat. After about 2 minutes, place ghee/butter in the pan. Allow to melt completely before adding other ingredients.

4. Swirl the pot around to evenly coat the bottom of the pot. Place garlic and onions in pot. Mix and let them sauté in the pan until they become fragrant (about 30 seconds).

5. Place the tomatoes in the pot along with the seasonings (curry powder, garam masala, cayenne pepper and cumin). Do not add salt at this point. (fun fact) Adding salt to the lentils before they are cooked causes them to become tough.

6. Cook the mix for 1 minute.

7.  Add water to the pot and allow to come to a low boil.

8. Once the water is boiling, add the lentils, reduce to low heat and cover with a lid.

9. Allow the lentils to cook for 15-20 minutes. This is the reason I love to use red lentils for soup, they cook very quickly compared to the other varieties.
Note: If you do not have red lentils you can try the recipe using a different type of lentil. (fun fact) It takes 30 minutes for brown lentils to cook and 40 minutes for green.

10. Once all of the lentils have split, reduce the heat to low then add your salt. Allow to cook for 2 minutes.
Note: If you are using a different kind of lentil, you may need to adjust the amount seasonings. Add salt 1/2 tsp at a time tasting after each addition to ensure you don't over season the soup.

11. Taste to make sure the soup is seasoned to your liking.
Note: If you feel like you need more seasonings, add a little more salt or curry powder a pinch at a time, tasting after each addition. Once you are satisfied with the flavor, let it cook on low heat for another 2 minutes.

12. You can serve it as is or blend it in a food processor.

I hope you try and enjoy the recipe. If you did, please feel free to send me pictures or a written review via Instagram (@SimplyNeema) or Twitter (@SimplyNeema). Also, if you liked the recipe, share it so others can enjoy it too. Thank you!:)

“Ground” Fish Tacos

Although this recipe is titled “Ground” Fish Tacos, it is not the only dish you can make with it. The ground fish is delicious in a quesadilla. You can also use butter lettuce and add sautéed vegetables to make lettuce wraps. The list is endless!

Thank you so much for allowing me to have a few moments of your time and I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you post your dish on social media, please feel free to tag me. I’d love to see your results! :) If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me.

Does Love Make You Powerless?

"Love is a deep creative force that is based upon duty and obligation." - Louis Farrakhan  

I didn't understand what this meant until I got married. Real love and marriage literally forces us to change and become a better person. To force a change in something does not mean you would have to become an oppressor. Force means mental or moral strength or power. True love gives one the power to conquer their weakness and turn them into strengths. When you really love someone, and you see that something you are doing is hindering their growth, development or happiness in any way, you being to sincerely desire to change that particular behavior. For example, in the beginning of my husband and I's relationship, I did not know how to express my emotions and because of that I just did not express how I felt at all. This caused stress for the both of us. Ultimately, it prevented our relationship from growing. It is just like the relationship between the sun and plants. When the rays of the sun are able to communicate with the plants, they are able to develop. If that line of communication is interrupted, growth will cease. Love pushes us past the limits we set for ourselves.

Love is a verb. It requires one to ACT on their duty to their partner. You can’t claim you love someone and neglect to SHOW them that you love them. What if God treated us that way? What if we did everything right but He never blessed us, never gave us the strength when we needed it, and was never there when we called on Him. What would we think about that type of God? God is Love. He acts on His Love for us but God doesn’t just let us say we love Him. He’s going to make us prove it.

Love doesn’t make us powerless. It is the person who we choose to share our space with that can make us powerless, if we allow it. But, we can also make ourselves powerless by not learning, practicing and growing into a man or woman of God. This is something that happens before you get married. Prepare yourself for what you prayed for. If you are praying for a good man or good woman, start with yourself first. Then God will bring someone into your life that will assist you on your journey, and vice versa.

But it starts with God, Dr. Ava Muhammad said it best, "Real love is God's Gift of Life...If you love God with all your heart, what is left for your partner? Some of the Essence of God is in your spouse, so you cannot love God without loving your spouse. The heart is a divinely constructed instrument into which God can speak to you and from which He can hear your thoughts. Love is power in and of itself, so if you pour your unique energy into it, it will yield amazing results. The creative force that is Love is forever seeking to ease the tension that life in this dimension has imposed upon us. It desires to return to its original state of rest. For you and I, that is the inner state of peace that can only be attained through the knowledge of God and the light of understanding."

Sources:

Real Love by Dr. Ava Muhammad

“Love ye one another, even as I have loved you” Minister Louis Farrakhan 

Minister Farrakhan’s Tweet

Intermittent Fasting | Eating One Meal A Day

"When God prescribes fasting, which means you deny yourself something very natural which is food. We all need food to live, but the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us food keeps you here and food takes you away. Anything that you do in extreme will hurt you. Extreme fasting will kill you. Extreme eating will kill you too. So we have to find the balance. So when God asks the righteous to fast in a world like this and to deny ourselves what our bodies need for nourishment then that fasting produces a discipline. If  you can stay away from what you naturally need to live then you can discipline yourself to stay away from that which is against your life- smoking, drinking, the use of drug, etc." - LouisFarrakhan

Before I began eating one meal every other day, I first had to commit to the idea of eating that way for the rest of my life (except for during the times I become pregnant). It is not healthy to seesaw between eating one meal a day and one meal every other day. We should strive to maintain regularity in our eating habits. Try to eat at the same time every day or every other day. This will prevent your stomach from calling for food at various hours of the day. 

Second, I fasted for three days in order to build up my discipline. I thought, "after abstaining from eating for three days, not eating for two days will be a piece of cake". After about a week, I quickly realized it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but fasting before I started helped a lot. 

If you are interesting in eating one meal a day or one meal every other day, I HIGHLY recommend buying How to Eat to Live Book 1 and Book 2. These books cover topics that I was not able to get into (because the video would have been too long) such as important steps you MUST take when eating one meal a day or every other day, the best time to eat, the proper foods to eat, and much much more. 

I hope you enjoyed this video series! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or leave a comment below.

Part 1

Part 2

Sunflower Seed Butter Cups

Sunflower seed butter cups was one of my favorite desserts as a child, and they still are. I loved helping my mom make these, but the best part being able to lick the spoon after we finished😁

I hope you and your loved ones enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or leave a comment below.

Quick side note, in the video I used 70% dark chocolate but you can use any kind of chocolate you like that is why I did not specify which type of chocolate chips you should use.