The Nourishing Gourmet

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THM

Perfect Instant Pot Black and Brown Rice

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A bowl full of black and brown rice.

Rich in antioxidants, black rice (also known as purple or forbidden rice) adds a light nutty flavor and a wealth of nutrients to this simple dish. It is a striking side dish with subtle flavor, a not-so-subtle color, and many nutrients. 

Black rice is thought to have been reserved for royalty in ancient China, and was also called longevity rice because of its health-promoting properties. It is believed to have been cultivated for thousands of years, making it a traditional food. 

While you can easily cook black rice alone, my family found it more appetizing when mixed and then cooked with brown rice. Because black rice can be expensive, this helps stretch it out. Black rice contains the antioxidant anthocyanin, which gives this dish not only its beautiful color, but is also responsible for potential health benefits such as reducing inflammation, and helping protect against various diseases. It also contains high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, which support eye health. In one controlled study for weight loss, they found that women who frequently ate a brown and black rice diet, instead of white rice, lost more weight, although they ate the same amount of calories. 1, 2, 3.

There are various kinds of black rice, some of which I am eager to try, but haven’t been able to find locally or online. Two accessible brands are Lotus Forbidden Black Rice and Lundberg Black Pearl Rice. I’ve had success using both short and long-grain brown rice in this recipe. 

Many of my readers enjoy “soaking” their grains to reduce anti-nutrients, such as phytic acid in grains. Pressure cooking is an excellent form of cooking to reduce anti-nutrients without soaking. It’s our current preferred way to make rice! Feel free to add a soaking period to this recipe, if desired, however. Rice is traditionally rinsed or washed before cooking, and we now know that it also washes away arsenic in rice, so it is recommended for both culinary and health reasons. 

You can use whatever ratio of brown to black rice that you like, including using this recipe to make all black rice, if desired. 

I am feeding a family, so I use the 6-quart Instant Pot.

Serve with:

Perfect Instant Pot Black and Brown Rice

Printable PDF, Serves 4-6 people 

You can make a smaller portion of this dish by keeping the ratios the same in smaller amounts. (For example: ¼ cup black rice, ¾ cup brown rice, 1 cup water or broth, ¼ teaspoon salt.)

  • 1 cup of black rice 
  • 3 cups of brown rice 
  • 4 cups of water or broth 
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

  1. Rinse rice by placing rice in a fine sieve and rinsing under the faucet until the water runs clear. Or wash the rice by placing rice a large bowl, covering with cold water, and then gently swirling. Pour out the water, and then repeat until the water runs clear and is no longer cloudy. Add drained rice to the instant pot. 
  2. Add water or broth and salt. Secure the lid and then ensure that the steam release valve is in the sealing position. 
  3. Select manual at high pressure and set to 25 minutes. *
  4. Once the cooking time is done, let it naturally release for 10 minutes (natural-release simply means leaving it alone) and then release any remaining pressure by moving the steam release valve to venting position. 

*Many find that 20 minutes is adequate for cooking brown and black rice, but I find that I need the 25 minutes.

Mocha Dark Chocolate Bombs (low sugar)

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hot chocolate bomb in cupcake liner on a snowy background

These low-sugar, dark hot chocolate mocha bombs create a luxurious and thick hot chocolate mocha drinking experience. You can make this low-sugar or sugar-free using the options below. It’s perfect for gift giving! 

What are hot cocoa or hot chocolate bombs? These sphere-shaped chocolate treats are full of hot cocoa mix and whatever else you want to add (in this case, sugar-free marshmallows and coffee) that “explode” when hot milk is poured over it. Most of the versions out there are double or even triple the amount of sugar content of a regular cup of hot cocoa, which is not kind to some of us who are sensitive to that amount of sugar. This version remains quite sweet, without tons of added sugar. 

A quick note on alternative sweeteners: I personally don’t use many of the alternative sweeteners. One of my favorites is allulose, which is a “rare” natural sugar. THM Gentle Sweet is another favorite. Xylitol and erythritol are also good options. WARNING: xylitol is very dangerous to dogs. So please use utmost caution if you have pets (Max Mallows are also sweetened with xylitol).

No Alternative Sweetener Version: While traditionally hot chocolate/hot cocoa bombs are stuffed full, your bomb will be super delicious with only the chocolate shell and the instant coffee powder inside. Why? The chocolate in the shell is more than adequate to flavor and sweeten your cup. To make this a low sugar version, just use the darkest chocolate you can find. 

Why Dutch Process Cocoa? This recipe uses dutch process cocoa, which is important because this version of cocoa will stir in easily. 

Sugar Free Chocolate Chips:

Low Sugar NO Alternative Sweetener Options:

Other ingredients: 

Kitchen Tools Needed:

hot cocoa bomb on a snowy background

Low Sugar Dark Chocolate Mocha Bombs

Printable PDF, Makes 3, double to make 6

  • 1 cup chocolate chips (6 ounces)
  • 4 ½ teaspoons instant coffee (I used organic decaf) 
  • 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice (I used THM Gentle Sweet, but you can also use allulose, or xylitol or erythritol) 
  • 1 ½ tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder 
  • 6 Max Mallow Marshmallows 
  • ¼ cup (2 ounces) white chocolate (Lily’s for a sugar-free and delicious version), optional for decoration

Melt Chocolate: Microwave version: In a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, melt chocolate chips, stirring after every 20-30 seconds until just melted. Double Boiler: Set up a double boiler, being careful to never allow moisture into the chocolate as it melts. Melt over medium heat, stirring until just melted. 

Brush melted chocolate into the 6 cavities of your mold, making sure that it’s even and goes all the way up the sides. Put in freezer for five minutes, remove, and then add a second coat. Two weak areas are the bottom and the very top. Ensure those all have plenty of chocolate. You should have very little chocolate left at this point. Put back in the freezer to set for at least five minutes.  

Meanwhile, combine the dutch process cocoa and the sugar of choice for your hot cocoa mix. 

Once chocolate is hardened, remove from freezer. Check for any holes, and patch up if needed with more chocolate (and then refreeze). Gently remove from mold, but then place back in the mold for the next step. On one side, spoon the DIY hot cocoa mix evenly into 3 of the half spheres. Add 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee to each sphere. Add 1 or 2 max mallows on top. Now, heat a small pan over medium heat until warm. Remove from heat. Take the other (empty) half of the spheres, and place rim down on the pan to JUST begin melting the rim. Now that you have some melted chocolate, gently press down on the filled sphere half. It should adhere. Repeat process with other two spheres. Put back in freezer to harden for five minutes. Remove when hardened. 

Problem Solving: Sometimes there were gaps in the sides when I joined the two sides. To fix these, use a little melted chocolate and brush on. You can also brush a little chocolate around the rims of the two halves if they didn’t probably stick together.  I found it helpful to re-freeze first before doing this step. Keep your kitchen cold, and wear plastic food prep gloves if your hands are very warm. 

Melt ¼ cup white chocolate in a small cup in microwave until just melted, and using a fork, drizzle over the top of the chocolate bombs. Let set. Package by placing in a cupcake liner, and then into a small candy bag. 

To Serve: Place hot chocolate bomb in a large mug, and pour over approximately 1 cup of milk of choice. The bomb should melt and the marshmallows should come to the top. Let sit for 30-60 seconds, and then stir well to finish melting the chocolate.

Spicy Korean Beef and Cabbage

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A bowl full of spicy Korean beef and cabbage.

This simple main dish is not only full of healthy protein and vegetables, but is also bursting with flavor! Even better, it is a fast main dish to make on busy nights and is incredibly frugal. We usually eat this once a week on a night when I have 30 minutes or less to make dinner. 

With food costs where they are right now, I am loading our menu with meal options that fill us up for less, and this fits the bill. My kids and husband eat this over rice, and I usually eat a bowl of it plain or served over konjac noodles for a grain-free option.

One of the secrets of this meal is using the Korean spicy fermented red chili paste called gochujang. This spicy paste is the secret to many Korean dishes, and I always keep it on hand. (Many of them contain gluten, but this brand is what I use and is gluten-free. Unless you like things really spicy, I recommend buying mild or medium.) I even noticed that Trader Joe’s was carrying gochujang for a great price recently! 

However, if you are not a K-drama junkie like we are (and don’t usually cook Korean-inspired meals), you can easily substitute red chili flakes or sriracha sauce instead. (I really love this organic sriracha sauce, and we use it to top this dish to add more flavor when serving!)

Note: While I am calling this recipe “Korean” because of the gochujang sauce, this is not a traditional Korean dish.

We do a lot of Asian-inspired meals in our family, as they are flavorful, protein and produce-rich, and are naturally gluten and dairy-free with just a few tweaks (like using tamari instead of soy sauce). 

While I am avoiding grains most of the time right now, my family enjoys this meal with rice which is a very frugal carbohydrate. I also can get a 2 pound package of coleslaw mix at Sam’s Club right now for slightly over 2 dollars. Cabbage is on the Clean 15 list, a list of produce with the least amount of pesticide residue, making this a not only very frugal ingredient but also a safer one too! 

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Bowl of spicy Korean cabbage and beef

Spicy Korean Beef and Cabbage

Serves 4, Printable PDF

  • 1 pound coleslaw mix (slightly more, or slightly less cabbage will work too!)  
  • ⅓-½ cup water 
  • 1 pound of lean ground meat (I usually use lean grassfed beef, but ground turkey is lovely too.) 
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder 
  • 3-6 garlic cloves minced (or 2-4 teaspoon garlic powder) 
  • 1-2 teaspoons of dried ginger powder (or 1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger) 
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang (to add spice without gochujang paste, substitute 1 teaspoon or so of red chili flakes, or a tablespoon or two of sriracha sauce, to taste.) 
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (unflavored and unsweetened) 
  • 2 tablespoon tamari (GF soy sauce option) 
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 
  • Sesame seeds and/or chopped green onions, to finish (optional)
  1. In a large pot, add the coleslaw mix and the water. Cook for 3-5 minutes over medium high heat, until water is mostly gone, and cabbage is wilted, stirring to prevent any sticking. Start with ⅓ cup of water and add more if needed. 
  2. Add ground beef, onion powder, garlic, gochujang, vinegar, and tamari. Stir, and break ground beef into small pieces, and cook until meat is cooked (no longer pink), and moisture is mostly gone again. 
  3. Add 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and stir to disperse. Now taste test, and add more tamari, vinegar, gochujang or sesame oil to desired taste. 
  4. To serve, eat in bowls with or without rice, and sprinkle with chopped green onions and/or sesame seeds. We also like a drizzle of this sriracha sauce.

Herbal Hibiscus Lemonade (Keto, THM)

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The tart and floral flavors of hibiscus, chamomile, peppermint, and (optional) rosebuds or lavender make this stevia-sweetened hibiscus lemonade special. While I’ve been enjoying this flavorful drink through the cold dark winter, it will be even more welcome on warm spring days and hot summer days. It’s a lovely, antioxidant-rich beverage that will keep you hydrated without adding calories and sugar.

Because hibiscus lends so much flavor and tartness, you won’t need as many lemons for this lemonade. By the way, you can make this using just the hibiscus as well, though I love the more subtle and complex flavors the other herbs add. Each of these special herbs and flowers adds its own flavor, as well as benefits. 

This is sweetened with pure stevia for a sugar-free option. This is a great choice because there is already an herbal flavor to this lemonade, and lemon also hides stevia well. Other options include pure monk fruit, or, to go old-school, you could sweeten with simple syrup. Because I drink this almost daily, I like to keep mine sugar-free. 

For those on THM, make sure that you use pure stevia powder or pure monk fruit powder. 

This drink is a wonderful way to stay hydrated, but you also get gentle support from these herbs, along with the lemon. There are many benefits to each. As always, it’s good to make sure that there are no contraindications with any medicines you may be taking or other considerations (including if pregnant or breastfeeding), before adding any herbs regularly. But these herbs are generally considered safe for most people, and herbal infusions are a gentle way to consume them while getting many of their benefits. A friend’s nutritionist recommended daily hibiscus infusions as part of her protocol for lowering high blood pressure, and I’ve been intrigued since. 

For example, a few of the possible benefits include: Hibiscus is full of antioxidants and can support the liver and lower high blood pressure (if you have low blood pressure, ask your doctor about whether this is appropriate for you). Chamomile and hibiscus both have been studied for possible anti-cancer benefits. Chamomile and peppermint can aid your digestion, while chamomile can help lower blood sugar. Sources 1, 2, 3

A simple way to make this? I just use my French Press! Here’s the one I own. Any eight-cup (34 oz) French press will work. OR, steep in any heat-safe container, and pour through a strainer when finished.

Where to source herbs

I was able to find mine at a local co-op/store where they provide herbs and spices in bulk. This is an excellent path when experimenting and deciding what you like and don’t like. Long-term, you may want to buy in bulk as it will be a cheaper option. Do so by buying through a trusted company (Frontier co-op and Mountain Rose Herbs both have good reputations). Rose petals or rose buds are harder to source, as well as more expensive, so they are optional. I would be very wary of buying online through companies that don’t have a strong reputation.

Helpful kitchen items: 

Other Delicious Healthy Beverages:

Herbal Hibiscus Lemonade 

  • 2-4 tablespoons hibiscus petals 
  • 1 tablespoon chamomile blossoms 
  • 1 tablespoon dried peppermint 
  • 5 edible dried rosebuds (or 1 tablespoon dried rose petals), OR 1 heaping teaspoon dried lavender, optional*
  • 2 lemons 
  • Pure Stevia Extract (no fillers) 

Put all of the herbs into the French press. Two tablespoons of hibiscus will make a more mild and gentle version. 4 tablespoons is very bright and flavorful (and it may need a little extra stevia to counteract the tartness). 

Add hot water to fill line and allow to steep for twenty minutes without the lid on. Stir once or twice to ensure all of the herbs are submerged. 

Once the herbal infusion is lukewarm or room temperature, press down with the plunger on the French Press. Fill two mason jars ¾ full of ice. Add the juice of one lemon to each jar. Add a heaping 1/16 teaspoon or a scant ⅛ teaspoon of Now Pure Stevia extract to each quart. Split herbal infusion between the two jars and fill to the fill line with water, if needed. Stir well, making sure the stevia is dissolved. Add more stevia to taste, if needed. Enjoy!

*Rosebuds/petals will give a light floral flavor. Lavender will be more pronounced.