4-Ingredient Congee

I just turned 49 years old, and quite frankly, I feel blessed to be here. 

Although I feel better and stronger than I did in my 20s and early 30s, I'm eager to level things up before I enter the big 5-0. 

So this year, I'm refining my CARE Kit™:

C=Connection

I have a regular gratitude practice, and most of the time, it's connections with the people in my life that make the list. This seemingly tiny practice has upgraded my life more than almost anything else. 

This year, I'd like to level up our community connection and host our first IRL event! 

A=Active Body & Mind

I've been walking and sporadically working out. I tried to pick up running as a new and affordable habit but I find it so hard lol so instead, I treated myself to a new gym. It's a mix of hardcore muscle heads, busy professionals, parents, and even some teens. I love the vibe and though it's only been two weeks, I can already tell how much it's helping my mental game.

I don't doom scroll, but I do get lost in the vortex of cute dog videos. Though I'll never stop doing that 🙃 I'm going to start reading real books again. 

R=Rest for 7-8 hours 

Speaking of reading, I've gone back to reading before bed. I love it. It's such a beautiful way to wind down and cap off the day, put fun imagery or a-ha moments into my brain to further compute and integrate as I sleep. I've just started Will Bulsiewicz's newest book, Plant Powered Plus.

E=Eat well

While I do extremely well compared to my past self (especially Jamie in her 20s, who mostly nourished herself with fast food and martinis), I'm going to focus on eating a diversity of whole plants - the key to excellent gut health - instead of the usual suspects that are always in my fridge and cupboards.

My intentions:

• Save time and money: batch cooking for 2-3 hours once or twice a week > cooking every individual meal
• Improving my gut health, immunity, and so much more (because everything starts in the gut!)
• Care for my body and cognitive health, taking it slow and steady
• Keep it real, building in grace for seasonal changes (traveling, holidays, very special occasions)
• Have fun and share it all with you

This week: 4-Ingredient Congee

We're starting with a classic dish that's gentle on the tummy, incredibly forgiving, and delicious with a side of greens and your choice of protein.

Here's why I love this recipe: While your congee is cooking (hands-off for 40 minutes!), you have time to prep whatever you and your family would enjoy on the side. Make extras because you'll want them. 

The best part? Your greens and protein can use the exact same seasonings from this congee recipe:

🥦 Steam, saute, microwave, boil, or roast any vegetables and season with cooked garlic and ginger. Salt to taste. Top with scallions. 

🫘 🥩 Cook any protein and season the same way. (You may want to marinade meat with garlic, ginger, salt/soy sauce, then cook.)

4-Ingredient Congee

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried long-grain rice, rinsed 3 or 4 times (use long-grain rice for best texture)
• 8 cups of water
• 2 non-chicken bouillon cubes (click here to order from Amazon)
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated or minced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, grated or minced
• 4 green onions, sliced (optional)

Method:

STEP 1: In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, combine the rice and water. Bring to a boil, add bouillon cubes. Reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid slightly cracked open to let steam escape, and cook for 35 minutes until the rice is soft, creamy, and cooked through. 

STEP 2: Stir in the garlic and ginger, then cook for an additional 5-10 minutes to infuse the flavors.

STEP 3: Ladle into bowls and top with your favorites - cooked mushrooms, tofu, green onions, roasted sesame seeds, a drizzle of soy sauce, or chili oil.

That's it. Four ingredients, minimal effort, maximum comfort.

NOTE: If you're making an even larger portion than this, double all ingredients except use 15 cups of water (for 2 cups of rice) instead of 16. 

Why white rice?

White rice is often misunderstood as having no nutrients, but that's not true. Just one cup of basmati rice has all essential amino acids (complete protein!), vitamins like thiamine and folate, minerals like iron and magnesium, and resistant starch that feeds your gut bacteria.

Using Cronometer, for example, just one cup of basmati (white) rice has:

• 3.2 grams of protein
• Vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, folate, and vitamin E
• Minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, and zinc
• Carbohydrates, including fiber and starch (white rice has some resistant starch, which feeds the good gut microbes in our large intestine. Cooling it only increases the amount of resistant starch - another great reason to batch cook a lot of rice!)
• 0.2 grams of fat 
• Zero cholesterol
• 182 calories total

More resistant starch means:

• Feeds gut bacteria (butyrate production) - excellent for anyone with eczema 🙋‍♀️
• Improves insulin sensitivity
• Lowers post-meal glucose spikes
• Increases satiety (the key to feeling full on plant foods)

It's filling, gives me steady energy, and is incredibly low in fat. 

Try this recipe this week. It's simple, it works, and it'll give you exactly what congee is meant to give: comfort, ease, and nourishment.

If you're interested in learning more (and curious about the evidence), check these out:

1. Effect of cooling of cooked white rice on resistant starch content and glycemic response PMID: 26693746 
2. Role of Resistant Starch in Improving Gut Health, Adiposity, and Insulin Resistance; Advances in Nutrition
3. Synthesis and Functions of Resistant Starch; ScienceDirect

See you next week,

Jamie

PS. Club members - see you Wednesday at 10 am PT or Friday at 11 am PT! We're diving into batch cooking strategies and how meals like this fit into your CARE Kit. (Not a member yet? Learn more at plant52.com)

PPS. Our next group fast is coming up! Click here to learn more and join.