I woke up today and found my self Gazing the mountains of Northern Thailand. The next thing I knew was I was remembering foraging for wild Blackberries and black raspberries in the mountains of Boquete, Panama. Even though the heat of the sun was warming the earth over here, I could almost feel the cool crisp air that exists only in the clouds. I smiled and thought about a recipe that would be perfect on such a morning accompanied by a cup of the world renowned coffee from those same mountains where the wild berries thrive.
In this recipe, I give you a super food twist on a recipe that I used to make for those special mornings.
The Twist:
We will replace 1/2 cup of the flour with 1/2 cup of a bio active, bio available Black rice powder.
The Reason: Increase Anthocyanin intake
The amount of Anthocyanins in a spoonful of Sprouted black rice powder for exceed that of a spoonful of blueberries. Anthocyanins can help fight heart disease, cancer and a host of other diseases. A naturally occurring antioxidant Cyanidin 3-glucoside (C3G) exists in the outer part of the kernel to protect the rice from UV free-radical damage, illness and disease. These same pigments occur in blueberries, black berries and of course in the black raspberries. The highest levels of C3G however are found in black rice. C3G is now becoming known as the “Fat Buster”. Studies are showing that it has the ability to change the gene expression of fat metabolism from storage to usage. I will post a full lesson on the benefits of C3G shortly.
The end result is a tea biscuit full of these powerful antioxidants and a wonderful way to start your day anywhere you are!
This recipe takes about 15 minutes to prepare and a 10 to 12 minute bake. Yield is 16 biscuits
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup sprouted black rice powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick or 4 tablespoons of butter cut and very cold
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons of organic raw sugar
2 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest
3/4 cup half and half
1 1/2 cups of Wild Blackberries (any berry will work)
Before starting the mix, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Now sift together the flour, sprouted black rice powder, salt and the baking powder. Add the cold butter and cut this into the dry mix, you may use your hands as well. When done correctly, this will resemble course crumbs. add sugar and lemon zest and incorporate into the mix. Now add the half and half and make a nice light dough. The last step is to fold in the black raspberries. This must be done with care, the idea is not to crush or damage the berries.
