Berry Happy Morning

Last week, while watching Food Network while stretching after a run, I found an episode of one of my favorite shows (that I haven't seen in over a year) - Everyday Italian! I love Giada deLaurentiis and her fresh, clean twists on italian cooking. In this episode, she was preparing healthy snacks with a bit of sweetness.

One recipe caught my eye - couscous with dried fruit and nuts. I am not a fan of couscous, but could I create a version of my own?

Yesterday morning, feeling a bit under the weather (and the weather looking threatening), I decided to spend the morning (well, midday - I slept in in a major way) cooking. Here is a link

to the original recipe on Food Network - and my version below:

1 1/2 cups of short grain brown rice

4 cups of water

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

salt and sugar to taste (I use a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of sugar)

1/2 cup chopped organic dried apricots

1/2 cup organic dried cherries

1/2 cup organic dried cranberries

1/2 chopped toasted hazelnuts

1/2 cup chopped toasted slivered almonds

Cook the rice til just tender - Bring water and coconut oil to a boil in a saucepan. Once at a rolling boil, add the rice, salt, and sugar. Cover the pot and cook until the rice is just becoming tender. Then add the dried fruit, and cook until rice is ready (you might need to add a bit more water if the fruit quickly absorbs the water left). Let cool with the top on for 5-10 minutes, then add in the toasted nuts.

This is great both hot off the stove, and the next day chilled from spending the night in the fridge. I could even eat this as a nutritious morning meal on the go!