IT MUST BE RICE: SALAD GRINDS & BEAN PLANTS #75
IT MUST BE RICE
(Riced Broccoli with Cashews and Edamame)
WORDS: Johnny Lozano
One of the things that blows me away about modern skateboarding is the level of consistency that seems to be standard now among all echelons of professional skating. Seriously, flip-in shit down rails was not expected in a contest run two decades ago, but now it’s basically mandatory. This effortless consistency is epitomized in The Berrics’ feature “It Must Be Nice.” Seriously, these videos are nuts. Given full reign of the park, rippers like Cody McEntire, Felipe Gustavo, and Mason Silva showcase their casual crushing without the constraints of fisheyes, crowds or music—and the results are amazing.
To illustrate my point, I was lucky enough to be present for Maurio McCoy’s filming and was blown away. A full video part was filmed in less than half an hour and his frontside flip noseblunt down the ten was completely on a whim (and landed in, like, three tries). Seriously, I wish I could frontside flip noseblunt a rail or anything on a whim. Regardless of what they shred, the titular stars of “It Must Be Nice” all have one thing in common: they make skateboarding look easy.
Similar to “It Must Be Nice,” this week’s recipe takes something difficult and makes it look easy: riced broccoli. If you’ve looked for riced veggies in the grocery stores, you’ve no doubt seen that they’re exponentially more expensive than their non-riced counterparts. Convenience is a hefty fee, but thankfully it’s really not that hard to just do the ricing yourself. And, as you’ll see, the payoff not only saves you money, it’s also delicious.
Now, a note on riced veggies. These have been all the rage for a while now, in no small part thanks to the keto diet. Let me be clear, I am not introducing this recipe to put in a plug for the keto diet. I won’t editorialize on the debates about whether or not this diet is actually harmful for your heart, but I will point this out: the keto diet aims to eliminate almost all carbs from one’s caloric intake; given that carbs are your body’s go-to source of energy and skateboarding is a sport that requires hours and hours of quick energy, keto may not be the most effective diet for fueling your session. That said, if you’re looking for a delicious, fiber-packed, vitamin-dense substitute for rice, this tasty dish will do the trick. It’s not quite a dead-ringer for the carb-y original, but with the right seasonings and some cashews and edamame tossed in for some more good fats and proteins, it’ll have you saying, “it must be rice.”
INGREDIENTS:
- 5 cups riced broccoli (2-3 crowns)
- 1 bag (12 oz) shelled frozen edamame
- 1 tbsp. cooking oil (olive, grapeseed or avocado preferred)
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1-2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. crushed ginger
- Sea salt, to taste
- Squeeze of ½ lime
- Green onions, for serving
DIRECTIONS:
- First, rice that broccoli. This is the easy part. Rip up the crowns into smaller florets (about 1-2”) and toss them into a food processor. Pulse them 4-5 times until the broccoli is riced. Don’t pulse too many times or you will turn it into a mush, and nobody wants that. It helps to do this in two batches so that you get an even shred with each pulse.
- Once riced, prepare the edamame according to instructions on the bag (typically an in-microwave bag). Heat up the cooking oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Once warm, throw in the broccoli and garlic and cook for about a minute. Then toss in the cashews, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the broccoli is a deep green.
- Remove the broccoli from heat, then add in the cooked edamame, lime juice and green onions. Eat up and go watch It Must Be Nice.
Happy shredding,
Johnny
For more recipes, check out www.saladgrindsandbeanplants.com or find us on Instagram at @salad_grinds_and_bean_plants.
