Cooked Rice - a Safe Starches Basic

elitedaily.com

If you are following The Perfect Health Diet, you will be eating about a pound of safe starches a day, and along with potatoes and sweet potatoes, white rice is one of the starches that are recommended.

(For more information on The Perfect Health Diet read my post and/or buy the book by Paul Jaminet)

Anyone following The Perfect Health Diet would do well to cook a pot full of rice once a week.  It's a great staple for any meal, and very simple to make. Cooked rice will keep in a closed container for up to a week in the fridge and longer in the freezer.

thaifood.about.com

HOW TO COOK RICE

The secret to great rice is very simple - Use twice as much water as you do rice. To make basic rice, put the rice and water into a pot with a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then cover, lower the heat to simmer and leave for exactly 20 minutes.  DO NOT REMOVE THE LID DURING THIS TIME.  The rice needs the steam that is created to cook, and checking it before it's finished is the main mistake most people make when cooking rice. 

When deciding how much rice to cook, you can figure on ending up with approximately the amount of the water and rice combined.  For example, a cup of rice and two cups of water will give you approximately 3 cups of cooked rice.

As well as plain rice, you can also cook flavoured rice in exactly the same way just by varying the liquid you use and adding herbs, spices and vegetables.  Here are some other versions to try with your meals. 

ricewisdom.com

CURRIED RICE

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup white rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

To this basic rice you can also add saute vegetables such as onion and peas once the rice is cooked.  Or make a sweet version by adding a few raisins and sliced almonds.

laurafriendly.com

SPANISH RICE

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup crushed tomatoes (or you can use 2 cups of tomato juice)

1 cup white rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chilli powder (or to taste)

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped black olives (optional)

olive oil

Cook the rice in the water and tomatoes or the tomato juice with added chilli powder. Saute the chopped green pepper and onion in a little olive oil and mix into the cooked rice. If using olives, mix these in after cooking.

www.bertolli.co.uk

EASY MUSHROOM RISOTTO

This isn't real risotto and won't have the same creamy texture, but it's a very good quick tasty alternative.

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup white rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 cup dried mushrooms - preferably Porcini

freshly shaved Parmesan for topping (optional)

Cook the rice in the chicken stock with the seasoning and dried mushrooms.  Mix the peas into the cooked rice, then cover and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

tastykitchen.com

FRIED RICE

3 cups cooked white rice (see recipe above for Basic Rice)

olive oil for frying

2 cups of chopped vegetables (sliced carrots, onions, pea pods, broccoli - whatever you have)

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Stir-fry the hot pepper flakes, garlic and ginger in some olive oil for one minute.  Add the vegetables and more oil if needed.  Stir-fry until the vegetables are just cooked but still crunchy.  Add the rice and stir-fry for a couple more minutes, then remove from heat, sprinkle with the sesame oil and serve. (If you don't know how to stir-fry, see my post here.)

You can turn this into a complete meal by adding a cup of chopped protein - chicken, meat or seafood.  You can also stir in 2 or 3 scrambled eggs with the vegetables for another alternative.

Cooked rice also makes a great cold weather breakfast.  Since carbohydrates have been shown to help give a good night's sleep, having a bowl as an evening snack is a great idea as well, especially if you still need to make up that pound of starchy vegetables for the day.

www.healthyfoodforliving.com

APPLE CINNAMON RICE

2 cups water

1 cup white rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large apple, peeled and grated

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Cover, turn the heat down to simmer, and leave to cook for 20 minutes.  When rice is cooked, fluff with a fork to make sure the apple and spices are evenly distributed.

Once cooked this can be kept in a closed container in your fridge for up to a week and longer in the freezer. To use, just put a serving into a bowl and microwave it on high for a minute. 

If you like larger pieces of apple in your rice, just add chopped apple instead of grated.  You can even add a few raisins or top with some chopped walnuts.  

If you put your mind to it you can create a different version of this recipe every day of the week. I like to add a dash of cream to mine and drizzle it with more maple syrup. (Image from www.godairyfree.org)

 “Life isn't about finding yourself.  Life is about creating yourself.”   - George Bernard Shaw

Want to try Paleo, but .....

... think it's too hard to do?

... don't have enough information?

... don't know where to start?

.

My STEP-BY-STEP PALEO ebook course makes it Easy !

I show you exactly what to do Step by Step,
I give you lots of great Recipes,
and I make it Fun !

check out Book 1 on Amazon today !