50-50 RICE

My hubby hates brown rice. And I prefer not eating white rice because it raises my blood sugar too fast. Whole grains slow down that process somewhat. It gets tiresome cooking two pots of rice, so I thought I would try cooking them together to see if he would like that. Using a tip from a friend, I rinsed both rices in hot water until they stopped foaming, then toasted the brown rice and cooked it with garlic and onion. The white rice was added after the brown rice cooked for 25 minutes. This was delicious, and did not raise my blood sugar, since I had rinsed the starch off the rice. The garlic and onions gave nice flavor to the rice, so I didn't miss the starch. Guy ate a forkful, then ignored the rice and ate the rest of his meal. Well, it didn't work for me, but perhaps it will work for you, so please give it a try.

50-50 Rice
Source: Judy's Kitchen
Rating: 8 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup brown rice (I like Basmati)
1/4 cup white rice (Basmati or Jasmine)
1 Tbsp. Smart Balance buttery spread or olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 tsp. grated or minced garlic
3/4 cup water or low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste--add a little more if using water, less if using broth)

In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the brown rice with very hot water until it stops foaming. Drain; set aside. Repeat with white rice.
In 1 to 1-1/2 quart heavy pot, saute onions and garlic in the Smart Balance over medium heat till onion wilts, about 2 minutes. Add brown rice and saute another minute or so to slightly toast the rice. Add water and salt; heat to boiling. Cover, reduce heat to simmer, cook for 25 minutes. Add white rice, stir gently. Continue to cook for 20 minutes, or till rice is cooked and water is absorbed. (Add more water, if needed.) Off heat; let rice sit for 5-10 minutes, covered. Uncover, fluff with fork. Yield: 3-4 servings

SPINACH-MUSHROOM RICE PILAF

Tired of plain rice? Try this pilaf for a change. It's not hard at all and tastes so good.

Spinach-Mushroom Rice Pilaf
2 Tbsp. Smart Balance (or butter or olive oil)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 large garlic clove, grated or minced
1/3 cup Jasmine rice (or other rice of choice)
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 tsp. sea salt
big pinch black pepper
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In 1-quart saucepan, heat Smart Balance till it sizzles; add onion and mushrooms; cook over medium heat till onions are transparent. Add garlic, rice, spinach, salt and pepper and stir; cook about 1 minute, then add broth. Bring to a boil and cover; reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or till rice is tender. Turn heat off; add cheese to pot without stirring; replace lid and let rice settle for about 5-10 minutes. Stir rice and serve. Yield: 2 servings
Double ingredients for 4 servings; triple for 6 servings; etc.

COCONUT RICE

This is the rice that went with our chicken satay/peanut sauce/cucumber salad meal. It doesn't look like anything special, but believe me it was. The coconut milk does something magical to the rice. Coconut milk is high in fat, so it takes the place of butter here. It changes the texture of the rice. It doesn't clump together or stick to the bottom of the pot. You really have to try this to see how good it is.

Coconut Rice
Ratiing: 10 out of 10
1 cup coconut milk, regular or lite
1-1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup Jasmine rice

Bring milk and water to a boil; add salt and rice; stir once. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook as package directs (usually 15 minutes). Turn heat off and let rice sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes before serving. Do not add butter, as the richness of the coconut milk is enough.

LEMON-PARSLEY RICE

Here's the recipe for the lemon-parsley rice that went with the nice chicken roast of a few nights ago. We had about half the rice left over, so last night I added some frozen green beans and peas to it and we had it with a nice chicken stir-fry (recipe to follow). I'm not a fan of white rice -- there's really no nutritional value to it and it raises blood sugar super fast. But Guy doesn't like brown rice. Although this tasted great, I only ate a small portion.

Lemon-Parsley Rice
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Jasmine rice
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3-4 saffron threads (optional -- you can leave this out if you don't have saffron)
1-1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Saute' rice and garlic in oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add salt, saffron and water. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover and lower heat. Cook rice according to package directions (usually about 15-20 minutes) without additional stirring. (Additional stirring makes rice gummy and sticky). Turn heat off when rice is done and allow to sit 5 minutes. Before serving, fluff rice with the zest and parsley. 4 servings, unless you really like rice, then 2 servings.