This Cilantro Basmati Rice Salad is zesty, really FRESH, and compliments almost any meal! It also happens to be one of the simplest recipes in the world. It’s just as easy as those boxes of Rice-a-Roni, but without the nasty additives – and it tastes a million times better too. Even if you are a beginner cook, this is a meal or side dish that will impress your friends and family with very little effort! 

I like to use brown basmati rice to make this dish, but you can also use quinoa if you prefer. Brown basmati rice hasn’t been stripped of its bran and germ (like white rice) where most of the nutrients are, and it still has a light and fluffy texture. Brown rice is one of the richest sources of manganese, a trace mineral that fights free radicals in the body.

Basmati rice also has a lower glycemic index than white rice and won’t send your blood sugar surging! Refined carbohydrates (carbs) like white rice, processed grains, and refined sugar can spike blood sugar levels and tax your organs, slowing down healing and robbing the body from other important regulatory functions. Refined carbs can also cause weight gain that you can’t seem to get rid of (especially around the mid section). Since brown basmati rice isn’t refined and has its fiber intact, it is a more nutritious way to eat carbohydrates.

To get started on making this dish, get out a medium sized pot and melt one tablespoon of coconut oil (or butter) over medium heat. Chop up half a cup of onions, mince a couple garlic cloves, and stir them into the pot. Cook until the onions start to turn translucent and the garlic is fragrant. It smells sooo good! Add 1 cup of dry brown basmati rice or quinoa to the pot and stir it around for one minute. Make sure to keep stirring so it doesn’t burn! 

Stir in two cups of chicken (or vegetable) stock, turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and allow it to simmer. After 20 minutes, take a peek at the rice and check to see if the liquid has evaporated and if the rice is cooked. It may need to cook for about 5-10 minutes longer. Use this time to chop up half a cup of cilantro and also to juice and zest one lime…

When the rice is cooked, take the pot off of the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm and enjoy!

Food Babe's Cilantro Rice Salad

 

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Author: Food Babe

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 cup brown basmati rice or quinoa
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• ½ cup chopped cilantro, more as desired
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the dry rice and cook an additional minute, stirring so the rice doesn’t burn.
2. Add the stock, cover and turn the heat to a low simmer. Cook until the liquid has evaporated and rice is cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Take off the heat and stir in the cilantro, lime zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Notes

**Please choose all organic ingredients if possible.**

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This is an example of the types of recipes that are recommended after you complete the Food Babe 7-Day Sugar Detox Program. We all want to find a balance between feeling our best, finding our ideal weight and eating a diet that we can live with. One that doesn’t rob us of a guilty pleasure here and there or cut out so many foods that it leaves you wondering if there is anything left that you CAN eat!

The Food Babe 7-Day Sugar Detox Program is a great way to begin to eliminate problematic foods from your diet without drastically slashing calories or having a long list of foods to avoid taped to your refrigerator. That is never fun! With this program I provide you with a simple plan to follow so that you can start feeling your best and see how even small changes can create big results. I am opening up this impactful and effective program at a special discounted price for limited time.

Here is what you get instantly when you sign up:

• Quick Start Guide – Know how to avoid sugar pitfalls and get the keys to success that you need to create healthy relationship with your body and food cravings.

• 7-Day Sugar Detox Plan – This will break down exactly how you are going to be eating, where to find strategies to reduce your sugar cravings, and where to spot all the hidden sugars that might be lurking in your pantry and life!

• 7-Day Sugar Detox Recipe Guides – Two sets of Sugar Detox recipes for 7 days. Whether you are a vegan, gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian or a meat eater, I’ve got you covered. Delicious real-food breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack recipes that are free of grains and refined sugar, along with shopping lists. These recipes are simple, straightforward, and will have you in and out of the kitchen in no time!

• Private Sugar Detox Community Forum – Interact with other people on the 7 Day Detox plan just like you. This is a place where we can support and cheer each other on! When you surround yourself with people who share the same goals and help to keep you accountable, you will be successful! I also love that this is a place where we can privately share our experiences without judgment – since a lot of us are all facing the same type of struggles!

• Detailed Journal – The ultimate tool to measure your progress and keep yourself on track.

• Exclusive Instructional Videos – I personally walk you through the program,  give you advice for when nighttime sugar cravings hit, and provide info on healthier sugar swaps to make your detox a piece of cake!

• Maintaining Your Success After The Detox Guide – A detailed game plan for long-term success following your detox.

I invite you to sign up for the Food Babe 7-Day Sugar Detox Program.

If you know anyone who struggles with sugar or their health, please share this post with them. Let’s make this our healthiest year yet! 

Xo,

Vani

P.S. Just look at what some people had to say after completing their Food Babe 7-Day Sugar Detox…

“I have lost almost 5 pounds. I have eaten more delicious food this week than I have in my entire life. I have found the recipes so very delicious.” ~ Glenna

“I thought it would be impossible but it wasn’t and we succeeded! We feel so much better after doing the detox and now know that we have self control and that sugar does not run our lives.” ~ Lia

“I completed the 7-Day Sugar Detox and the sugar cravings actually got better after day 4….The best part of it all is I lost 5 pounds!” ~ JaNette

“My husband and I are absolutely loving it! We never feel hungry and the sugar cravings have virtually vanished! The recipes are amazing and the plan is so easy to follow! We are going to continue eating this way forever!” ~ Lori