Low Carb Brown Rice Salad!



So, the above is a pic of my supper tonight. Turned out pretty tasty, and it does not cause a spike in my blood sugar. It weighs in at about 30-40 grams of carbs--most of them those lovely complex carbs that burn slowly and steadily. I've made this several times and it's pretty versatile--there are a few things you can do to change the vibe, depending on what you have a taste for.

1/4 cup brown rice

1 cup water

5-6 sugar snap beans

two table spoons frozen sweet peas

1/4 cup fresh baby spinache leaves

5-6 baby carrots (or one small sliced squash)

Put all the above into a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 10=14 minutes--until the rice has absorbed all the water. When you take it out of the microwave you can do what I did tonight--add a couple tablespoons of olive oil vinagritte dressing and a couple tablespoons olives (green or black, doesn't mattter--though I adore olives) for sort of a garden-salady vibe. Or, you can add a couple tablespoons of low-fat, nonflavored yogurt and a little cinnamon for a creamy, sweetish vibe. Either way you're getting something else good for you--the olive oil helps lower the bad cholestoral, the cinnamon is supposed to help your body regulate insulin.

It has the added benefit of being pretty darned tasty, too.

It's what's for dinner!

Got a boneless chicken breast thawing right now. Here's what I'm going to do with it.

Make a marinade:

2 cups buttermilk
1 clove garlic-minced
a big pinch of kosher salt
a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
a teaspoon of ground red pepper
2 teaspoons or more of basil

Mix the marinade. Cut the chicken breast into strips and put it in the marinade for around a half-hour or so. Prepare the breading:

A cup of flour
a quarter cup of corn meal
a teaspoon of salt
a teaspoon of black pepper

You can put the above ingrediants in a paper lunch sack, blow some air into it, and give it a vigorous shake to mix it all. Then pour that into a pan. Add the strips and roll those in the mixture. Deep fry the strips for nine minutes or until done. Serve with ranch or honey mustard dressing for dipping. Sprinkle malt vinegar over the strips.

This also works to make very tasty onion rings, fried squash, fried okra, even brocolli if you are so inclined. Just about any vegetable that can be fried is quite good this way. Adjust cooking times accordingly. I like to make onion rings with the chicken, then fry up some french fries to go with it. With a nice liberal sprinkling of malt vinegar over everything. Yum!

I adapted this from my copy of The Joy of Cooking. If you cook, don't cook without it. Lots of essential info contained within!