Chicken, Rice, and Veggie Bowel with Creamy Peanut Sauce

Chicken, Rice, and Veggie Bowel with Creamy Peanut Sauce

1 cup of brown rice

1 and ¾ of water or vegetable broth

½ teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of olive oil

4 cup of vegetable (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, red cabbage)

I tablespoon of Oil

1 whole chicken breast

Creamy Peanut sauce:

½ c of raw organic peanuts

¼ of organic plain peanut butter

1/3 c of water

1/3 c of coconut milk

1 clove of garlic

1 teaspoon of raw honey

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

1 teaspoon of tahini

1 tablespoon of good soy sauce (Oshawa Raw Soy Sauce)

Juice from one small lemon

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1.       Place rice, water/broth, salt and oil in a pot. Bring the rice to boil, reduce the heat, and cover the pot. Let the rice cook for about 45 minutes, or until it becomes soft, and all of the water has been absorbed.

2.       While the rice is cooking, steam vegetable in a steamer or on the stove. You can use frozen veggies as well, but they won’t look as pretty and tasty as raw veggies. However, the nutritional value remains the same

3.       Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and little bit of paprika. Brown the chicken on both sides, put it in the oven heated at 350 F, for 15 min.

4.       To make peanut sauce, put all ingredients in the blender mix until smooth.

5.       Place ½ c of cooked rice in bowel; cover it with 1 c of steam veggies and few pieces of chicken. Drizzle it with creamy peanut dressing, and ENJOY!

North Star Inspired Super Healthy Bowel

Ingredients:

1 c of short grain brown rice

1 and 3/4 c of water, or low sodium vegetable stock

1 tablespoon of olive oil

¾ teaspoon of salt

1 15 oz. can of organic black beans

½ medium onions

1 clove of garlic

1 medium jalapeno pepper

½ red peppers

½ teaspoon of cumin

1 Tablespoon of tahini sauce

Juice of half lemon

1 tablespoon of honey

½ medium onions

3 medium peppers, for better presentation choose three different colors.

1.      Place rice, water, salt and olive oil in a pot. Bring the pot to boil, turn heat to low, cover it, and cook it until all water is absorbed and rice becomes soft. About 45 minutes.

2.      While rice is cooking, sauté onions, garlic, jalapeno pepper,  red pepper and cumin. Once soft, add washed black beans.

4.      Cook the beans for an additional 10-15 minutes.

5.      Once done,  add tahini sauce with already mixed lemon juice and honey.

6.      Cook the beans for additional 5 minutes. Additional water or vegetable stock might be needed, depending on desired beans consistency.

7.      While beans are cooking, cut peppers and onion diagonally.

8.      Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté  peppers and onions until soft. Once done add salt for taste. 

Spotlight on Lentils

I love lentils, we eat them every week. They are tasty, nutritious, affordable and unbelievably easy to make. In this post I will be sharing some of my favorite lentils recipes, as well as health benefits of lentils.

Introduction to Lentils:

Lentils are believed to have originated from Asia, but due to their popularity have spread to the rest of the world pretty quickly. Today, countries with greatest lentils consumption per capita are Middle Eastern countries, India and Turkey. Lentils belong to a legume family, meaning they can be categorized with rest of the beans. However, unlike beans lentils are much easier on digestive system, and they tend not to cause gassiness and bloating like beans. Lentils are also much easier to prepare, they don’t require soaking overnight and their cooking time is much shorter compared to beans. 

Health Benefits:

Lentils are nutritional power house. They are relatively low in calories and fat, but high in other nutrients. One cup of cooked lentils contains little over 200 calories, whopping 18 grams of protein, and less than 2 grams of fat. They are further loaded with both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber helps stabilize blood sugar levels, and can especially be beneficial to people with diabetes and insulin resistance. Soluble fiber is also known for cholesterol reducing properties. Insoluble fiber increases bulk of the stool preventing constipation and other digestive disorders. Studies have shown that people eating diet high in dietary fiber have reduced risk of getting Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD), as well as, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).

Besides being loaded with protein and fiber, lentils are also rich in folate and magnesium, reducing risk factors of heart disease even further, since folate reduces homocystein levels in the blood. High homocystein levels in the blood lead to injury to the artery walls, increasing risks for developing heart disease.  Magnesium rich diet improves blood flow, and delivery of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Since lentils are high in folate and iron, they can especially be beneficial to women of child bearing age. Folate is a crucial vitamin that can prevent spina bifida congenital disorder in utero and iron replenishes iron losses during menstruation. 

Conclusion:

Eat your lentils to be healthy and save money. Lentils are low in calories and fat, but high in protein and other nutrients. They contain substances that reduce risk for developing heart disease. They further regulate blood glucose levels making it ideal food for people with diabetes and insulin resistance. Lentils are excellent source of folate and iron needed for women of child bearing age. If you need more conviction to eat more lentils, just try one my recipes.