Hey, Chef Robert Irvine here for Bodybuilding.com. I'm about to show you three simple rice recipes. Rice is the kind of forbidden carbohydrate. But if you can make it exciting, it can not only be a side dish, it can also be an entree. We're going to start with a black-eyed pea and sausage rice dish. Every rice dish starts with a hot pan. If the pan is not hot, we can't toast the rice, which gives the flavor and opens that kernel up. So, I'm going to turn the heat up a little bit here. Add some grapeseed oil. While that's getting nice and warm, I'm going to chop a little onion. Dice it nice and fine. And the onion just gives us that great flavour. Sweetness and it'll caramelized nice into the pan. When we get a sweet onion it just intensifies the flavor of the rice and gives a great, great texture. We've also got some Italian sausage. You can use any type of sausage you want. If you want chorizo, use chorizo. It just depends on what do you want. So all we're doing now is sauteing the onion. A little onion with the Italian sausage. Then we're going to add some black-eyed peas. Great source of carbohydrate and protein. But done with flavor. A lot of people think that if you eat healthy, there is no flavor. That's wrong. We add the layers of flavor step by step. And again, you can do this with cannellini beans, you could do it with kidney beans, any type of beans that you wish. Here's the fun part: rice. Brown rice. Into the pan. Getting all those flavors mixed together there. I'm going to take a little bit of salt and a little bit of pepper. Now remember, there is salt in the sausage already. So we have to be careful. Little bit more pepper. The flavors are starting to mix and amalgamate. And you can smell the sweetness of the onion and sausage, which is really, really good. I'm going to take a little bit of orange juice, because I want that to pull the flavor all together. And remember, acid cuts fat. So, we got fat from the sausage and now we got the orange juice that brings all those great flavors together. OK. Last, but not least: green onion. Texture, color, presentation. We want the food to look good, as well as taste good. Perfect bands of acidity, seasoning is just correct. We are ready to serve this dish. And again, if I wanted to add more protein on this, I get add flank steak, I could add salmon. You name it, we can add it. Here we are, the finished dish: sausage and black-eyed pea rice. Chickpeas are a great source of protein, but added with rice: OMG. It's like, the most amazing thing. We're gonna start the same way, a little grapeseed oil. Grapeseed oil is better for us than olive oil. It's a purer oil, heats up a lot faster, and it has no flavor. So it doesn't alter the flavor of what you're cooking. Best oil to use. OK. Same again, we're going to start with some onion. Into the pan. You hear that sizzle. If you hear that sizzle, now you're cooking. We've got some chickpeas. And here's the interesting part: curry powder. Alright, in goes the rice. Again, we're looking for all the flavors to meld. At this point I'm going to take a little bit of water. I'm going to add that to the pan. The reason I'm doing that is because I want a little sauce with that curry powder. Make the rice a little wetter. You can see the color coming out. That's the cumin, the coriander. Again citrus. This time I'm going to take a little lemon juice. Lemon juice. And it helps your metabolism, and it also brings the flavors together. Gonna add a little bit of cilantro. Amazing citrus. It pops out of your mouth. I need a little salt in there. And the presentation is as important as the actual food itself. But imagine getting that with some type of protein on it. Chickpea cilantro rice. Little onion, little citrus. Simple, but effective. My last rice, we're going to add cauliflower. Cauliflower florets. A lot of people don't use this vegetable, and yet it is a great vegetable, great source of protein. We're going to do the same thing, put the heat on. Nice and hot. A little oil. Cauliflower, into the oil. What I'm looking for here is a little caramelization. Watch what happens. See, it's starting to go golden brown here. That's what I want. That's the flavor, the sugar. We're layering flavors. Take a little bit of garlic in there. Notice I didn't put garlic in first because it burns really fast. In goes our rice. And the star of this dish is not the rice, it's actually the cauliflower. Letting it meld together, all those flavors. Taking a little bit of water again. When I say a little bit of water, all I'm doing is steaming and helping the cauliflower cook. I want it al dente, which is firm to the bite. But I want the flavor to come out of it. At this point we do one of two things. I have got toasted pecans. And if you don't like nuts or are allergic to nuts, you just leave them out. Going to put them in there because, again, high source of protein. Nuts are really good for us, especially if we're eating healthy. We take a little pinch of salt again. And salt is the flavor enhancer here. You can smell the garlic, you can see the nuts and the cauliflower. And here's something really good: basil. A lot of people chop basil. When you chop basil, it bruises really quickly. In other words it discolours. With this dish, I'm doing something different. I'm going to pick it, piece by piece. The flavor stays intact, it stays green. And I'm going to take it off the heat in two seconds and let it permeate. Off the heat. And we're ready to serve. Finished dish: cauliflower rice with picked basil, and a little onion and garlic. Think of the things we could do with this, whether it be chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, scallop. Or just use it as an entree itself. Three simple rice dishes. Easy. You could do it at home. You can prep it the day before, or the week before, and cook it when you get home at night. For more great recipes, healthy recipes, go to Bodybuilding.com. See you next time.
Rice is often referred to as the forbidden carbohydrate, but that's a misnomer. Rice can make a great base for a protein-rich meal. Turn a boring carb into an exciting entrée with these three recipes. Chef Robert Irvine's Fit Crunch Bars ► http://bbcom.me/2qFdRhx Free & Flat Rate Shipping on Top Brands | Look for the B-Elite Badge ► http://bbcom.me/2qEGQlu ============================================= | Black-Eyed Pea And Sausage Rice | Every rice dish starts with a hot pan. If the pan is not hot, we can't toast the rice. Toasting the rice is what opens the kernel up and brings flavor. Not in the mood for sausage? Make this dish your own with chorizo, flank steak, or salmon instead. Don't love black-eyed peas? Replace with your bean of choice. Once you add the orange juice to layer flavor and cut fat, you'll smell the delight of a finished product. Ingredients • Brown rice, 1 cup (cooked) • Black-eyed peas, 4 oz. • Italian sweet sausage, 3 oz. • Orange juice, 1 orange • Scallions, 2 • Onion, ½ • Grapeseed oil, 1 tbsp • Salt, to taste • Pepper, to taste Directions 1. Turn the heat up. Add grapeseed oil to the pan and allow to heat. 2. Dice onion and place in pan to caramelize. 3. Add the sausage and sauté with the onion. Add black-eyed peas. 4. Add cooked brown rice to the pan. Mix. 5. Add salt and pepper to taste. 6. Squeeze in the juice of an orange. 7. Garnish with scallions. Nutrition Facts Serving size: 1 bowl Recipe yields: 1 serving Calories: 632 Fat: 26 g Carbs: 80 g Protein: 28 g ============================================= | Chickpea And Cilantro Rice | Turn a vegetarian meal into a complete protein with this new take on rice and beans. After coating your pan in grapeseed oil (which Chef Irvine recommends instead of olive oil because of its lack of taste and low heating point), add your chickpeas to the pan. With this dish, the real flavor punch comes from the combination of cilantro, curry powder, and lemon juice. Ingredients • Brown rice, 1 cup (cooked) • Chickpeas, ¼ cup • Curry powder, 1 tbsp • Onion, ½ • Grapeseed oil, 1 tbsp • Water, as needed • Lemon, ½ • Cilantro, 1 oz. • Salt, to taste Directions 1. Turn the heat up. Add grapeseed oil to the pan and allow to heat. 2. Dice onion and place in pan to caramelize. Allow to sizzle. 3. Add chickpeas and curry powder. 4. Add cooked rice to the pan. Stir and allow flavors to meld. 5. Add water to the pan to create a sauce. 6. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan to bring the flavors together. Add cilantro. 7. Add salt to taste. Nutrition Facts Serving size: 1 bowl Recipe yields: 1 serving Calories: 462 Fat: 18 g Carbs: 70 g Protein: 10 g ============================================= | Cauliflower Rice | Make the most of cauliflower with this dish that makes vegetables the star. The added crunch from protein-rich nuts and fresh aroma from the picked basil make this one well-rounded meal. Ingredients • Grapeseed oil, 1 tbsp • Cauliflower, 4 oz. • Garlic, 1 tsp • Brown rice, 1 cup • Water, as needed • Toasted pecans, 1 oz. • Basil, 1 oz. • Salt, to taste Directions 1. Add grapeseed oil to the pan and allow to heat. 2. Add in cauliflower florets. Allow to caramelize to a golden brown. 3. Add garlic and rice. Allow flavors to meld. 4. Add water to steam and allow cauliflower to cook al dente. 5. Add toasted pecans and a pinch of salt. 6. Pick basil instead of chopping to keep the flavor intact and the herb green. Add to dish and serve. Nutrition Facts Serving size: 1 dish Recipe yields: 1 serving Calories: 568 Fat: 36 g Carbs: 56 g Protein: 11 g
