I recently read an article on the different types of rice. Personally, I didn’t know that there were many more types of rice other than white or brown. The article mentioned that white rice is not an ideal grain because its outside layer has been stripped to give it its white color… but there are nutrients in that outer layer. So, different colored rices actually have more nutrients and fiber than plain old white rice.
This weekend, I found black rice at Whole Foods. Black rice?! Yeah, that is what I thought, too. It was right there with all the other rice varieties, but I never noticed it before. I, of course, had to buy it as well as learn more about it. Apparently, black rice has a lot of fiber as well as antioxidants. These antioxidants help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. All great reasons to switch out the white rice and start cooking with black rice. Although, black rice is not as soft as white rice when cooked.
So I decided to make scallops and put them over the black rice, with some chickpeas and arugula for extra protein and fiber:
Cook black rice according to package directions.
In a stir fry pan, add some olive oil and put on heat to medium.
Add scallops (about 3-4 per person) to pan, and sprinkle some salt, pepper, thyme, and lemon juice.
Cook the scallops about 3-4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Remove the scallops, and make a sauce in the scallop pan by adding some white wine vinegar, more lemon juice, and dijon mustard. Keep on low heat and simmer a few minutes to thicken sauce.
When sauce is a little syrupy, turn off heat.
On a plate, add one serving of black rice, a few scallops, some drained chick peas, and a handful of arugula. Pour sauce over the scallops and enjoy!
Happy Allergy Free Eating!
Balanced Fork, Healthy Life 