Cilantro Lime Green Rice

How to turn your white rice recipe into a nutrition power house? You make it green of course!

This recipe isn’t your typical St. Patrick’s Day recipe, but when it comes to green recipes this is the one to go for. Not only is it easy to make it is so delicious. By adding in more greens like spinach you add in loads more fiber, vitamin C, non-heme iron, and vitamin K. You really can’t beat a side dish like that.

Another reason I love this recipe is because it is fun to make. I have been teaching children for almost 10 years now. This recipe time and time again is by far 1 of the kids most favorite recipes. You can make this recipe with kids as young as 2 years old. They don’t have to use any knives just tear the spinach and cilantro. The more hands on kids are the more likely they are to try different foods. Bonus, you can’t see or taste the spinach so they will have no idea that they are eating spinach.

Using the zest and juice of the lime adds loads of flavor without loads of calories. Citrus fruits are wonderful ingredient to use when it comes to adding flavor. You can inject both flavor and vitamins into your dish by just adding in citrus fruits.

Rice is an easy side dish to prepare for the week. But it can get a little boring, plain white rice is good, but when you add all these flavors and nutrients it turns up the volume and makes it so much better. You can make this sauce (cilantro lime spinach sauce) and use it on orzo, brown rice, quinoa, top fish, chicken , or shrimp with it, or toss some pasta noodles for an unexpected zesty flavor.

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Cilantro Lime Rice

Course Side Dish

Servings 4 servings

Author Alexandra Golovac, Health Coach

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups white rice- jasmine
• 1.5 cups water
• 3-4 limes zested (about 1-2 limes zest) and juiced
• 1 cup Cilantro Leaves removed from stems, torn or cut in halve
• 2 -4 heaping cups baby spinach torn or cut into 4 pieces
• 1-2 TBLS Olive Oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

• 1.     In a sauce pan add white rice, sea salt, 1 lime juiced, and 1.5 cups water. Bring this to a boil.  Once at a boil reduce heat to low and cover the sauce pot. Let the rice cook for 18 minutes. When the rice has cooked fluff with a fork and allow it to cool slightly.

  2.     While the rice is cooking mince the cilantro leaves and spinach as best as you can. Add the minced cilantro and spinach in a food processor or blender. Add the lime zest, juice from 2 limes (to start), salt, olive oil and pepper. Process the mixture. If it is not smooth add the ¼ cup of water. Make sure to scrape down the slides of the food processor. Blend/process for about 1-3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

  3.     Add the cilantro spinach mixture to the slightly cooled white jasmine rice. Mix well with a spatula.

  Enjoy!