Low Calorie Rice Recipes for Balanced Meal

Try the listed low calorie rice recipes and low calorie brown rice recipes as a part of your balanced meal.

Almandine rice

Ingredients:

1 oz long grained rice
¼ teaspoon parsley flakes
¼ cup chicken stock, fat free
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano leaves or ¼ teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon onion, minced
2 teaspoons silver almonds, toasted
½ teaspoon butter, unsalted
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat a heavy non reactive sauce pan and combine chicken stock, parsley, onions and oregano together. Bring it to a boil and add butter and rice in it. Reduce heat to low-medium flame and cover the pan. Cook for 20 minutes or till the rice is cooked without stirring. Remove the pan from heat and fluff the rice with a fork.


Garnish with toasted almonds and serve hot. This is a low calorie recipe which provides about 130 calories and 5 gm fat. Serves 1

Chicken fried rice

Ingredients:

1 oz brown rice
1/8 cup frozen green peas
1/8 cup carrots, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ egg whites
½ spray cooking spray
1/8 cup scallions, chopped
¼ cup chicken broth, fat free
¼ teaspoon soy sauce
1 small cube chicken bouillon
Salt as per taste

Method:

Heat a medium non stick pan.


Add the chicken broth and chicken bouillon and boil. After 1 boil reduce the flame and add rice. Cook till done, for approximately 20 minutes.


Take another non stick cooking pan and coat it with cooking spray. Add egg white to it and cook till it gets a scrambles appearance. Leave aside.


Recoat the same pan with the cooking spray and sauté garlic and scallions for 2 minutes. Add carrots and peas and cook till done. Add the scrambled egg to mix with the vegetables, cooked brown rice and soy sauce. Toss and cook for 5 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 1 and provides 115 calories and 4 gm fat.

Wild rice with spring asparagus

Ingredients:

1 oz wild rice
1cup water
 ¼ cup mushrooms, chopped
½ small onion, chopped
½ cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 oz asparagus, trimmed and chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil, extra virgin preferably
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Boil water in a medium saucepan on a medium high flame. After a boil slow down the flame and add rice. Simmer rice for 20 minutes or till cooked. In another skillet or frying pan add half of the vegetable stock, mushrooms and onions. Simmer on a low medium flame till the mushrooms are done or for 10 minutes. Add remaining vegetable broth and asparagus and cook further for 5 minutes or till the asparagus is slightly soft. Whisk olive oil with lemon juice and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl to make a smooth dressing. Now toss the rice, olive oil dressing and vegetables together. Stir on a medium flame to mix well. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve cold or hot. This recipe serves 1 and provides 200 calories and 5 gm fat.

Healthy Rice Recipes

It is the primary food of almost half of the world’s population. Yet, rice and rice recipes feature as dreaded villains on most weight watcher’s diet lists. What most people do not know is that rice is nutritionally dense, sodium and gluten free, and contains many vitamins, folic acid and essential minerals like iron and zinc. A recommended serving of rice per day contains no saturated fats or trans fats and only a smidgen of fat. A half-cup portion of rice contains only 100 calories. Another essential contribution of rice is the complex carbohydrates that it provides to the body, fulfilling its energy needs, and that is not all. Studies show that rice may actually promote brain function by triggering the production of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin relaxes the body and improves your mood. It is also known to ward off depression and mental fatigue. For many gluten intolerant individuals, rice is an excellent choice. Apart from consuming rice as a main meal, you can also explore healthy rice recipes for desserts. Rice flour maybe substituted in cookie or pie recipes calling for all-purpose wheat flour.

With so many benefits, why is rice at the receiving end of such infamy? Most people are wary of the carbohydrates in rice. Carbohydrates equal sugar, which equals fat. To clear this misconception, you need to understand the difference between good carbs and bad carbs. The complex carbohydrates in rice take longer to break down and use more energy. Thus, despite its high carbohydrate content, rice provides a healthy quantity of good carbohydrates to your diet.

Brown versus white rice. White rice has received such bad press in the past due to the process of refining before it hits market shelves. On the other hand, brown rice undergoes minimum processing. As opposed to white rice, only the outermost layer or husk is removed to reveal the brown grain, and the process manages to retain most of the nutritional value of the rice. In the case of white rice, the process includes milling and polishing to reveal the white color. Experts believe that this process damages most of its nutritional value. White rice is then artificially enriched with vitamins and minerals. For those individuals who are concerned about the lack of nutritional value of white rice, many brown rice recipes could provide a healthy option. Infact, brown rice is considerably lower in calories and starchy sugars. Brown rice also contains significant amounts of manganese, magnesium, and selenium. Low calorie brown rice recipes may include simple meals allowing you to eat vegetables and meat along with a portion of steamed brown rice. This is an easy and satisfying meal for both weight watcher’s and individuals who maybe gluten intolerant. Brown rice is a whole grain and consuming a single portion of brown rice can fulfill one of the three recommended servings of whole grains as part of your dietary need. Brown rice also contributes to your daily dietary fiber needs.

The difference between white rice and brown rice goes beyond just the color, as mentioned above. If you have not used brown rice in the past and want to make it a staple in various low-calorie rice recipes, you must note that cooking instructions may vary. Brown rice requires a longer time to cook (30 to 45 minutes) unlike white rice, which requires (15 to 20 minutes). Brown rice also requires additional cups of water during the cooking process. Taste and texture wise too, you may notice that brown rice differs from white rice. Most individuals will enjoy its nutty flavor imparted by the bran and germ that is retained in the brown rice. Since it is high in dietary fiber, you may find the texture chewier than white rice. Storage is important too if you buy brown rice in bulk. Since it retains its oil rich bran, you will need to store brown rice in airtight containers in your refrigerator or a cool, dry place. Check for rancidity in brown rice if you have not used it in a long time.

Low calorie rice. Rice contains starch, which converts into sugars adding to your calories. So, is there a way to enjoy low calorie rice without the guilt of putting on the pounds? One solution may lie in the way you cook the rice. The fastest and easiest way to cook the rice is to pop in the measured amount of rice and water into the microwave. While this process cooks the rice quickly, the starch has no way to drain out and is part of your meal. In many Asian countries, where rice is a staple food, most people cook their rice on the cook top and drain out excess water and starch. Draining out the starch can reduce some of rice’s calories. If you are looking for a low calorie rice recipe, remember that steamed rice (no added salt or butter) may serve you better than a plate of fried rice. However, you can explore low fat rice recipes that use cinnamon, cloves, lemon, lime, cilantro and an assortment of herbs and spices to lift a plate of plain rice to gourmet experience.

Low cal rice recipes. For many individuals who do not consume rice as a staple diet, eating low calorie rice everyday may sound tedious. However, think of low cal rice as a base to start from, and there are thousands of recipes for appetizers, meals and desserts.  Low cal rice recipes for a substantial meal or main course can include low calorie rice casseroles, soups and crock pot meals. Low calorie rice casseroles with meat, vegetables or a mix of both are hardy and can satisfy the entire family in one sitting. Substitute brown rice for white, use low sodium chicken stock, add more vegetables instead of meat, and use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. One-pot meals like low calorie rice and beans are also great for weekdays when you are short on time or for feeding large families. The Creole style rice and beans dish requires you to sauté bacon until crisp, and then fry other meat and veggies in the bacon fat. However, if you are looking at low cal rice dishes, you may want to omit the bacon and bacon grease. Substitute the red meat for lean chicken or turkey portions, and add generous amounts of vegetables like carrots and celery.

While you can tweak many rice recipes to function as low calorie rice dishes, how can you enjoy a plate of low calorie fried rice? The wok fried rice in heavy oil and copious amounts of salt and soya sauce can derail your diet with one meal. However, a few alterations to this favorite take out food, and you can enjoy this low calorie fried rice recipe without any guilt. Homemade is the best way to control oil and sauce that goes into this dish. You can start with cooked rice. Leftover rice and vegetables make this dish even more delectable. Use cooking spray instead of oil to coat the skillet in which you sauté the vegetables and chicken. Low sodium soy sauce and chicken broth will ensure that you consume only the required amount of salt. Measure out two parts veggies to one part of meat and rice, so you can benefit from the fiber and vitamins. Other Asian recipes that will add variety to your rice meals include low calorie rice noodles. Instant noodles available in super markets are high in sodium and low in dietary fiber. Low calorie rice noodles are a great alternative to rice and pasta. They blend well with Italian or Asian sauces. For the health conscious, they are now available as brown rice noodles as well. Add them to Asian inspired soups for a hot meal or enhance the texture and volume of your salad by adding cooked cold noodles.

The versatility of low calorie rice recipes enables it to be a part of every meal. Thai inspired desserts include sweetened black sticky rice with salted coconut milk. However, you do not have to cook up something very exotic with rice. Simple desserts include low calorie rice pudding with basic ingredients such as cooked rice, sweet condensed milk, and sugar. Instant pudding mixes contain excess sugar, while traditional methods use whole cream milk, heavy cream, sugar or condensed milk, butter and eggs. A low cal rice pudding recipe can be prepared with brown or white rice, part skim or skim milk, and a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with milk to imitate the creamy flavor without the heavy cream. Reduce the fat in your low cal rice pudding by using natural sweeteners like agave nectar and honey or try artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. An all time favorite children’s dessert includes crisped rice treats. But how do you convert this sugary treat into low calorie crisped rice treats without cheating your child out of old-fashioned deliciousness? Traditional recipes involve crisped rice, marshmallows and butter. Health conscious parent’s can try crisped rice cereals, low sugar marshmallows, and cooking spray to create your own version of low cal crisped rice treats.

From simple to gourmet, rice lends itself to all kinds of recipes. With an eye on portion size and hundreds of low calorie rice options, you can certainly make rice a part of your daily diet.