Spring Pesto Rice

Name: Spring Pesto Rice
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1.5 cups cooked rice. I like white rice for this; 1/4 cup Pesto I used Seggiano pesto, but you can whatever pesto you like; 1/4 cup mayo, I used Sir Kensington preferably one made without canola or vegetable oil; 3 tbs fresh squeezed lemon; 2 cups frozen chopped spinach; 2 cups frozen peas; 1 tbs ghee or avocado oil; 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts; salt to taste

NourishSidesGluten Free

Apr 23

Written By Germaine Benoit

Did you know that rice can be considered a gut-healing food that won't spike your insulin levels and can improve your metabolism, feed your friendly gut bacteria, and help heal a leaky gut?

It can, and it makes me so excited since I grew up on rice.

Here's how

When rice or potatoes, for that matter, are cooked then cooled with some fat source, like butter or oil, it transforms the starch in these foods to what's called "Resistant Starch".

Resistant starch resists digestion and isn't digested in the small intestine, at least by us. It is digested by the "good bacteria" in your gut, making it a prebiotic food. Because of this, it won't spike your blood sugar levels and can even help improve your metabolism.

As a prebiotic food, it feeds good gut bacteria. When your good bacteria are fed, it crowds out the bad bugs and makes for a much happier gut environment. And a healthy gut is a reflection of a healthy body!

In addition to this, resistant starch produces short-chain fatty acids. In particular, butyrate, which is the large intestines fuel of choice, is a powerful player in healing the gut lining of people with leaky gut syndrome. It supports the immune system and can be a powerful protector against certain diseases of the digestive tract.

A couple of keys to make rice a resistant starch

Cook and cool the rice before eating. I like to cook my rice then place in the fridge to cool it. The next day, bring it to room temp and prepare as you would for the dish you have in mind.
Cooling the rice is what changes the starches in the rice to make them “resistant”.
Add fat to it - I like to add grass-fed butter because it is also a great source of butyric acid and can help heal the gut.

This particular dish is great because it incorporates both, along with lots of healing herbs and all the Spring veggies that are out now. Enjoy!