Cilantro Pesto Rice Bowl

It has been quite a long time since I have had time to keep up with the blog. Now that I have a week off from school and I am not working I have time to catch up on everything that is cooking and my other love crafting. Tonight's meal is the kick off of yet another attempt to go low fat vegan. I tried the fat free variety but I really love my avocados and nuts. So it is a low fat vegan diet that will nourish the hubby and I during the week, and one day a week I will cook either organic poultry or fish for myself. 

I love rice bowls but since we are still nightshade vegetable and fruit free it is difficult to make these without any salsa. So I improvise and come up with unique ways to get around the salsa issue by using vegan pesto sauces. The Cilantro Pesto in this rice bowl is nut free for those of you allergic to nuts. I did not do it on purpose; I simply forgot to add my pine nut alternative, pumpkin seeds, but that is a whole other story!

I hope you enjoy this rice bowl as much as we did!! 

Cilantro Pesto Rice Bowl

Serves 6

1 cup brown rice

2 C water

Cook brown rice with water until tender and cooked, about 45 minutes

Mix cooked brown rice with:

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained or 2 cups cooked kidney beans

1 cup fresh or red frozen corn

½ c red onion diced

1 pound steamed cut green beans

Cilantro Pesto

3 bunches cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 T oregano

¼ t salt

¼ t pepper

1 t cumin

3 T olive oil or 3T water reserved from steaming green beans

Pour over rice bowl mix and enjoy.

Nutrition per serving:

Calories: 201.1        

Total Fat: 7.6 gr

     Sat fat: 1.0 gr

     Poly Fat: 0.9 gr

     Mono Fat: 5.2 gr

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 393.6 mg  

Potassium: 409.1 mg

Total Carbs: 28.5 gr

     Dietary Fiber: 8.0 gr

     Sugar: 0.6 gr

Protein: 6.8 gr