Quick Lunch Salad ... with Added Carbs

I was talking to my friend on the phone telling her about how I had a salad for lunch. She congratulated me on my healthful habits... and then I lowered the blow: I added a whole lot of coconut rice to that salad and loved it. I made some coconut rice (recipe to follow at a later date) the other day and had some leftover and thought I would add it to my salad. I love salad without rice, don't get me wrong, but it just adds that extra yumminess of carbs that I so dearly love.


Looks delicious, right? It was. Just combine lettuce, fresh mint, sliced strawberries, toasted walnuts, and cold rice with oil and balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper and there you have it! Get creative - add rice to any salad and it makes it a little more enjoyable (in my opinion, anyway).

Mmmm... carbs are so good...

~ Mari

Thai Mango Sticky Rice

Mmmm... my favorite dessert in any Thai restaurant: Mango Sticky Rice. Why do I love it so? Because it's rice. In a dessert. With mango. Oh yeah... and coconut. Delish! So, I decided to make it one night when the mangoes were fresh and I had a little time. I found the recipe online and changed it up a bit... Here it is:

Thai Mango Sticky Rice

Serves 4

1 cup Thai sweet rice/sticky rice

1-2 ripe mangoes, cubed

4-5 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 cups coconut milk

1 tsp. black sesame seeds

1 tsp. white sesame seeds

Soak the rice in 1 cup of water for 1-2 hours - don't drain it (this will help make it extra sticky!). Pour into a medium sauce pot and add 3/4 cup more water, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/2 tsp. salt, and two Tbsp. brown sugar. Stir.

Bring it up to a boil then bring it down to a simmer. Partially cover the top with a lid (let some of the steam escape). Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 20 minutes (or until all liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft). Turn off the heat, but allow to sit on the burner for 10 minutes with the lid on.

To make the coconut sauce, warm (do not boil) the rest of the coconut milk. Add 2-3 Tbsp. sugar (depends on how sweet you like your sauce) and 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir to dissolve. Remove from heat.

To plate, scoop a glob (yes, a glob...hehe) of the rice onto the plate. Put mango cubes around the rice glob and drizzle the coconut sauce over it (I like lots of it, but you be the judge). Sprinkle it with the sesame seeds, and you're done!

Mmmm.... nice and sticky... :)

Hope you enjoy the recipe! :)