Fuel up on black rice with peas, asparagus and mint
You may have heard about it, you may be trying it, or you may be learning about the 5:2 lifestyle diet for the very first time. Taking the ‘intermittent fasting’ approach, this popular eating pattern suggests choosing two days of the week on which you consume limited calories, and eating a normal balanced diet for the remaining days. In the spirit of trying new things this year, we got our hot little hands on a copy of Delphine de Montalier and Charlotte Debeugny’s new cookbook, 5:2 Lifestyle, to take a closer look at this way of life. The gluten-free recipe for black rice with peas, asparagus and mint below is just one of the gems featured in the tome, which navigates 100 specialised recipes to cover you across all days of your 5:2 diet.
INGREDIENTS
55 g black rice
150 g white asparagus
80 g shelled peas or 200 g in their pods
1 large handful of rocket (arugula)
8 fresh mint leaves, chopped
12 cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
40 g tinned tuna in water, drained and flaked
1 medium egg
85 g black rice
TO MAKE
Pour the rice into a small saucepan with two and a half times its volume of cold water. Add salt and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour over low heat. Meanwhile, peel the asparagus and cut off the woody ends. Wash the peas and steam them with the asparagus for ten minutes. Once the rice is cooked, rinse it under cold water and drain.
Let the vegetables cool, then cut the asparagus into short lengths and add it to the rice with the peas. Add the rocket and mint, the tomato, olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix well. Refrigerate before eating.
For the first meal, take a portion and add the tuna. If the salad is a little dry with the tuna, add 1–2 tablespoons of warm water and mix thoroughly or purée half the tomatoes to make a little sauce.
For the second meal, cook a soft-boiled egg (5–6 minutes), peel it under cold running water and place on top of the dish.
For your chance to win this great cookbook, enter here before 5:00 pm Thursday February 12. Recipe and images from 5:2 Lifestyle by Delphine de Montalier and Charlotte Debeugny. Published by Murdoch Books.
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