Alternatives to rice???

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CoryIda
CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I love white rice - it is so easy to make as a side and is a very filling side, but it isn't at all healthy and I want to find a healthier alternative that is NOT brown rice.

I don't like brown rice - I try it periodically but I always feel like I'm eating little bugs, no matter how it is prepared and even if the taste is okay.

My question is, what are some other healthy alternatives to white rice?

Thanks!

Replies

  • k1979k
    k1979k Posts: 94
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    You could try quinoa. It's actually a seed rather than a grain but you can use it like rice.
    You can also make a porridge out of it for breakfast (yum!).
  • honeybee709
    honeybee709 Posts: 40 Member
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    I was going to mention quinoa too, but barley is really good! Get it from the bulk section at the store so you can try it because it's much cheaper than buying a whole box before you know if you like it.
  • leah33
    leah33 Posts: 16
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    I like quinoa because it has a huge amount of protein, which means it makes you feel full longer!
  • lifeisgoodBev
    lifeisgoodBev Posts: 11
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    couscous is a great alternative... you can do anything with it like rice,,,,I like mine with salsa ........I also like buy the different types of packaged rices like pilaf...chinese etc,, I like the variety...
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    I LOOOVE quinoa!! It's great with a little lemon juice squeezed on top, and a dash of pepper.

    Other alternatives:

    CousCous - it's not as much of a whole grain as quinoa, but much better for you than pasta.

    Spaghetti Squash - this is a general pasta/rice alternative. It's not very rice-like, but serves the same basic purpose of being a fairly "neutral" tasting base for a meal.

    Polenta - made from corn meal

    Here's a list I found on the internet, for some other ideas (http://achingdebts.com/8-rice-alternatives/ ):

    Rice Alternatives

    Bulgar – made from wheat, it has a nutty flavor and can be either cooked or soaked and eaten raw.
    Barley – this is the stuff in Campbells vegetable beef soup that looks like wheat. It is a grain with a nutlike flavor and a chewy consistency.
    Couscous – a grain from North Africa, it has become more popular in America in recent years. It can be made from wheat, millet, or barley. Couscous has become one of my favorites. I add a little olive oil and garlic instead of butter.
    Quinoa – “The Gold of the Incas” is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. Quinoa can be purchased at your local health food store.
    Millet – this is the small seed in bird seed. It’s easy to grow as anyone who has a bird feeder can tell you and it is mild in flavor.
    Kasha – is made from buckwheat groats. (Groats are the hulled grain) Kasha is popular in Eastern European countries.
    Polenta – a dish made from boiled cornmeal. This is truly an Italian dish and while I haven’t tried it, you can check out some of the polenta recipes.
    Grits – no list would be complete without adding this southern staple. Although recognized primarily as a breakfast food, there are dozens of ways to prepare grits.
  • StacySkinny
    StacySkinny Posts: 984 Member
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    I LOOOVE quinoa!! It's great with a little lemon juice squeezed on top, and a dash of pepper.

    Other alternatives:

    CousCous - it's not as much of a whole grain as quinoa, but much better for you than pasta.

    Spaghetti Squash - this is a general pasta/rice alternative. It's not very rice-like, but serves the same basic purpose of being a fairly "neutral" tasting base for a meal.

    Polenta - made from corn meal

    Here's a list I found on the internet, for some other ideas (http://achingdebts.com/8-rice-alternatives/ ):

    Rice Alternatives

    Bulgar – made from wheat, it has a nutty flavor and can be either cooked or soaked and eaten raw.
    Barley – this is the stuff in Campbells vegetable beef soup that looks like wheat. It is a grain with a nutlike flavor and a chewy consistency.
    Couscous – a grain from North Africa, it has become more popular in America in recent years. It can be made from wheat, millet, or barley. Couscous has become one of my favorites. I add a little olive oil and garlic instead of butter.
    Quinoa – “The Gold of the Incas” is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. Quinoa can be purchased at your local health food store.
    Millet – this is the small seed in bird seed. It’s easy to grow as anyone who has a bird feeder can tell you and it is mild in flavor.
    Kasha – is made from buckwheat groats. (Groats are the hulled grain) Kasha is popular in Eastern European countries.
    Polenta – a dish made from boiled cornmeal. This is truly an Italian dish and while I haven’t tried it, you can check out some of the polenta recipes.
    Grits – no list would be complete without adding this southern staple. Although recognized primarily as a breakfast food, there are dozens of ways to prepare grits.


    Awesome! Those are some great suggestions! I was wondering that myself. Thanks! :)
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    accountant boi, you mentioned that cous cous is better than pasta? Is there something with pasta I missed? I have heard varying stories about it, and I know you do your homework with it comes to nutrition.......whats up with pasta/

    Thanks, it all helps......Lloyd
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    accountant boi, you mentioned that cous cous is better than pasta? Is there something with pasta I missed? I have heard varying stories about it, and I know you do your homework with it comes to nutrition.......whats up with pasta/

    Thanks, it all helps......Lloyd

    I'm trying to avoid processed foods as much as possible - this means avoiding foods made from flours, processed sugars, along with all the obvious processed foods (cereal, etc.). Pasta is a more highly processed food, usually made from a dough of flour, water and sometimes eggs, vegetable extracts, etc. I try to eat my carbs in as close to raw/natural form as possible - whole grains, fruits, veggies... Cous-Cous is not exactly a whole grain, but it's not really a pasta either. Personally I would eat quinoa over cous-cous, since quinoa is in it's raw/whole form, but sometimes a change is nice. :drinker:

    According to wikipedia (not the best source - but pretty handy :tongue: ) couscous is made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    accountantboi, thanks guy,I apprecaite your reply........I love , love pasta.........my biggest downfall.........but, I thought, and again, I am sure I can be wrong, but I thought that people were saying that Mulit Grain , or Whole Wheat Barilla Pasta is supposed to be good?

    Again, anything you know, let me in on it.......I do keep it low, the amount I eat is something like 3 times a week, and I consume 7 ounce s at a meal, mostly the only thing Ill eat would be the pasta with some olive oil and some parmesan cheese...........thats it, thats what I would say is the worst thing I eat..........90 percent of my consumption is fruits and vegetables, with some chicken breasts and maybe somepinto beans.................

    take care, thanks for your information, I know you do your homework on nutrition, that is why I was asking you for help.......Lloyd
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    I recently came across a recipe for cauliflower rice... looked good!


    Riced Cauliflower

    1- 16 ounce bag frozen cauliflower florets

    I use a 2-qt covered dish and microwave the cauliflower (Don't add water) until it is cooked, 8 minutes. Using mitts, carefully pour water from the cauliflower. Allow to cool with lid removed.
    Cauliflower can be riced in several ways.

    1. Food processor
    2. Santoku knife
    3. Using a cheese grater
    4. Using a ricer

    Store covered and refrigerated until use.

    Note: You can use a head of raw cauliflower to make your riced cauliflower. Simply process/rice the head prior to cooking in the microwave.

    Makes approximately 3 cups riced.
    Serves 6.

    Nutritional Information: Calories: 20, Carbohydrates: 3.5 g, Fiber: >1g, Net Carbohydrates: 2.5 g, Protein: >1 g, Fat: 0 g
  • Doordie
    Doordie Posts: 51
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    I LOVE QUINOA!!! I also like CouCous often. What I have found is beans to replace a normal rice dish actually work out if you select the right compliment. I personally hate beans. However once deciding to lose weight I searched for recipes that could help me to dress them up. Not bad.

    Also I eat a harvest blend. Couscous, Orzo, Baby Garbanzo beans and red quinoa -elicious especially if you make a soup like (fat free) gravy to go over it. Put some low fat meat in if you'd like. Yum!

    Orzo is indeed a pasta. However eating it in moderation is not the greatest but not the worse. It will compliment the blend. Also it has folate for whatever that's worth lol :)

    I've actually added beans to my diet. Sometimes that compliments meals that otherwise would call for rice.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    Options
    accountantboi, thanks guy,I apprecaite your reply........I love , love pasta.........my biggest downfall.........but, I thought, and again, I am sure I can be wrong, but I thought that people were saying that Mulit Grain , or Whole Wheat Barilla Pasta is supposed to be good?

    Again, anything you know, let me in on it.......I do keep it low, the amount I eat is something like 3 times a week, and I consume 7 ounce s at a meal, mostly the only thing Ill eat would be the pasta with some olive oil and some parmesan cheese...........thats it, thats what I would say is the worst thing I eat..........90 percent of my consumption is fruits and vegetables, with some chicken breasts and maybe somepinto beans.................

    take care, thanks for your information, I know you do your homework on nutrition, that is why I was asking you for help.......Lloyd

    Whole grain anything is typically better than non-whole-grain, so if you want to eat pasta, it's definitely better to go whole grain. With whole grain foods, they make it with all parts of the grain. Normal pasta/flour/bread/etc. is made with grains that have had the bran and germ removed (leaving only the endosperm), which takes away a lot of the nutrients. Some flours/breads add the nutrients back in artificially ("enriched" products) but I'd rather eat the whole grain products.

    While I'm making the choice to cut most pasta out of my diet, that doesn't mean you have to in order to lose weight or be healthy - it's just a personal choice that I've made.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
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    accountant boi, you mentioned that cous cous is better than pasta? Is there something with pasta I missed? I have heard varying stories about it, and I know you do your homework with it comes to nutrition.......whats up with pasta/

    Thanks, it all helps......Lloyd

    I'm trying to avoid processed foods as much as possible - this means avoiding foods made from flours, processed sugars, along with all the obvious processed foods (cereal, etc.). Pasta is a more highly processed food, usually made from a dough of flour, water and sometimes eggs, vegetable extracts, etc. I try to eat my carbs in as close to raw/natural form as possible - whole grains, fruits, veggies... Cous-Cous is not exactly a whole grain, but it's not really a pasta either. Personally I would eat quinoa over cous-cous, since quinoa is in it's raw/whole form, but sometimes a change is nice. :drinker:

    According to wikipedia (not the best source - but pretty handy :tongue: ) couscous is made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour.

    I hate to tell you but couscous is pasta. It is made with the same ingredients and PROCESSED in a similar manner, the only difference is that it is tiny.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
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    Couscous (basically tiny pasta), barley, quinoa, steel cut oats etc. You want to stick with grains.

    As far as brown rice here are some hints, unlike white rice which is usually prepared 1 cup rice for every 2 cups water you will need to add a half cup of liquid to fully cook the brown rice.

    Here is how I cook mine, I put a little olive oil in the pan and "toast" the rice before adding liquids, then I use chicken broth or chicken broth and water for the liquid. Toasting it gives it a "nutty" flavor and the chicken broth helps give it some flavor better than dirt.

    Trader joes also has brown jasmine rice in their freezer section and it is not too bad and comes cooked in microwavable bags for nights that you need to go quicker than brown rice usually takes to cook.
  • coastalstorm25
    coastalstorm25 Posts: 48
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    Quinoa ia actually a fruit!! Can you believe it?? I don't eat a lot of carbs because I also follow the "Eat right for your blood type" "diet"
    I hate saying the word "diet" but then i guess it is. White rice has very low nutritional value, although it does have alot of ready energy..like it you need to do some sort of exercise in a short amount of time and need some energy..this would be good.
    I would suggest trying the brown rice again ..but cook it longer so it's not as hard...and if you want add chicken broth instead of water...make sure it is low sodium. Try out a few flavors..when i have any type of rice i put a low cal/fat salad dressing on it to make it more interesting. Also do the same with the quinoa...
    Good Luck :)
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    Options
    accountant boi, you mentioned that cous cous is better than pasta? Is there something with pasta I missed? I have heard varying stories about it, and I know you do your homework with it comes to nutrition.......whats up with pasta/

    Thanks, it all helps......Lloyd

    I'm trying to avoid processed foods as much as possible - this means avoiding foods made from flours, processed sugars, along with all the obvious processed foods (cereal, etc.). Pasta is a more highly processed food, usually made from a dough of flour, water and sometimes eggs, vegetable extracts, etc. I try to eat my carbs in as close to raw/natural form as possible - whole grains, fruits, veggies... Cous-Cous is not exactly a whole grain, but it's not really a pasta either. Personally I would eat quinoa over cous-cous, since quinoa is in it's raw/whole form, but sometimes a change is nice. :drinker:

    According to wikipedia (not the best source - but pretty handy :tongue: ) couscous is made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour.

    I hate to tell you but couscous is pasta. It is made with the same ingredients and PROCESSED in a similar manner, the only difference is that it is tiny.

    It's not at all like normal pasta. It's much closer to a grain, though it's kind of in between. It's not made from a dough like pasta is. Check this article out: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/health/23recipehealth.html

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