Basil-Fresh Brown Rice Linguine

11 February 2015

Most of us love a good pasta, especially folks like myself who’s gene pool includes a very strong Italian bloodline! How about a guilt free, totally healthy fresh and light combination that you can consider completely “cheat free”! This recipe provides low-GI carbohydrates for sustained energy. I recommend going easy on the carbs at night to allow the digestion system to rest, so opt for this good carb meal during lunchtime. This bowl of deliciousness can be eaten with protein or without. For a vegetarian/ vegan alternative, simply leave out the chicken and continue as is.

Ingredients

250g brown rice linguine (available at any health store)

1 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. Himalayan pink crystal salt

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. garlic

1 tsp. dried organic oregano

1 tsp. dried organic parsley

½ tsp. dried organic thyme

2 tsp. Himalayan pink crystal salt

2 cups organic/ free-range chicken breasts – cut into strips (optional)

1 punnet button mushrooms sliced

2 cups cherry tomatoes -sliced

Half punnet fresh basil – finely chopped

3 tbsp. homemade pesto (see recipe for homemade basil pesto )

Instructions

Step 1:
Preparation
Chop chicken (optional), tomatoes, mushrooms and basil into thin slices

Step 2:
Place hot water, salt and oil to a large cooking pot and bring to boil.
Add brown rice pasta and allow to boil for 7 -10 minutes until al dente
Once cooked, remove from stove and strain pasta to remove water
Place pasta back in cooking pot and allow to stand

Step 3:
Melt coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan.
Add garlic, salt, oregano, parsley and thyme and sauté for two minutes until slightly brown

Step 4 (optional):
Add chicken to browned herbs and sauté until cooked thoroughly

Step 5:
Add thinly sliced mushrooms to browned herbs (and chicken) and stir.
Fry for 5 minutes until mushrooms are nearly cooked through

Step 6:
Add sliced tomatoes to mushroom
and herbs and sauté for 1 minute until tomatoes are slightly
soft

Step 7:
Add basil and fry for a further 2 minutes so that basil softens

Step 8:
Add homemade pesto to pasta sauce and stir until pesto is thoroughly incorporated

Step 9:
Place sauce over brown rice pasta in cooking pot and stir through thoroughly

Serving Suggestion:
Add a dollop of plain Greek yoghurt or homemade tahini mayo for extra creaminess

See Tahini Mayo Recipe HERE