The lemony rice was the perfect backdrop for stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and the avocado topping provided a touch of creaminess.
I used vegetables that were in season: snow peas from my garden, and fresh asparagus from the store. But feel free to change up those vegetables with anything you desire: peas, zucchini, tomato, capsicum, leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower…I can imagine all of those would go great in this dish!
Asparagus provides a good dose of vitamin K, folate, copper, selenium, and vitamins B1 & B2. Another benefit of eating asparagus is the high inulin content – inulin is known as a “prebiotic”, which isn’t digested until it reaches the large intestine, where it is then digested by bacteria like Lactobacilli. Thus, inulin can help with absorbing nutrients, and lower the risk of allergy and colon cancer. Yay for asparagus!
Lemon Rice with Avocado & Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati* rice
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 onion
- 6 spears asparagus
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbs)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 avocado
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, cook the rice, water and turmeric over a low heat, covered, for about 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed.
- Meanwhile, dice the onion and snow peas.
- Chop off the tough woody ends (about 1-2 inches from the bottom) of the asparagus and discard. Shave the rest of the asparagus using a vegetable peeler (you can chop the tips off first to make it easier), and chop the remaining asparagus once it gets to hard to shave.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion, snow peas and asparagus.
- Stir fry for about 8 minutes, remove from the heat.
- Stir the lemon juice and and pepper into the rice, then stir the vegetables through the rice.
- Peel the avocado and cut into thin slices.
- Serve the rice and top with the avocado slices.
