Easy meal prep using high-protein chickpea rice. One pot of rice prepared into four different salads for easy lunches and/or dinners that you won’t get bored of.
Meal prep is taking over my Instagram feed: #mealprepsunday anyone? I’m all about preparing food in advance to make the work week less hectic, but one thing I can’t understand is how people can enjoy eating the same thing for lunch or dinner every day. Five. Days. Straight. Doesn’t get that boring?
In cooking Banza rice four ways, I used one main ingredient to create four very different tasting meals. Banza rice is made from chickpeas; it kind of looks like orzo pasta but has much more protein to fill you up. It has 11 grams of protein, five grams of fiber, and only 25 grams of net carbs/per serving, so there’s no need to add extra protein.
In less than one hour, you can make four healthy and satisfying dishes. And the ingredient list is simple, calling for most ingredients to be used more than once. So your grocery list stays small!
Rice with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and a balsamic glaze.
Banza rice four ways
- Rice with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley – the simplest of the four recipes. The freshly grated parmesan cheese is what elevates this one.
- Rice with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and a balsamic glaze. This Italian-inspired dish will remind you of your favorite caprese salad.
- Rice with chopped cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, and chickpeas with a red wine vinaigrette. This Mediterranean inspired dish was my favorite of the four!
- Rice with fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and a balsamic glaze. Use the same glaze from dish number 2!
Rice with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 bags (8 oz) of Banza chickpea rice
- 1 mini cucumber, sliced in half length-wise, then sliced in half again, chopped into tiny pieces
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ½ cup fresh mozzarella, chopped
- ½ cup fresh spinach, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup feta cheese, set aside
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes, set aside
- ½ cup chickpeas, side aside.
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- Pour balsamic vinegar into small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until thickens, about 20 minutes.
- While vinegar is cooking, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and run cool water over. Set aside.
- While the balsamic vinegar and pasta are cooking, start your prep work for the rest of the ingredients. First, prep the cucumber, cherry tomatoes, parsley, basil, fresh mozzarella, and spinach. Then set aside.
- Next, grate the parmesan cheese, set aside.
- In small bowl, make the red wine vinegar dressing. Add EVOO, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Stir, set aside.
- Gather four equally sized containers and scoop 1¼ cup of rice into each container.
- To the first container, add ⅛ cup parsley and parmesan cheese, stir.
- To second container, add ½ pint cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, and half of the balsamic glaze, stir.
- To the third container, add cucumbers, ½ pint cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, ½ cup feta cheese, ⅛ cup parsley, and the red wine vinegar dressing.
- To the fourth container add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, ½ cup feta cheese, and the other half of the balsamic glaze.
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