Low GI Tuna, Brown rice, and Bean salad

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So with a new diagnosis comes a new diet. Intermittent fasting coupled with low GI foods. I have to say that so far it has been quite a challenge, although looking for twists to the food has been quite enjoyable.

So this time around after a trip to the store, tuna in hand, I whipped up this creation.

Tuna with brown rice and bean salad

Since this was supposed to be a low gi meal, no sauces were used. Let’s start with the tuna.

Tuna marinade

Ingredients:

  • 500g tuna steaks (skin removed)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera)
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1 lemon (juiced)

Method:

  1. In a small bowl mix the salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika together.
  2. In a large bowl, big enough for the tuna and mixing, incorporate the lemon juice with the tuna first, then add the spice mixture using your non-dominant hand. This will make it easier to mix into the fish.
  3. Allow this to marinate in the fridge while you sort out the rice and veg for the salad.

Salad

Ingredients:

  • Green beans (a large handful)
  • 1 can red kidney beans (~ 500 grams)
  • 1 can chickpeas (~ 500 grams)
  • 1 punnet baby tomatoes (~ 500 grams)
  • 1 stick celery
  • 1/2 a capsicum

Method

  1. Wash the fresh produce (tomatoes, celery, and green beans).
  2. Drain and wash the beans and chickpeas thoroughly, then add to the mixing bowl.
  3. Halve/quarter the tomatoes
  4. Finely dice the celery and capsicum.
  5. This is the tricky part. So in order to use fewer pots, I blanched my green beans first and then used the same water to boil my rice. Remember to bring the water up to boiling and have the ice water ready in a bowl right next to it. I suggest using a pair of tongs to transfer the green beans to the ice bath. Boil the green beans for 2-3 minutes and then put them in the ice water to stop the cooking process. You could even add ice cubes to your water to make the water extra cold.
  6. Slice up the green beans into 1-inch pieces.
  7. Mix all these ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Salad Dressing

This is a quintessential part of the salad. This could either make or break the dish. Thankfully it turned out well. After scouring the internet and numerous queries on uncle Google, I found that lots of recipes called for red wine vinegar in this salad. Seeing as I didn’t have this on hand, I made my own concoction. These are the ingredients with the approximate amounts.

  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
  • 1 teaspoon white malt vinegar
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder,
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Mix all these ingredients into a sauce bottle and shake it up. I used a clear bottle so that I could see once everything was thoroughly mixed.

Brown Rice

This is a great low gi choice compared to having heavier rice. Bring water to a boil and then add your rice. Remember that brown rice does not expand as much as white rice. Leave the rice boiling for about 25 minutes. You will know it is done as soon as the water starts simmering and the rice kernels have split.

Once you have the rice on, I suggest you pan fry your tuna. Get your pan to a nice medium heat before adding the tuna. Don’t cook it too long, else you risk the tuna drying out. Depending on the thickness of the tuna steak, sear on one side till it’s halfway cooked, then sear the other side. The steaks will brown quite well and look black faster, but that is also because of the paprika in the marinade. Remove from the pan and allow to rest.

Plate your food and enjoy it!