Red, White, and Blue Berry Rice Bowls

Summertime and we are all about berries! One of the things I look forward to the most in the summer is all the fresh berries. We eat them all day long, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and dessert. We eat them plain, shh sometimes we even go pick our organic berries from the backyard or berry patch and eat them without washing them, or in salads, parfaits, with ice cream or other desserts. With what seems like such a short berry season we tend to pack them in and eat as many as we can while we can! Switching up a salad, usually a green salad, I decided to make something different and thought rice over pasta and as the wheels started turning it came together and yes I had 4th of July and red, white, and blue in mind so I used white rice and of course coconut! Even better is that this can be a breakfast or easily transformed, or eaten as is, for lunch or dinner! Yes there is coconut but it isn’t sweet and this pairs together perfectly trust me. Fresh juicy berries, coconut, crunchy cashews, and rice to fuel you all day long (or for a few hours anyways).

So for breakfast it is rice, coconut milk, and berries. You can enjoy it warm or cold and you can add more coconut milk if you want it creamier. Than top it with chopped cashews and shredded coconut. For breakfast I like to use sweetened coconut. This is a great breakfast pre or post workout, or anytime with the carbs and really it is kind of like oatmeal or another grain for breakfast but rice.

Have leftovers or want to make it for dinner? You just add chopped chicken or chicken free chicken/tofu! I like to enjoy it cold for dinner, especially in the summer and sweetened or unsweetened coconut is a matter of personal taste.

I like to make a batch with the rice, coconut milk, and berries and top just before eating with cashews, coconut, and protein if adding it. This works great so that if there are leftovers I can enjoy it again another way. If making for a family or for a picnic you can throw it all together.

Red,White, and Blue Berry Rice Bowls
Makes 6-8 servings
1 1/2c basmati, jasmine, or rice of choice just not a sticky rice (oops did that once or twice)
1 tsp coconut oil
1-1 1/3c full fat coconut milk, canned not the beverage (used So Delicious Original Culinary Coconut Milk)
1c fresh blueberries
2c quartered, or halved if smaller, fresh strawberries
1/4-1/2c chopped raw unsalted cashews
1/4-1/2c shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened

stevia or sweetener to taste, optional for breakfast version season before eating
2 cooked chopped chicken breasts or 2c chopped chicken free chicken/tofu, optional for dinner version

Cook rice according to your rice package instructions adding in the coconut oil to the water and being careful not to overcook the rice! Let rice cool, unless enjoy it warm for breakfast right away. Fluff with a fork. Once cooled place in a large bowl and stir in 1 cup of full fat coconut milk and carefully stir in the berries. You do not want to over mix it and mush up the berries or the rice. Place mixture in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes (you just want it to cool to desired temp) or at this point it can be enjoyed right away if desired. When ready to enjoy add in extra coconut milk if desired, I like to do this for breakfast, it will depend on personal taste and it won’t be very creamy unless you add more. Before enjoying top or carefully stir in optional chopped protein if using and sprinkle with cashews and coconut. Enjoy!
Red, White, and Blue Berry Rice Bowls are a delicious #glutenfree and #vegan friendly breakfast, lunch, or dinner! #fitfam #wholefood Click To Tweet