Hello, there! Today I am bringing you one of my favorite side dishes, Cilantro Lime Sticky Rice. But first a quick recap of our Whole30 experience.

Walter and I finished up the Whole30 about 2 weeks ago. I have been waiting to share some of my thoughts on our experience until we had reintroduced some of the foods we had eliminated. For those of you that don’t know, the Whole30 is basically an elimination diet where you do not eat dairy, added sugar, soy, grains, legumes or drink alcohol for 30 days.

The thing I liked most about the Whole30 was it’s simplicity and the sense of control it gave me. With limited options, it was pretty simple to meal plan. We ate lots of tuna and egg salad with homemade mayo, avocados, zoodles, chicken, turkey meatballs and sweet potatoes. I liked eating this way, however I did not feel the drastic changes in my energy levels or brain clarity that lots of people report feeling. I had some of stomach issues about 1/2 way through for about a week that I am not exactly sure what to attribute to, but it was a pretty unpleasant side effect. Other than that, I did feel an overall sense of increased healthfulness, my skin got clearer and I was generally in a more consistently good mood. Walter had more drastic results. He felt great on the program and said he felt his energy levels increase a noticeable amount as well as mind clarity and general sharpness.

We also saved a ton of money. We did not eat out at all – breakfast, lunch or dinner. We also were not ubering to bars or drinking at all which can add up. The other side of that though is that we were a little bored and felt pretty anti-social since many of our social activities revolve around eating and going out.

All in all we had a good first experience and will do it again at some point in the near future. Transitioning back into the real world of food, neither of us noticed any real intolerances to the foods we had eliminated. A lot of people will find they have issues with dairy or grains, but we did not feel any shockingly negative effects upon reintroduction. We are continuing to limit our sugar intake and stay more aware of what we are eating, especially during the week. It is easy to just fall back into old habits and not implement any changes into your diet. Now when we eat out we are thinking twice about what we are ordering and when we are at home we are more conscious of added ingredients.

So what did I miss most during the Whole30!? There were a bunch of things, the obvious – chocolate and ice cream, but surprisingly, the thing I missed most was sticky white rice. This Cilantro Lime Sticky Rice in particular was something I craved a lot during the Whole30 and I am happy to have it back in my life!

I make this rice all the time, it’s a staple in our house. The rice you use is important – the Nishiki sushi rice pictured above is the best rice I have found for this dish (I normally get it at World Market, but you can also find it here on Amazon). It is very sticky, but holds up on it’s own without becoming too mushy or porridge-like as I have found with some other sticky rices.

Cook the rice according to the package instructions. While the rice is cooking, chop up a shallot and cilantro. Once the rice is cooked, remove from heat and mix in coconut oil and the shallots, the heat of the rice will cook the shallots just enough that they will lose some of their bite, but still stay crunchy. After the rice has cooled for a few minutes, add the lime juice, lime zest, ground coriander and sea salt. The final step is mixing in the chopped cilantro. You can serve the rice immediately or allow it to cool completely before serving.

To give you some reference, I often have friends compare this rice to the Chipotle rice. It is similar, but much less dry, more flavorful and, the obvious, it is sticky!

This rice is great as a filler in burritos, it pairs nicely with Thai dishes or can even be enjoyed on it’s own!

Cilantro Lime Sticky Rice

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★★★★★

4.5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Sprinkles and Sea Salt

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Ingredients

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• 1.5 cups Nishiki Premium Grade Rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 cup shallots, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• zest of 1 lime, about 1/2 tbsp
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

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Instructions

1. Prepare rice according to package instructions (bring rice and water to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to a low simmer and cover for 15-20 minutes)
2. Uncover and mix in coconut oil and chopped shallots
3. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes
4. Add lime juice, lime zest, coriander and sea salt, mix
5. Fold in cilantro
6. Serve warm or cool to room temperature before serving.

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