Part I · Heart Healthy
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: about 25 mins Yield: about 15 cups
The Riverview Bowl with a garden folded in: green peas and broccoli on top of jasmine rice, black beans, flounder and tuna. It is still plain and still made to share with a dog, and the vegetables bring the calories per cup down.
First made 2026-10-12, the day after the Riverview Bowl was named; peas and broccoli joined the pot. Named, like its parent, after a walk in Riverview Park.
Why It Works
- Plain on purpose: No salt, no pepper, no garlic, no onion. It is built to be shared with a dog, and each person seasons their own bowl.
- Two kinds of fish: Baked flounder for flaky texture, chunk light tuna to stretch the protein.
- Black beans: Soluble fibre, plant protein and potassium.
- Batch food: One pot covers several days of meals for a person and a dog.
- Vegetables for volume: Peas add protein and fibre; broccoli adds vitamin C and K. Both bulk up the pot for very few calories.
Ingredients
- Jasmine Rice: 2 cups, dry
- Water: 2½ cups
- Black Beans: 2 cups, drained and rinsed (about 1½ cans)
- Flounder: 1 lb fillets (or another white fish: tilapia is lowest in mercury)
- Chunk Light Tuna: 2 cans, drained
- Frozen Peas: 12 oz
- Broccoli: about 6 oz, cut into small florets
Execution Protocol
Phase 1: The Fish
- Heat the oven to 450°F.
- Bake the flounder (1 lb) on a sheet for 12–15 minutes (longer from frozen), until it is opaque and flakes easily.
- Flake it, checking for pin bones.
Phase 2: The Rice
- Put the rice (2 cups) and water (2½ cups) in a pot and bring it to a boil.
- Cover, turn it to medium-low and cook 12 minutes. Don’t lift the lid.
- Take it off the heat and rest it 10 minutes, covered.
Phase 3: The Vegetables
- While the rice rests, steam or microwave the frozen peas (12 oz) and the broccoli (about 6 oz) until just tender, 4–5 minutes.
- Chop the broccoli small if a dog is sharing: many dogs pick around it.
Phase 4: The Fold
- Fluff the rice and fold in the black beans (2 cups), the tuna (2 cans), the flaked flounder (1 lb), the peas (12 oz) and the broccoli (about 6 oz).
- Cool leftovers fast and refrigerate within about an hour.
Meal Profile
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient in the amounts above (the whole pot), then divided by about 15 cups. One serving is 2 cups. A value marked † is partial: at least one ingredient has no published value for it, so the true figure is somewhat higher.
The basics
| Whole pot | Per cup | Per 2-cup serving | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 2,636 kcal | 176 kcal | 352 kcal |
| Protein | 180 g | 12 g | 24 g |
| Fat, total | 17.2 g | 1.1 g | 2.3 g |
| Saturated | 4.0 g | 0.3 g | 0.5 g |
| Monounsaturated | 3.8 g | 0.3 g | 0.5 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 4.6 g | 0.3 g | 0.6 g |
| Carbohydrate, total | 435 g | 29 g | 58 g |
| Fiber | 54.5 g | 3.6 g | 7.3 g |
| Resistant starch † | 4.7 g | 0.3 g | 0.6 g |
| Sugars | 21.4 g | 1.4 g | 2.9 g |
| Cholesterol | 286 mg | 19 mg | 38 mg |
| Sodium | 3,159 mg | 211 mg | 421 mg |
| Potassium | 3,835 mg | 256 mg | 511 mg |
| Available carbohydrate (total minus fiber) | 381 g | 25 g | 51 g |
Ratios and shares
- Sodium : potassium: 0.82 (below 1 favours blood pressure; the WHO goal is near 0.6).
- Saturated fat share of energy: 1.4% (guideline: under 10%).
- Protein density: 6.8 g of protein per 100 kcal.
- Omega-3, per serving: 345 mg in total, including EPA + DHA 216 mg (DPA 18 mg, ALA 104 mg). Omega-6 : omega-3 ratio 0.7 : 1.
Fats by type (per serving)
| Fatty acid | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 16:0 palmitic (saturated) | 394 mg |
| 18:0 stearic (saturated) | 65 mg |
| 18:1 oleic (monounsaturated) | 385 mg |
| 18:2 linoleic, LA (omega-6) | 236 mg |
| 20:4 arachidonic, AA (omega-6) | 17 mg |
| 18:3 alpha-linolenic, ALA (omega-3) | 104 mg |
| 20:5 EPA (omega-3) | 91 mg |
| 22:5 DPA (omega-3) | 18 mg |
| 22:6 DHA (omega-3) | 124 mg |
Essential amino acids (per serving, against the daily need of a 74 kg / 163 lb adult)
| Amino acid | Per serving | Daily need | Share of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Histidine | 0.60 g | 0.74 g | 82% |
| Isoleucine | 1.06 g | 1.48 g | 72% |
| Leucine | 1.90 g | 2.88 g | 66% |
| Lysine | 1.86 g | 2.21 g | 84% |
| Methionine + cysteine | 0.92 g | 1.11 g | 83% |
| Phenylalanine + tyrosine | 1.82 g | 1.84 g | 99% |
| Threonine | 1.01 g | 1.11 g | 91% |
| Tryptophan | 0.27 g | 0.30 g | 93% |
| Valine | 1.24 g | 1.92 g | 65% |
Vitamins and minerals (per serving)
Daily references are the U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes for an adult man (31-50).
| Nutrient | Per serving | Daily reference | Share of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 64.9 µg | 900 µg | 7% |
| Vitamin D, total | 2.1 µg | 15 µg | 14% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 1.12 mg | 15 mg | 7% |
| Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) | 37.4 µg | 120 µg | 31% |
| B1 thiamin | 0.30 mg | 1.2 mg | 25% |
| B2 riboflavin | 0.16 mg | 1.3 mg | 12% |
| B3 niacin | 5.63 mg | 16 mg | 35% |
| B5 pantothenic acid | 1.15 mg | 5 mg | 23% |
| B6 | 0.35 mg | 1.3 mg | 27% |
| B9 folate, total (DFE) | 115 µg | 400 µg | 29% |
| B12, total | 1.5 µg | 2.4 µg | 61% |
| Vitamin C | 28.4 mg | 90 mg | 32% |
| Choline (vitamin-like) | 82.5 mg | 550 mg | 15% |
| Calcium | 64.7 mg | 1,000 mg | 6% |
| Magnesium | 78.8 mg | 420 mg | 19% |
| Sodium | 421 mg | 2,300 mg (limit) | 18% |
| Potassium | 511 mg | 3,400 mg | 15% |
| Phosphorus | 368 mg | 700 mg | 53% |
| Iron, total | 2.82 mg | 8 mg | 35% |
| Zinc | 1.92 mg | 11 mg | 17% |
| Copper | 0.30 mg | 0.9 mg | 33% |
| Manganese | 0.95 mg | 2.3 mg | 42% |
| Selenium | 46.8 µg | 55 µg | 85% |
Phytonutrients (per serving)
- Lutein + zeaxanthin: 1,384 µg
- Beta-carotene: 637 µg
- Flavonoids: 5 mg †
- Nitrate: 1 mg †
Glycemic impact (estimate)
White rice carries most of the pot’s carbohydrate, and it is the high-GI part: jasmine rice is among the highest-GI rices (often 70-90 when eaten alone, and some tests run higher), long-grain white rice around 55-60. Black beans (about 30), fish and protein lower the meal’s overall response, so the true figure for a bowl is likely toward the lower end of this range. With about 51 g of available carbohydrate per serving, the glycemic load works out to roughly 28–36 (low is 10 or under, high is 20 or over).
Watch-outs
- Oxalate: not yet researched for Jasmine rice (white long-grain proxy), Tuna, chunk light, in water, Flounder, Peas, green, Broccoli (a low-oxalate diet for kidney-stone prevention aims for under 100 mg a day).
- Purines (total): at least 75 mg per serving; not yet researched for Jasmine rice (white long-grain proxy), Flounder, Peas, green, Broccoli. Relevant to uric acid and gout; a low-purine diet keeps to roughly 400 mg a day.
- Mercury: about 7.2 µg per serving, using FDA average levels for each fish. The EPA reference dose for a 74 kg adult is about 7.4 µg a day (0.1 µg per kg), so two servings in one day would pass it. The reference dose is a lifetime daily level with a large safety margin built in, not a danger line, but it is the right yardstick for fish eaten every day.
- Mercury comes from both fish: the two cans of tuna (about 28 µg for the pot) and the pound of flounder (about 25 µg). Swapping the flounder for tilapia cuts the pot’s mercury by about a third; swapping the tuna for a half-pound of tilapia cuts it by about half; doing both cuts it by over 80%.
Dog check
Safe for a dog to share, in normal portions. Fine in moderation: Tuna, chunk light, in water, Broccoli.
Not counted: the water and any salt or seasoning; jasmine rice is entered as unenriched white long-grain rice, and canned black beans as beans boiled with salt (close to rinsed canned). Values are from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), with mercury from FDA monitoring data; see the Master Nutrition & Food Facts workbook for every ingredient.
Variations
- Barley: swap about ½ cup of the rice for pearled barley, cooked in the same pot with a few extra minutes of simmer. It adds beta-glucan, the LDL-lowering fibre, and lowers the glycemic load.
- Mushrooms: slice 8–16 oz white button mushrooms. Set them cut-side up in direct midday sun for 30–60 minutes first and they make vitamin D (in winter, buy packs labelled “UV-treated”). Sauté and fold in with the fish. Plain cooked store-bought mushrooms are fine for dogs; wild ones never are.
- Okra and zucchini: see the Flower & Seed Bowl.
Notes
- Season your own bowl: red pepper flakes, lemon, rested garlic, a little salt.
- Rice safety: cooked rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores. Cool it fast, keep it cold, and eat it within 3–4 days.
Recipe by Tony Seliquini, October 2026. Named after a walk in Riverview Park.
Written October 2026 · part of the Recipes collection.