well my first choice to go with lamb would be a risotto with rosemary and red bell peppers....but that's "white stuff"
You could do something similar with brown rice...
If you are watching salt, make your own chicken broth...
But basically I would sautee some onions, very slowly in a very small amount of butter (need it for the taste)....then add rice and twice a\s much chicken broth as rice ...cook about 20 minutes and add some dried cranberries....about 2 T. per cup of rice...not too much, a little rosemary...maybe 1/2 tsp per cup of rice...and when the rice is done, add some toasted slivered almonds.

With lamb I really enjoy white beans cooked with garlic, olive oil and herbs.

Another good choice is couscous, which is super easy to make with one of the packets of Mediterranean brand couscous which come in various flavors.

Jim (not a pro)

Well rice and cous cous aren't low on the glycemic index, BUT they are not full of saturated fat/cholesterol on the plus side.

Here's a recipe from Giada DeLaurentis from the Foodnetwork that I have made before. It is best if you splurge on fresh herbs. You could maybe use brown rice mixed with wild rice for this but I haven't tried it that way so I can't vouch for that substitution.

Mediterranean Salad

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-pound) box Israeli couscous (or any small pasta)
3 cups chicken stock
2 lemons, juiced
1 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Directions
In a medium saucepan, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the couscous and cook until toasted and lightly browned, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the stock, and the juice of 1 lemon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the couscous is tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the couscous.

In a large bowl, toss the cooked couscous with the remaining olive oil, remaining lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper and let cool.

Once the couscous is room temperature, add the fresh herbs, dried cranberries, and almonds. Toss to combine and serve.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mediterranean salad Giada DeLaurentis

What if you attempted a complete fake-out and served quinoa instead of rice? It is a very healthy grain and I think it might make a reasonable substitution. I've made the following salad several times and it has been well received, but if you want a warm side dish, skip the salad and check out the following recipe.

Quinoa Pecan Salad with Dried Cranberries
Jun 1, 2000 12:00 PM
Quinoa & Pecan Salad with Dried Cranberries
June, 2000

Serves 10 / This hearty salad has a zesty combination of textures and contrasting flavors. Plus, it's loaded with fiber and nutrients. Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

3 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 bunch green onions, finely sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries, diced
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
3/4 cup celery, finely diced
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Bring water to a boil. Add quinoa; stir, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until quinoa is soft and water is absorbed ��" about 25-30 minutes.
2. Add green onions, dried cranberries, cilantro and celery to a large salad bowl. Toast the pecans in a small skillet and add to the salad bowl (optional). Add the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, sesame oil, salt and peppers to the bowl. Stir to mix.
3. Stir in the quinoa when it has cooked and cooled slightly. Set aside for an hour if possible to allow flavors to marry; serve at room temperature.
Photography by Rita Maas

Calories 197,Fat 9,Perfat 42,Cholesterol 0,Carbo 25,Protein 4,Fiber N/A,Sodium N/A
***************************************************

Quinoa Pilaf
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

.Prep Time:10 minInactive Prep Time:--Cook Time:25 minLevel:
--Serves:
4 servings.Ingredients
â¢2 cups vegetable broth
â¢1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
â¢1 bay leaf
â¢1/2 teaspoon turmeric
â¢1 teaspoon salt and pepper
â¢1 tablespoon olive oil
â¢1 teaspoon preserved lemon rind, finely diced
â¢1 tomato, finely chopped
â¢1 (15-ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and quartered
â¢1/2 red onion, diced
â¢1/2 cup black olives, pitted
â¢1/4 cup currants
â¢Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine broth, quinoa, bay leaf, turmeric, salt, pepper and olive oil in a saucepan. Stir in preserved lemon and cover. Simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Add tomato, artichokes, onion, olives and currants, mix well to combine. Top with mint and serve.

Basmati rice is lower GI than ordinary white.

I made a squash stuffed with quinoa last week that was so good, but you could use rice instead and make it a pilaf.

I sauteed an onion and chopped celery, and then added chicken broth, salt, pepper, and quinoa to the pot, covered it and cooked as per usual.

When it was finished, I stirred some currants and chopped toasted hazelnuts into the quinoa and filled the roasted squash halves (glazed with maple syrup) and then finished them in the oven for 15 minutes.

The filling was so good, and I thought already at the time that it would be delicious even without the squash.

Low-GI pasta is pretty good. (At Publix, there's a brand called 'Dream Fields'.) Whole wheat couscous is not too bad as far as the GI goes.

And, parboiled rice (what Uncle Ben refers to as 'converted') is lower in the GI than regular rice. That stands to reason--the parboiling process rinses away some free starch.

Thanks!

These all look pretty good to me! Good thing they're healthy--I have to do some testing now and I don't want to get fat. :D

How about barley for something different? This is quite yummy.

Roselin's Nutty Barley Bake

1 med. onion, chopped
1c med. pearl barley
1/2c slivered almonds
1/4c butter
1/2c minced fresh parsley
1/4c thinly sliced green onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups beef or chicken stock or broth

In a skillet over med heat, saute onion, barley, and nuts in butter til barley is lightly browned. Stir in parsley, green onion, salt and pepper. Transfer to a greased 2qt baking dish. Stir in broth/stock. Bake uncovered at 350� for 1 hr and 15 minutes til barley is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Yields: 4-6 servings

Oh I love barley.

I'm running out of time to experiment but I plan on trying these (but probably not all in time for Christmas).

I just recently discovered Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf. OMG it's YUM! It has no seasoning in it. It's just the grains but I usually cook it with homemade chicken stock, a little sauteed garlic and onion then add some lemon juice and chopped baby spinach or some chopped flat leaf parsley.

Another variation I've used is chicken stock, garlic, salsa, corn and black beans. Another yum!