Seven Uses for Leftover Rice

Everyone who cooks is likely to have faced this dilemma at one time or another: a bowl or pot of rice sitting in the refrigerator without any food to accompany it.

Here are seven ideas so good, you'll always want to have cooked rice on hand:

  1. Make a simple rice salad. Artichoke hearts, roasted or raw red pepper, olives, almonds, pistachios and cashews all go along well. Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of sherry wine vinegar, and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard combine in a quick dressing that will make your rice seem like anything but a leftover.
  2. Add your rice to some soup, either canned or fresh. Rice really makes a split pea, lentil or bean soup into a hearty mid-day meal.
  3. Make a quick rice pudding. Add a cup of organic lowfat vanilla yogurt, a cup of applesauce or finely chopped apple, a handful of raisins, and a teaspoon of cinnamon to each cup of rice. Stir well, heat through, and you're done with the basics. For a richer dessert, crumble a few walnuts on top.
  4. Healthy sauté a few of your favorite World's Healthiest Foods vegetables— asparagus, broccoli florets, mushrooms, slices of red and green sweet peppers, onions, butternut squash—spoon over a bed of warmed rice, top with a handful of your favorite "healthy roasted" nut or seed, and enjoy. (To roast nuts and bring out their flavor without damaging their healthy fats, toss them with a little tamari or soy sauce, spread on a pan or cookie sheet, and roast at 170 degrees for 20 minutes.)
  5. Use the rice to make our delicious Pineapple, Coconut Rice Breakfast. Just add pineapple chunks, almonds, raisins, banana, and coconut milk, and blend.
  6. Go macrobiotic! Simply reheat your brown rice, drizzle a tablespoon of tamari on top, then sprinkle with a tablespoon of sesame seeds.
  7. Make a wrap. Spoon rice down the center of a tortilla. Top with a little salsa, some kidney beans (use organic canned, if you're trying to economize on time), a couple of sliced black olives, some chopped onions, and a tablespoon of low-fat plain yogurt and/or grated low-fat cheddar cheese. If you have an avocado on hand, finish off with a few slices, then roll up and heat in the microwave or oven. Voila—a healthy flavorful meal.
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