Let’s say you have eight people over for dinner. And you make rice for eight hundred.
What do you do with all those leftover grains?
A few tubs of tupperware and some basic arithmetic lead us to conclude that what you have are leftovers. Which is just a muse for creativity. And when it comes to rice, you’ve got one of the greatest leftover canvases to work with.
There are many stellar, second-day, low-sodium options for rice.
You can make spring rolls.
You can top the rice with spices and avocado for a cold snack, that’s totally great when you’re on-the-go.
You can top it with freshly made (or leftover) tortilla soup.
You can stuff it in some mushrooms with some ground meat and throw a party.
You can put an egg on it. And mix with other leftover veggies. And then bake it. And top it with smoked paprika. And then eat it. And be happy about it.
Or of course, you can use some of those trusty, low-sodium pantry items in your kitchen to dirty that rice up.
Heat up some diced yellow onion and garlic in a large pan with a little oil, and then add that rice. Let it get a little crispy.
Then plop in some no-salt-added roasted tomatoes, fresh tomatoes if you have them in the fridge, no-salt added beans (drained of course), a teaspoon or so of diced jalapeno, a splash or two of apple cider vinegar, and a squeeze of lime.
Stir, taste, and add other spices — like: cumin, coriander seeds, a pinch of clove — to the mix. And right before serving/eating, add freshly chopped cilantro and green onions (again, if you have it).
Mix again. Then dig in.
And remember, no matter how many people come over for dinner, always make extra rice.
It will take you many new places and make many new meals throughout the week.
Chow on.
Here is a new one: I play ice hockey and afterwards there is nothing better than beer and quiche. One Sunday our resident quiche-maker made one with a leftover rice crust, which was DELICIOUS!!! Here is an example recipe that I have not tried: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1942,144172-240203,00.html. It does have a T of grated cheese; not too bad for 8 servings or so. As with all quiches, what you put in the filling is bounded only by ones imagination and daring.
I’m making rice just so I can have leftovers!!
Wow, SG, what a plethora of great ideas!! Thanks.
All I can say is yum! I love the idea do the baked rice with veggies and egg. I am absolutely going to make that next time we have leftover rice. Thanks as always for the inspiration.
Really great ideas! I usually make either fried rice or rice patties. I like having leftover rice in the fridge. Makes planning meals so easy.
I never really realized all the different ways that you could use leftover rice. I just figured that you eat it the same way the second day that you did the first but really there’s so many recipes with rice that you could never run out of ideas.