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More Easy Rice Dishes

© Shawn Price

Twice a year I pick up a 20 or 50 pound sack of dried white rice. If you haven't priced bulk rice lately, give it a try. Very inexpensive, stores well, and is a great food stretcher. If unexpected guests arrive, it's easy enough to make more rice. And rice is very popular - toddlers and all the way up to great-grandparents seem to like it. Don't waste your money on instant rice or converted rice. It's easy enough to make good rice without the extra processing.

If you seem to make a lot of plain rice, you may want to look into buying a rice cooker. They're inexpensive and turn off when the rice is cooked, so you have one less pot to watch for burning. The little ones work fine and are quite cheap. The larger ones often have a "keep warm" feature that may be nice if you have to feed a large party over a longer period of time.

But you can make terrific rice with the equipment in your kitchen. Make sure you have a nice, heavy saucepan and a lid. For one cup of rice, pour in two cups of water. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 14 minutes. If you tend to scorch, then turn down the heat or get a heavier saucepan.

For some ideas on other ways to use rice:

*Rice Pudding with Fruit* A great use for leftover cooked rice

1 c. cooked rice 2 ½ c. milk 1 t. cinnamon ¼ c. sugar dash salt 1/3 c. dried fruit (raisins, golden raisins, and apricots do well. So does left over trail mix)

In a heavy saucepan mix together the rice, milk, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over a medium heat until creamy, about another 10 minutes. You can serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

*Southwestern Garbanzo Beans and Rice* Fun and tasty dish. And another good use for leftover rice.

1 bell pepper, chopped ½ onion, chopped 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 T. olive oil 1 can (16 oz) of chopped tomatoes 2 c. cooked rice 1 can (15 oz) of garbanzo beans, drained 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese Salsa and sour cream (if desired)

In a heavy saucepan cook the pepper, onion, jalapenos, and garlic in the oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the rice, beans and about ½ c. of the cheese. Pour into a large casserole and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake, covered for 20 min in a 350 deg oven. Serve with the salsa and sour cream.

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