4 January 2017

Rice Salad

Before I start on my post, I want to thank you all for the beautiful comments left yesterday. I really do feel quite overwhelmed, but very grateful. Thank you.


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This is the first of my weekly home cooking recipes.  I'll make up three new categories - recipes savoury, recipes sweet and recipes drinks.


This is a quick summer salad I made up last week. It's a good size for four people but you could make a smaller portion just by scaling down the ingredients - it would make an excellent lunchbox lunch too. It's a good recipe to have on standby because if you're busy, you can do it in stages and just put it together at the last minute. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. I used onion (I put onion in everything), green onions, a can of corn, frozen peas that I'd cooked in the microwave for four minutes, finely diced celery and capsicum and diced cucumber. If you want a spicy version, add a pinch of chilli flakes.


The basis of the salad is rice. I used white rice because I wanted to add turmeric to make yellow rice, but any grain will do. You could use cooked barley, bulgar wheat, couscous or quinoa. The first step is to wash your grains and cook them.  Boil in salted water for about 15 - 20 minutes. When cooked, pour them into a colander and allow that to sit until you need to use it.



Above: the prepared vegetables with celery salt and pepper. 


I buy Atlantic salmon fillets from Aldi. They're from Norway, they're snap frozen in portion sizes and I think they're a very convenient way of providing fish for the table when fresh fish here is too expensive. I pan fried three portions to serve four people. When the fish is cooked, leave it with the rice for later.  If you don't want to use the salmon fillets, tinned salmon, tuna, diced ham or roast meat would be good too. You could make a vegetarian version by using boiled eggs instead of the fish, or a vegan version by using just the grains and vegetables.


All you have to do now is to cut up your vegetables, flake the fish and mix it all into the rice.  I made a light lemon dressing for ours but you could use any dressing you like or have in the fridge.  About ½ cup will do, pour it over, add salt (I used celery salt) and pepper and it's ready to eat. I hope you enjoy it.


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25 comments

  1. thank you, I just made it and it’s delicious!

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  2. Good morning Rhonda, This is right up my alley, love salmon. I have often looked at the Aldi salmon and wondered what it was like. Glad to hear it has the Rhonda assent :)

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  3. What a nice, simple dish. I don't generally think of rice salad in summer. Thanks!

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  4. This looks and sounds delicious!

    Happy 2017 ~ FlowerLady

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  5. Looks wonderful. I'm always on the lookout for a good salmon recipe! Thanks!

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  6. Yum! We love salmon and as you say, the leftovers will be great for the lunch box!

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  7. I send my husband off to work every single day with a homemade salad of one kind or another. This will be a great recipe to add in. I think I'll make it with brown rice and there are lots of cucumbers in our veggie patch right now so they'll go in too! YUM! Meg:)

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  8. That sounds really good Rhonda I just found what we are having for dinner

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  9. Thanks Rhonda. I definitely want to try this recipe. I have a rice salad recipe that I use for a side dish. I smile to myself when I make it because my husband won't eat it cold but will eat it as a side dish after it is heated in the microwave. But honestly what could be better than a nice cool salad for lunch or dinner in our hot summer?

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  10. I'm saving all your recipes to make, love your blog and please dont stop it, I hang out for each post

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  11. Would love to do a dish cloth swap again

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  12. I echo others in saying your blog is a very valuable piece of internet real estate, please don't give it up. This is a great little recipe, so versatile and one every cook should know.

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  13. That is a lovely photo of you Rhonda. Thanks for the rice recipe and looking forward to what else you have in store.

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  14. I make pasta salad and quinoa salad, but I've never heard of rice salad. I like the idea! My kids are probably more likely to eat it, as they don't care for quinoa. I'll have to try this sometime soon.

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  15. How simple is that!? The best food is the most uncomplicated - I'm certain of that.

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  16. That dish looks good and healthy too, just the job ib my sweet ridden house...thank you. Woo xx

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  17. In the financial crisis of 2008/9 my husband and I were forced to close our business and sell our lovely home to cover our business losses. Following this my lovely husband had two strokes and a nervous breakdown. I was seriously at a loose end not knowing which way to turn or what to do to salvage my life. About this time I discovered your down to earth blog , loved it and have valued it ever since. I truly believe your words of wisdom , common sense and encouragement have virtually saved me and given me hope and encouragement . For this I thank you most sincerely. I do hope you will find it possible to keep on keeping on. Your contribution to so many people is indeed greater than you could ever know. Thank you again.

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  18. Looks lovely Rhonda! What is in your lemon dressing? I echo the sentiments of so many here. Please keep up your blog as long as you can. You're like an old friend and in a world of rose tinted social media, you are a welcome break and I treasure your words! xx

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    1. Thanks Julie. The dressing is just ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper.

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    2. It is posts like this that make me remember that we are on opposite sides of the world - you are having salad -- I crave soup -- you have sun -- I have snow

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  19. Hi Rhonda, are you feeding Grace home made food or buying in puppy food? If home made, can you let us know any recipes? Thanks.

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  20. I hear you, Anonymous, it's freezing her! Rhonda, love the look of the salad, I do one without the rice, using tinned salmon, it's quick for busy days but going to add rice next time.

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  21. Looks so yummy! I'm going to make this soon. Thank you for giving it to us.

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  22. We had this salad with dinner this evening and it was delicious. Thanks Rhonda.

    Kind regards,
    Donna

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  23. That looks so fresh and delicious! It's so nice to see these reminders of summer while we wait out this crazy Northwest US snow season. I haven't been around here in a while, and I'm enjoying binge reading to catch up on what you've been up to :) Your pup is just the most adorable little thing; reminds me of a plush toy!

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