Rice Salad?

None of the regions where rice is the primary starch (or the replacement for bread) seem to use rice as a component in cold salads — of the sort that are common in the U.S. I have looked for Japanese rice salads, or Indian rice salads, or Thai rice salads and haven’t really come up with a whole lot of ideas.

Consider, however, that there are some 10 edible grains, some of which do get used as salad making material.

I have seen buckwheat and amaranth and farro and spelt as well as quinoa used in healthy salads. I have also seen pasta and couscous put to the same use.

So why not rice?

Why not indeed, except for the fact that we simply don’t think of it as a salad option.

The other day we visited our GP for our semi annual chat and blood draining. It seems that the stress of the past few months has played havoc with my blood sugar which I HAD been successfully controlling with diet. All my previous good work has been undone along with the addition of a few pounds as well, and I’m not very happy with myself at the moment.

I love pasta, and rice, and bread — all those things that are not blood sugar happy. But I also realize that adding protein and fats in with the carbs can help modify the rise in sugar so I do try to include some small portions just to keep my body from developing the urge to binge — which always does me in!

The IDEA of rice in a salad takes a little getting used to. At least it did for me. Yet, rice goes very well with veggies — who doesn’t like a chinese stir fry which is usually and largely composed of rice and veggies of some sort.

Rice is a grain, like the others mentioned but we tend not to lump it together with the others. That’s just a matter of how we think about food, not about what it actually is.

If you’ve ever made a salad with Quinoa or Amaranth you’ll realize that grains tend to absorb any “dressing” or liquid that is added to the dry ingredients. Instead of sitting on top of the surface of a vegetable, “salad dressing” will soak into the grain and be absorbed — making the grain more flavorful — but also adding to the calorie count.

I went BING hunting for different rice salad recipes and found a number of them. What bothered me though was that the combinations of veg and protein with rice took some getting used to. One of the ingredients I found suggested several times was feta cheese. While I like feta it’s not a flavor that syncs well with everything. I did notice more use of nuts and dried fruits in the recipes I found. Nuts are generally easier on my blood sugar but dried fruits seem to cause me issues so I tread lightly with them even though I really like them. (I blame my paternal grandmother who lived outside of Chicago and had friends in California who regularly shipped her dried apricots and dates which I would dutifully gobble up as a favored grandchild!)

My point here being that you may need to give some consideration to pairing flavors YOU like along with rice and give ‘em a try. It’s good to have something like bell peppers and cucumber to provide a crunch lift and a moisture source other than whatever kind of dressing you choose. Depending on your ingredient choices you can go with almost any kind of ethnic or traditional salad dressing so long as the dressing flavors and the salad flavors play well together. After all, it’s all about flavor isnt’ it? It’s good to eat things that not only are healthy for you but also TASTE GOOD.

Food is an intensely personal topic. We flavor it with our own ethnicity, and we borrow from the ethnicities of friends, family, and yes….. strangers. Those flavors we discovered during travel and reading.

I know a lot of folks just want a recipe. That has never been my way. I love to experiment and if you ask Peggy she will tell you that I never make the same dish twice — even things like roasts or pastas — are in a constant state of flux depending on what I have in the pantry at any given moment and what I’ve been thinking about.

The thing is, even the strangest and most unagreeable combinations don’t have to last more than a single tasting. The best way to find out what you really DO like is to try a few things that aren’t your favorites. If you stick with ingredients you favor and mix and match you are free to discover new and favorite combinations that perhaps other people in your circle simply haven’t tried.

Well, that’s enough for today. I’ll try to write again soon, and in the meantime, keep well and keep safe.

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Here are 5 rice salad recipes to use in brainstorming ideas:

Version 1

• 11/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
•   2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
•   11/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
•   1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•   1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•   1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
•   2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, plus fresh mint leaves for garnish
•   1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
•   1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
•   1/3 cup red onion, chopped
•   3/4 cup torn pitted kalamata or Castelvetrano olives
•   2 medium Persian cucumbers (unpeeled), thinly sliced into half-moons (about 1 cup)
•   1/3 cup banana pepper rings, roughly chopped
•   4 ounces Greek feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup), divided

Version 2

• 2 cups cooked brown or white rice of your choice
•   7 ounces tuna packed in extra virgin olive oil
•   1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
•   1 cup frozen peas thawed and cooked according to package instructions (or use canned drained peas)
•   ½ red onion chopped
•   ½ red bell pepper chopped
• 6 oz marinated artichoke hearts halved
•   2 small pickled cucumbers chopped
•   Large handful fresh parsley chopped (about 1 cup)
•   Dressing
•   2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
•   2 to 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
•   1 garlic clove minced
• Salt and pepper

Version 3

• 1 cup white long-grain rice
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed, finely chopped
• 1 small red capsicum, finely chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sultanas
• 2/3 cup dried diced apricots
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tosp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp curry powder
• I tsp caster sugar

Version 4

• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• ½ cup red onion, diced ½ cup parsley, chopped
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Version 5

• 1 ½ cups brown rice
• red capsicum, chopped (red bell pepper)
• green capsicum, chopped
• 3 spring onions, chopped
• ½ cup raisins or 1/2 cup sultana
• ½ cup cashews or 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• tablespoons soya sauce
• crushed garlic clove
• black pepper