Preparing For a Rainy Day

Autumn days here on the Pacific Coast can be cool and rainy.  When the forecast calls for rain, I like to prepare some things to have on hand, in the refrigerator, so that I am not steaming up the inside of the boat when it is raining and I cannot throw open the hatches to dry things out. 

The foods I choose to precook are things that normally give off lots of steam themselves or require boiling water... pasta, rice, potatoes, hard boiled eggs, quinoa, farro... and the like.

 Yesterday I baked a few potatoes and cooked some rice. 

So, for dinner tonight, I decided to use some of the rice and put together cold, but hearty, dinner salads.  I went with a Mediterranean theme and they turned out very nicely.  A filling and delicious dinner, put together in vary little time.

The ingredients can easily be halved if you are dining alone.  Or if you wanted to make this for lunch, you could just use less rice.  One cup would probably be plenty and would reduce the Points Plus value by 2.



Rainy Day Rice Salad
Makes 2 servings

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 1 can, approximately 4 ounces, albacore tuna, drained
• 2 inches of a long English cucumber, slivered
• 6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2 Tbs sliced black olives
• 2 Tbs slivered white onion
• 2 Tbs lite shredded parmesan cheese
• Dashes of oregano, salt and pepper

Dressing:

• 2 tsp EVOO
• 3 tsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

1. Set out 2 serving bowls and put half of the rice into each bowl. 
2. Add half of the tuna, cucumber slivers, tomato quarters, olives and onion to each bowl.
3. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and then put half on each salad.
4. Stir each salad, then garnish  with 1 Tbs of the parmesan shreds, a bit of oregano and salt and pepper.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 11.
Calories 420; Protein 24g; Carbohydrate 63g; Fat 8g; Fibre 5g.

Place half of the ingredients into each of 2 serving bowls.

Add the dressing, stir and garnish.  Mmmmm.



Printable Recipe

Lemon Chicken and Rice with Artichokes

This is an old favorite that we first enjoyed about 8 years ago.  I tore the recipe out of a magazine... still have it... and I suspect it was an issue of Cooking Light.

It is made with instant rice and at various times I have tried to substitute a 10-minute rice and also a regular par-boiled rice.  Neither were successful.  So, I gave up making this as I decided that instant rice was just not worthy... cannot for the life of me recall why now.

I recently resurrected it and cooked it for dinner.  We thoroughly enjoyed it, saving half for leftovers to be reheated in the mike the next evening.  Delicious.

If you like, you can use 1-3/4 cups of chicken broth instead of the water and chicken-flavored bullion cube I use, and you can certainly use cooked chicken breast instead of the convenient Kirkland canned chunk chicken that I love.  Use more or less onion and bell pepper, as your own tastes dictate.  I have tried green pepper and don't care for it in this dish, but orange or yellow would be fine.  And don't forget that instant rice now comes in a whole grain variety if you prefer that.

Don't leave out the lemon slices though... they really add a punch of tart flavor and it is wonderful!



Lemon Chicken and Rice with Artichokes
Makes 4 servings, approximately 2 cups each

• 1/2 medium onion, sliced vertically
• 1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups instant (5-minute) rice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1-3/4 cups water
• 1 chicken-flavored bullion cube
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1 can Kirkland chunk chicken breast, drained (or 8 ounces chicken breast, cooked and cut into 1 inch chunks)
• 4 - 6 slices fresh lemon
• Dashes of salt and pepper
• 4 Tbs shredded parmesan cheese

1. Coat a large frypan with non-stick spray and set over medium heat.
2. Put onion slices and chopped red bell pepper into pan.  Saute till softened about 5 minutes.
3. Add rice, lemon juice, water and bullion cube.  Stir and cover.  Cook approximately 10 minutes till rice absorbs all liquid and is cooked through.
4. Remove lid and stir in artichoke hearts, cooked chicken chunks and lemon slices.  Stir and replace lid.  Cook  about 4 minutes more till artichokes and chicken are heated.
5. Remove from heat and divide amongst 4 plates. 
6. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with 1 Tbs parmesan shreds.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 7.
Calories 284; Protein 20g; Carbohydrate 48g; Fat 3g; Fibre 6g.

UPDATE December 5, 2016:

I have recalculated this recipe to use the current Weight Watchers Smart Points formula.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers SP = 8.
Calories 284
Saturated Fat 1g
Sugar 5g
Protein 20g

Saute onions and peppers for a few minutes till soft.

Add rice, lemon juice, water, bullion cube and cover.

Stir in artichokes, chicken and lemon slices.  Replace lid.

Season and garnish with parmesan shreds before serving.



Printable Recipe

Pork Tenderloin and Rice Salad

This salad was borne of the need to use up some leftover BBQ'd pork tenderloin.  It is a nice dinner salad on a warm evening.  Spring Mix was used here for the greens base, but spinach leaves or Romaine lettuce would work well, too.

Pork Tenderloin and Rice Salad
Makes 2 servings

• 1/2 cup raw brown rice
• 6 ounces cooked por tenderloin
• 1/c cup cucumber, sliced and slivered
• 1/8 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 navel orange, peeled and chopped
• zest from the orange peel

Dressing

• 1 tsp dark sesame oil
• 2 Tbs soy sauce, reduced sodium
• 1 Tbs rice or sushi vinegar
• 2 tsp grated ginger root
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1 pkt Splenda

1. Cook the rice according to package directions and then set aside to cool.
2. Cut the pork into thin slices, then cut cross-wise into slivers.
3. Place cooled rice and pork into a large bowl.
4. Add the cucumber, onion, bell pepper, orange, and orange zest, and stir altogether to blend.
5. Place the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.  Pour over the salad ingredients in the large bowl, and mix.
6. Divide and serve over fresh greens. 

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 10.
Calories 393; Protein 30g; Carbohydrate 51g;  Fat 9g; Fibre 4g

Stir the greens into the salad before eating.

Printable Recipe

Sushi Roll in a Bowl

This has become one of our favorite meals.  I love sushi but don't want to bother with rolling the rice and fillings into sheets of nori.  This method avoids all of that work, but still gives you the fun of and flavors of eating sushi.  It is also very pretty and makes a striking presentation.

It is really very simple... you just make up the rice about an hour or so ahead of when you want to eat, and let it cool on the counter.  (Don't refrigerate - you won't like the texture it becomes.)  Then, when  you are ready to serve, divide it into bowls, add the toppings you want, and enjoy with chopsticks.



The distinctive flavor of the rice that you find in sushi rolls comes from vinegar and sugar.  I like to use a sushi vinegar but rice vinegar or even white vinegar would be fine too.

I found the master recipe in a Prevention Magazine - the issue was June 2009.  I altered it slightly to make 3 servings of rice... 1 for me, 2 for my husband.  Here is how it goes in my kitchen:

Japanese Seasoned Sushi Rice

• 3/4 cup sushi rice
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbs vinegar of choice
• 1 tsp white sugar

1. No matter what brand of sushi rice you are choosing, even if the package doesn't mention it, place the raw rice into a collander and rinse well under running water, stirring the rice around with your fingers.  Keep running water through the rice until the water runs clear. This removes the excess starch.  (I have tried it without doing this and didn't like it at all. )
2. Place the washed rice and the water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Turn the heat to low and let is simmer for 12 minutes.
4. Turn off the burner and let it sit 5 more minutes.  The rice should have absorbed all the water.
5. Remove the rice from the saucepan and place it into a bowl.
6. Heat the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan, on medium heat, and stir continuously until the sugar disappears into the vinegar.
7. Remove from heat and fold the mixutre gently into the warm rice.
8. Leave the rice to cool at room temperature, for at least an hour.



For 1/3 of recipe as prepared by me.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.
Calories 169; Protein 3g; Carbohydrate 38g; Fat 0g; Fibre 0g

Our favorite toppings are cooked shrimp, avocado slices, green onions, long English cucumber slices, and grated carrot.  Sometimes I add a sprinkling of sesame seeds.  I like to have some wasabi paste on mine as well.

I  usually put some pickled ginger into the bowl, and serve soy sauce at the table.

Today my bowl contains:

• 1 serving rice
• 3 ounces shrimp
• 2 green onions
• 6 slices cucumber
• 1/4 carrot, grated
• 2 ounces avocado
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• wasabi paste
• pickled ginger
• 1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce

My bowl today.

Weight Watchers P+ = 9.   This doesn't include the wasabi paste or pickled ginger.

Calories 362; Protein 19g;  Carbohydrates 48g; Fat 11g; Fibre 5g

Printable Recipe