Pressure Cooker Thai Coconut Curry

The beauty of this recipe is that it is 1) very quick, and 2) very forgiving. What that means is that you can play around with the veggies a great deal. Want sweet potatoes instead of potatoes? Done. Want winter squash instead of that? Done. Want to throw in green beans or eggplant or mushrooms? Go or it. Just don't overload your pressure cooker, and you'll be fine. Enjoy!

Pressure Cooker Thai Coconut Curry

Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• optional: 3 Thai green chilis
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons Thai curry cowder
• OR 2 tablespoons Thai curry paste
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk
• 6 cups potatoes, cubed
• 4 carrots, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1-2 lbs chicken pieces
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 4 oz (4 packed cups) spinach
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh herbs
• fresh black pepper
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup cooked rice or grain
• 6 lime wedges

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add garlic, chilies (if using), ginger, coriander, and cumin and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add curry powder or paste and cook, stirring, until it has darkened slightly, about 2 or 3 minutes.
2. Add coconut milk, stir, bring to a simmer, and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle salt on chicken pieces. Add half the potatoes and carrots. Add chicken and top with the remaining potatoes and carrots. Sprinkle on a little salt. Seal pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
3. Release pressure with the quick-release method, remove lid, and stir in the fish sauce, spinach, and 3/4 of any fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the stew into serving bowls and place remaining herbs on top. Serve with rice (or grain) and lime wedges.

Banana Blossom Stir Fry

A meal my wife made up on the fly (winged it, as she likes to say). Once you've gone through the long, long, long processing of the banana blossom, it's pretty easy. That info you can find here.

The banana blossom gives an almost coconut-like taste to the dish. It's texture is reminiscent of green onions, perhaps. Not hard, slightly crunchy. Plus, it's just fun to try a new ingredient! Enjoy!

Banana Blossom Stir Fry

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 banana blossom, prepared
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 eggs
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup cooked rice, dry

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the prepped banana blossom for a minute. Drain.
2. Heat the canola oil, stir fry the onion and carrot, then the banana blossom a few minutes later. Add turmeric.
3. Add the cooked rice until heated through. Add whatever sauces and seasonings you like. Set entire mixture aside.
4. Scramble the eggs, add the garlic, then add the rice mixture back to the pan. Stir well and enjoy.

New York Street Cart Chicken and Rice

If you've ever had the chicken and rice from the Halal Guys in New York (or just about any of the other carts), you've likely dreamed about making it at home too. Here's a recipe for that deliciousness that closely hits the mark. Enjoy!

New York Street Cart Chicken and Rice

Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients

For the chicken:
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/8-1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
For the rice:
• 2 cups rice, uncooked
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• water
• salt and pepper
For the white sauce:
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• salt and pepper
To serve:
• 1 lettuce, shredded
• 1 tomato, cut into wedges

Cooking Directions

1. For the chicken: Combine the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, and olive oil in a ziploc bag. Season the marinade to taste with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the chicken in the bag. Turn the chicken to coat, seal the bag, and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours, turning occasionally to redistribute the marinade.
2. Remove the chicken from the bag. Season with kosher salt and a lot of pepper. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is lightly smoking. Add the chicken pieces and cook without disturbing until they are lightly browned on the first side, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Roughly chop the chicken into 1/2- to 1/4-inch chunks. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the marinade, cover, and refrigerate while you cook the rice and prepare the sauce.
4. For the rice: Put rice in rice cooker. Add the turmeric and cumin. Add water to the suggested amount for 2 cups. Season with salt and pepper. Cook as normal.
5. For the white sauce: In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Season to taste with salt.
6. To serve: Return the entire contents of the chicken bowl to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Pile the chicken on top of the rice and lettuce. Top with the white sauce. Serve immediately.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Here is a recipe passed down from grandma to ma to my wife. She loves to make this. It's like a nostalgic reminder of her childhood, especially the holidays. Personally, I could do without the maifun, so if you don't want it, try it without.

This recipe also walks you through cooking and shredding the chicken, but if you already have some on hand or prefer another method, I'd love to hear it! Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

Yield: 8+ servings
Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3/4 cup water
• salt and pepper
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped and sliced
• 1 package maifun
• oil for deep frying
• 3 green onions, only the green parts, sliced
• 1/8 cup toasted almonds
• 1/16 cup toasted sesame seeds
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Cooking Directions

1. Pat the chicken breasts dry and season with some salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of canola oil, and cook the chicken breasts top-side down until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip the breasts and add the water and additional salt to the water. Cover and simmer on low for 7-10 minutes, until cooked. Let cool slightly (at least 15 minutes) before shredding.
2. Deep fry the maifun in batches until all are puffed up. Set aside on plates with paper towels.
3. For the dressing, mix together the last 5 ingredients.
4. When ready to serve, mix the chicken and lettuce together. Then add in the maifun, then the green onions, almonds, and sesame seeds. Finally, mix in the dressing.

Peruvian Spicy Creamed Chicken - Aji de Gallina

If you, like us, have a friend bequeath you packets of aji pepper puree, you may be dumbfounded at first too. Well look no further because you've found the answer to your aji prayers!

By far the best Peruvian dish we have ever made. OK so it's also the only Peruvian dish we've ever made. Yet after devouring this Aji de Gallina I'm not sure I could force myself to make any other Peruvian cuisine - it's that good.

This is a beautifully simple, though perhaps time-consuming dish to make. But the great thing is that it makes a ton of food. Great for dinner parties.

Peruvian Spicy Creamed Chicken - Aji de Gallina

Yield: Serves 6-8
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. chicken breast
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 packet aji pepper puree
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 4 slices bread
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 4 yellow potatoes
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 10 black olives, halved
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup cooked rice

Cooking Directions

1. Cook the yellow potatoes in salted water until tender when pierced with a fork. Let cool, peel, cut into quarters, and set aside.
2. Place the bread in a small bowl and pour the evaporated milk over it to soak. Set aside.
3. Place the chicken breasts in a pot with the chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is just barely cooked through. Set chicken aside to cool. Strain broth and reserve 2 cups.
4. In a blender, process pepper puree with the oil until smooth. Saute the garlic and onions with the pureed peppers and oil, until the onions are soft and golden. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. Shred the cooled chicken into bite-size pieces.
6. In a blender or food processor, process the evaporated milk and bread mixture with the walnuts and Parmesan cheese until smooth. Add the cooked onion mixture and process briefly.
7. Return onion mixture to pan, and add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken stock. Bring to a low simmer, and stir in the chicken. Heat until warmed through, adding more chicken stock if sauce is too thick.
8. Serve over rice, garnished with the yellow potatoes, slices of hard boiled egg, and black olives.

Bibimbap

Traditionally (I think), Bibimbap was a great way to use up leftovers. Everything was already cooked or prepared and it was all placed neatly over rice and an egg was cracked on top. Add some sesame oil and a hot pepper paste called Gochujang, then everything was mixed up like mad by the happy and hungry diner, and the egg would get cooked that way.

Oh, the egg! That's really what separates this puppy from other leftover dishes around the world. Well that and the red pepper paste. If you're like many, you probably can't easily locate Gochujang, so try sriracha as the next best thing.

This can be a lot of work to make from scratch, but it's a lot of fun. Basically, just use whatever Asian-flavored foods you want, and you'll be golden. If you're weary about the egg, try poaching it. Still yums. Enjoy!

Bibimbap

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• Cooked rice
• 1 bunch spinach or greens
• 2 small zucchinis
• 5 shiitake mushrooms
• 1 block tofu, cut and pressed
• 1 small carrot
• 4 eggs
• soy sauce
• hot pepper paste (Gochujang) or sriracha
• garlic
• sesame seeds
• sesame oil
• canola oil

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare a large platter to put all your ingredients on. Rinse your bean sprouts 3 times and put them in a pot with a cup of water. Add 1 tsp of salt and cook for 20 minutes. Drain water and mix it with 1 clove of minced garlic, sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Put it on the platter.
2. Put your spinach or greens in a pot of boiling water and stir it for a minute. Then rinse it in cold water a few times and squeeze it lightly. Mix it with a pinch of salt, 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 clove of minced garlic and sesame oil. Put it on the platter.
3. Cut 2 small size zucchinis into thin strips, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, and then mix them together. A few minutes later, saute them in a pan over high heat. When it's cooked, it will look a little translucent. Put it on the platter.
4. Slice shiitake mushrooms thinly and saute with 1 tsp of canola oil. Add 2 tsp of soy sauce and 1 or 2 tsp of sugar and stir it for 2 minutes. Add some sesame oil, and put it on the platter.
5. On a heated pan, put some oil and the pressed tofu and stir it. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tbs of soy sauce and sesame oil. Put it on the platter.
6. Cut a carrot into strips, saute it for 30 seconds and put it on the platter.
7. Prepare eggs sunny side up.
8. Put your rice in a big bowl, and attractively display all your vegetables and tofu over rice. Place the sunny side up egg on the center.
9. Serve it with sesame oil and hot pepper paste or sriracha.
10. Lastly, mix it up and eat!

Japanese Umeboshi Rice Balls

Japanese Umeboshi (pickled plum) is a great salty, flavorful snack when paired with something more plain like rice. These are really simple, and so much fun to make. I can just imagine getting the kids involved and everyone getting their hands a little messy and having a great time.

They're perfect for on-the-go snacks, and you can fill them with whatever you want, really. Have fun with it. Enjoy!

Yields 4-8 rice balls

Ingredients

1 cup cooked white rice, cooled or mostly cooled
4-8 umeboshi (pickled plum), de-seeded
4-8 strips of dried seaweed
water for dipping your hands

Directions

1. Take 1/8 to 1/4 cup of rice, and starting forming it into a "ball." This is really more of a triangle shape traditionally, but make it however you want.

2. Pack around one umeboshi. Be sure to take the seed out first!

3. Fold the strip of dried seaweed on at the bottom for easy handling later. Use water if needed to help it stick.

Multigrain Chicken Continental

All right, folks, we've done it again! An even healthier version of that oh-so-delicious Chicken Continental. We made it healthier once, and now we've done it again with the addition of some multigrain goodness from some spent grain leftover from homebrewing plus a mix of veggies and mushrooms. Yowza! it's good.

Multigrain Chicken Continental

Yield: Serves 4-8
Ingredients

• 1.5-2 lbs chicken breasts or tender (cut up, bite-size, or as strips)
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp McCormick Montreal chicken seasoning (instead of salt and pepper)
• 1 egg (optional)
• splash canola oil
• 3 10 1/2 oz cans 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
• 2.5 tablespoons dried onion
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
• 2 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried celery flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 2 soup cans water
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups spent grain
• 2 cups Minute Rice

Cooking Directions

1. Cut chicken and coat the seasoning mix. (salt, pepper Montreal chicken seasoning) (You can dip the chicken in 1 beaten egg if you want.)
2. Brown the coated chicken in the melted Smart Balance and oil. Set that aside but save the drippings for soup mix.
3. In a separate pot combine the soup, seasonings, drippings, veggies (minus mushrooms), and water. Heat to a boil. Put 1/4 to 1/3 of the soup mix aside.
4. Put dry Minute Rice, spent grain, and mushrooms in the larger soup mix and stir, then put that mixture in a 9 x 11 cake pan or a casserole dish.
5. Top with chicken and pore the rest of soup mix on top.
6. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top.

Spanish Rice

Simple. Delicious. Awesome. Real Spanish rice is so much better than out of a box. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups water
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Saute rice, onion, and bell pepper until rice is browned and onions are tender.

Stir in water and tomatoes. Season with chili powder and salt. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

Butter Thyme Fish with Collard Greens +

The very lightest hint of butter with the addition of fresh thyme melt this fish to perfection. We used wild pollock but any white fish will do.

Plus the side of collard greens (semi-southern style) proves a winning combination for a healthy and happy dinner. Fish, greens, and rice - mmm mmm. Enjoy!

Dal Palak (Lentil and Spinach Curry)

Siam's gonna be the witness to the ultimate test of culinary fitness. OK, so this isn't exactly something from Siam, but it's in the general area. India, Siam, close enough, right? I jest.

There's a lot more to this than it looks like, yet it's all very standard stuff that you're likely to have on hand. That's one of the beauties of this spinach and lentil curry dish. On the plus side, it's not spicy as-is. You can totally spice the wazoo out of it, but as it stands now, it's a wonderfully flavorful dish on its own. Bonus points for sprouting your lentils first!

Put on rice, a potato, or go a little nuts and make a curry sandwich with an egg. Enjoy!

Thai Green Curry

Want a heat-sensation like you aint never had before? Don't worry, it's not that bad. As long as you take the proper precautions, follow directions, stick to the yellow brick road, and what not etc etc.

Thai green curry will blow your mind though. For those even the teensiest bit apprehensive about spicy foods, this is not the dish for you. But for those with an adventurous side, let the party begin!

Disneyland's Blue Bayou Jambalaya

Jambalaya

Blue Bayou, French Market Restaurant

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 lb boneless fresh pork, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
3 T. vegetable oil
1/4 t. black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 t. thyme, dried
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 16-oz. can tomatoes, crushed
4 c. water
1 1/4 c. rice, uncooked
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 c. onion, diced
1 c. celery, diced
1 c. green bell pepper, diced
3/4 c. zucchini, diced
1 t. yellow chili pepper
1/4 c. scallions, chopped
1 T. parsley, chopped
1 c. ham, diced
1 c. Polish sausage, cooked & diced
1 c. Italian sausage, cooked & diced
1 c. okra, frozen, cut
1 1/2 c. small shrimp, cooked

Directions

In a large saucepan, sauté pork in oil over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add pepper, thyme, garlic powder, and tomatoes. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Add water, rice, bouillon cubes, onions, celery, green pepper, zucchini, chili peppers, scallions, and parsley. Bring to a boil.

Stir to blend ingredients, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir once or twice and add remaining meat ingredients.

Cook for another 10 minutes and add okra and shrimp.

Heat well and serve hot.

Pork Donburi

Donburi is an amazing blend of meat, egg, and veggies (mostly onions). So flavorful, so delicious, you can't ever put the bowl down once it's in your hands. If you've ever had Tonkatsu donburi (fried pork cutlet), this is the healthy version. Absolutely as wonderful, and so so so good! Just like the Oyako Donburi.

A couple notes: you can definitely take out the sugar. We left it in and I'm sure it tastes more authentic like that, but it's not needed. You can cut the oil in half as well without any problems. If you're worried about the sodium content, don't add the salt either because that can always be added on top. The type of rice (Japanese) really does make a difference, but of course, it can be done with any kind of rice.

Pork Donburi

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 pork chops, cut into strips
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 6 eggs, beaten

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute pork strips and onion until the pork is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain off as much liquid as possible.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and carrot, and let simmer for a few minutes before stirring in the sugar and soy sauce. Simmer for 3 more minutes.
3. Sprinkle in half of the green onions, stirring gently. Pour beaten eggs over the chicken mixture, and simmer until the eggs are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. Serve over brown rice.

Vegetarian Ma Po Tofu

I love that Ma Po Tofu translates to something like "old pock-marked woman tofu." Sounds delicious already, huh?

This is more of a faux Ma Po Tofu. It doesn't incorporate the black bean sauce and such that goes into the real thing. This, however, will taste fairly similar. And it's still so so good. Plus, it's a heck of a lot easier to make than the real thing.

This is also a vegetarian version, making it even simpler to make. It normally would come with a little bit of ground pork, but it's not enough to make a huge taste difference, at least for me.

If you know of a tastier yet simple method for making Ma Po Tofu, I'd like to hear it. Enjoy!

Shrimp Fried Rice

What's your favorite kind of fried rice?

I have a thing for fried rice. I used to be able to eat an ungodly amount once upon a midnight dreary. But those days are long gone. Now I just enjoy it every now and then and in less ungodly portions.

My personal favorite kind of fried rice is Thai. There's just something about it that I can't help but love. So when we make it at home I try to add in the little flavors that I think make it Thai. Like fish sauce. MMM!

If you don't have any on hand, it's pretty cheap to pick up at your local Asian market. Be careful, some brands have a lot more sodium than others, if you're watching that kind of thing. It's all about the flavor, not the salt, with fish sauce.

What's your favorite kind of fried rice?

Mexican Rice, Spiced Black Beans, and Turmeric Corn

I really liked how simple each of these dishes are to make. If I was just making one of them, it would almost be too easy! When all three are going though, there's a lot to be done.

They're great dishes. The beauty is that each could be a side to something bigger, say enchiladas or chilaquiles. Or each could be combined with the others and then you'd have a fantastically healthy Mexican meal on your hands. You gotta love the power of beans and rice and veggies. Enjoy!

Mexican Rice, Spiced Black Beans, and Turmeric Corn

Yield: Serves 3-4
Ingredients

• Mexican Rice
• 
  
• 1 cup white rice (long grain, if possible)
• 2 cloves garlic (or 1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1/2 onion
• 1 can tomatoes, drained (or tomato juice)
• oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water (none if using tomato juice, unless necessary at the end)
• 
  
• Spiced Black Beans
• 
  
• 16 oz bag dried black beans
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried celery
• 1 teaspoon dried onion
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• black pepper, to taste
• 
  
• Turmeric Corn
• 
  
• 1 can corn
• 1/5 pack assorted frozen veggies (peas, carrots, green beans)
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• splash lemon juice
• water

Cooking Directions

1. Mexican Rice
3. In a pan, toast the rice on medium heat until brown (but not burnt!) with the minimal amount of oil. Stir frequently!
4. Just before it's done, toss in the onion and garlic for one to two minutes.
5. Add everything else in the pan and stir to incorporate.
6. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
8. Spiced Black Beans
10. Prepare beans as directed, sifting to ensure that there are no rocks.
11. Toss in the seasonings (except the black pepper) and cook.
12. Add black pepper when finished cooking, if desired.
13. 
    
14. Turmeric Corn
16. Drain 1 can of corn and heat in a pan with the frozen veggies.
17. Add the turmeric, lemon juice, and any water as needed until thoroughly heated.

Oyako Donburi

This is without a doubt the absolute best Oyako Donburi I've ever had. Before, it was this little place in Berkeley. Now this one takes the cake. An amazing blend of chicken, egg, and veggies (primarily onions). Fun fact: oyako means mother and child. Hence the main ingredients, chicken and egg.

A couple notes: you can definitely take out the sugar. We left it in and I'm sure it tastes more authentic like that, but it's not needed. You can cut the oil in half as well without any problems. If you're worried about the sodium content, don't add the salt either because that can always be added on top. The type of rice (Japanese) really does make a difference, but of course, it can be done with any kind of rice.

Feel free to experiment by using different mushrooms or adding other veggies like bean sprouts, etc. Enjoy!

Oyako Donburi

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 3/4 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 6 eggs, beaten

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken strips and onion until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off as much liquid as possible.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and carrot, and let simmer for a few minutes before stirring in the sugar and soy sauce. Simmer for 3 more minutes.
3. Sprinkle in half of the green onions, stirring gently. Pour beaten eggs over the chicken mixture, and simmer until the eggs are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. Serve over Japanese sticky rice. (Important if you want it to be absolutely perfect.)

Thai Veggie Fried Rice and a Half-Greek Salad

Sometimes too much rice gets cooked. Sometimes way too much. Such was the situation recently. But what to do with all that leftover rice?

You may know how to use up that day-old rice already. In fact, I hope you have a favorite trick or recipe, as I would love to hear about it.

If you're not familiar with how to prepare fried rice (in general), check out the recipe below. Thai versions basically just employ a set of sauces and flavors not found in your other more familiar fried rice dishes.

But I wanted more than just a fried rice dish. I thought it'd be too heavy or something - even if it was all a bunch of glorious (and different) veggies. That's one of the things I love about fried rice and stir fry on the whole, tossing in whatever you please, making it unique to you. That one up in the pictures has asparagus and turnip.

Oh right, so I was saying I wanted something else, something light. What's lighter than a salad? And what's the best salad in the world? Yep, you guessed it: Greek salad! Well, a half-Greek salad. No tomatoes or onions or olives, sadly. But we did add a little something something back in with the spinach and mushrooms. Plus, look at that feta. Wow. So who's ready to eat? Enjoy!

Steamed Salmon with Asparagus, Turnip, and Brown Rice

I can't always do brown rice. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's just okay, and sometimes it's GREAT. Like with fish. It pretty much goes with any kind of fish. But especially with salmon. Boy, does it ever go with salmon. Tender, nutty brown rice with a bite of juicy, seasoned salmon is one of those perfect combinations. I dare you to give it a shot.

Pair it with some asparagus and turnip to fancy-up your meal, and you're set. Sometimes the best things in life are the simple, easy-to-prepare things. Plus, steaming everything retains more nutrients and blah blah blah etc etc.

All right, enough about my love-love relationship with salmon and brown rice (and veggies). On to the good stuff. Enjoy!