Mediterranean Rice Salad
*serves 4

With so many nights of dinner to prepare a week, I’m always trying to think of new sides and pairings to balance our plates. Most of the meals I’ve been making have been very veggie forward, with protein and some sort of starch. To be honest, I got a wee bit reliant on the good old potato in its golden and sweet form — which really isn’t a problem — but we were all growing tired of them even if we’d eaten them roasted, boiled and as an air fried french fry. No one in the house is a huge fan of quinoa (too tiny and not substantial enough) and while the family likes couscous, my stomach does not.

Mediterranean rise salad makes a perfect side to fish or meat; any protein really, and you can add anything you have lying around. With two bags of quick cooking Rice Success left in the pantry, I thought this would be a little different and welcome — and it was. I had no idea my brother Thomas’ favorite side is rice pilaf! Score for me and for him with this rice based side.

Our family always has a lot of fine Costco sized pantry staples in the house. Think — hearts of palm, marinated artichokes, a variety of olives, capers, high quality grating cheese, olive oils and vinegars. Combine this with fresh staples like — herbs (parsley, forever) lemons, garlic, onions (red + white, of course), radishes and cucumbers. The latter are items we always have because we tend to make a lot of marinades, dressings and salads — so they’re essential and when you’re cooking regularly, you’ll soon learn that having all of the above handy can make any meal happen most nights of the week.

So, into the cooked and cooled rice went ALL OF THE ABOVE! No holds barred! Salty, briny, savory and crunchy this salad has a ton of texture and pairs exceptionally well with white fish or salmon. And while you could pair this with chicken or red meat — the lightness of this salad really compliments the lightness that comes with a summer fish meal.

The best part, you can add anything you want to rice salad. If I had roasted peppers, I would’ve added them in too. Have a big jar of giardiniera — GO FOR IT! Minced carrots, celery, red peppers and even cauliflower — pickled to perfection and chopped so fine (like relish) that it can easily be tossed into rice salad for a acidic/salty/sour/pickly punch! Have provolone — salami — cut it into chunks and throw it in — making an antipasto rice salad! Choose your own adventure, add or subtract any of the below and make your own creative rice salad side!

Mediterranean Rice Salad
*serves 4

Ingredients
1 bag of quick cooking Rice Success prepared according to instructions, rinsed with cold water, strained and put aside
¼ cup of diced red onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
⅓ cup finely chopped parsley
5-6 radishes, cubed and chopped small
½ of an English cucumber, cubed and chopped small
2 stalks of celery, diced and leaves chopped
6-8 artichokes hearts (I had them marinated, but you can use ones that have been preserved in water), strained and roughly chopped
4-5 sticks of hearts of palm, cut into rounds
1 tablespoon of capers
8 kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
8 castelvetrano olives, pitted and cut in half
1 cup of grape tomatoes, washed and halved
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup of grated pecorino romano cheese

Instructions
Place all ingredients in a bowl (except lemon zest, juice, EVOO, salt, pepper and cheese) and mix well until combined
Add lemon zest, juice, EVOO, salt, pepper and toss to coat until the rice salad is juicy and well dressed
Adjust salt and pepper as needed and finish with grated pecorino romano cheese — mixing in half and reserving the remainder for topping and serving
Serve with baked fish — from marinated salmon to shrimp oreganata