So I wanted to use that to my advantage and see if I could turn rice into a winner of a side dish. Rice is tolerated by the kids and sometimes even liked. But if they had their side dish of choice, pasta or potatoes would win hands down every time. Personally, I love rice, especially brown rice, and would love to serve it as a side dish more often. If adding some lemon to our rice makes it an exciting addition for the kids, I’m all for it!

My little experiment worked pretty well. 3 of our 4 kids cleaned their plates with our oldest declaring it the best rice she had ever tasted. Our son was the only one who didn’t finish his portion, but that wasn’t a surprise to me since he has the pickiest palate of us all.

The lemon added a great fresh and summery taste to the rice. It blended nicely with the parsley and green onions I added and it perfectly complemented the peas. I’ll definitely be serving this again with high hopes that I can sway the tastebuds of even that picky little boy.

Lemon Infused Rice Pilaf with Peas

• 1 c. white or brown rice
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. water
• 2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 T. freshly grated lemon zest, divided
• 1 t. salt
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 1 green onion, green parts only, sliced
• 2 T. minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 t. black pepper

1. Combine the rice, chicken stock, water, lemon juice, 1 t. lemon zest and salt in a saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed (about 45 minutes for brown rice and 15 minutes for white rice). Add the peas for the last 5 minutes of simmering time.

2. Remove rice from heat. Fluff with a fork and stir in green onions, parsley, black pepper and remaining lemon zest.

Fortunately, our farmer’s market is just starting back up and I know I’ll soon be getting my fill of all those wonderful fresh veggies. Until then, I’ve still been relying on the frozen kind for the most part. In trying to patient for a few more weeks, I’ve decided to make the best of the situation.

This Italian Rice Pilaf fits perfectly because it has a very fresh and spring-y taste. The flavors combine perfectly and make for a tender, moist and flavorful rice. Plus, the nuttiness is the brown rice is a great complement to the zestiness of the seasonings. It’s definitely a quick to throw together side dish that works with so many meals.

Italian Rice Pilaf

• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. butter or margarine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 bag frozen Italian Vegetable Blend (cauliflower, carrots, red pepper, lima beans, zucchini and green beans), thawed
• 1 1/2 t. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 – 3 c. cooked brown rice

1. Heat olive oil and butter or margarine in a large skillet until butter is melted. Add garlic, veggies and seasonings. Cook for 5 minutes. (Optional – dice the veggies or run a pair of kitchen scissors through the skillet a few times to cut the veggies into smaller pieces.)

2. Stir cooked brown rice into the skillet until combined and heated through.

If you are making this Stolen Moments style, which I did, add a tablespoon or two of water before reheating either on the stove or in the microwave.

Also, you could definitely swap the rice with barley or orzo.

And I was definitely right about that. The dish is creamy, cheesy and bursting with good Mexican flavor. I’m not sure how close I’ve come to the original since we actually have never ordered it, but I know we all like my version.

Creamy Mexican Chicken Casserole

• 3 T. butter or margarine
• 3 T. flour
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 c. milk
• 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 1/2 t. cumin
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1/4 t. each salt, garlic powder, pepper
• 1 15 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 c. chicken, cooked and cubed
• 2 c. cooked rice
• Flour tortillas or tortilla chips

1. Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and milk. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened slightly. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 c. cheese and seasonings.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients, except leftover cheese and tortillas. When combined, pour into a small casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.

3. Serve with warmed tortillas or chips for dipping.

You can also spoon the mixture into tortillas and roll up for burritos if you’d prefer.

This dish was wonderful and we all loved it. My husband even told me that we need to eat barley more often. It has a great flavor, especially when toasted, and the texture is unique and much more interesting than rice or pasta.

I think this dish will definitely be making it into our regular rotation from now on. The flavors blend so well. The apples and raisins mellow as they soak with the barley so that they’re flavorful but not sweet. It was wonderful! Plus, I think with a few modifications and substitutions this would make a really good winter morning breakfast too.

Toasted Barley with Apples & Raisins

• 2 c. barley
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1/4 c. raisins
• 2 T. sliced green onions
• 1/4 t. each cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper
• 2 c. chicken stock

1. Add barley to a large skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly golden brown.

2. Stir in apples, raisins, green onions and seasonings. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil.

3. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 25 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender.

So I left it in the oven to finish cooking and we enjoyed the side dishes and some leftovers. My husband had some of the pork when he got home from work, but there was over half of the tenderloin left. I decided to use those leftovers to throw together pork fried rice.

I’ve been making fried rice for years but it wasn’t until recently that I’ve finally got the method and recipe down so that it tastes just like Chinese take-out. You could easily replace the pork with chicken, shrimp, ham or just leave it out all together. Also, this is just a basic, simple recipe. Feel free to add more veggies or whatever else you’d like.

Pork Fried Rice

• 3 T. oil
• 4 c. cold, cooked rice
• 2 eggs
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 1/2 c. cubed pork (or other options)
• 1/2 c. sliced green onions
• 1/4 c. soy sauce

1. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium heat. Add the rice and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt and pepper. Create a well in the center of the skillet. Pour the eggs and scramble, within the well, until done. Then, stir the scrambled eggs into the rice.

3. Add the pork and green onions. Cook another 5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce until combined.

This post is being linked to:

• Frugal Friday at Life As Mom
• Food On Fridays at Ann Kroeker’s
• Family Recipe Fridays at Vanderbilt Wife
• Recipe Swap at The Grocery Cart Challenge
• Friday Feasts at Mom Trends

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So I decided to experiment and see what I could come up with. And since it’s warm out and our house was humid and hot all day, I was in the mood for a cold side dish. This turned out so delicious. It’s a great side dish for a Mexican meal, but I think it would also be great for a picnic or other summer evenet. I could even eat this happily as a main course.

Southwestern Rice Salad

• 1 1/2 c. fully cooked black beans (or 1 can black beans)
• 1 1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed
• 1 5oz. can diced green chilies
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 2 t. cumin
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1 t. salt
• 2 c. fully cooked brown or white rice

1. In a large bowl, combine black beans, corn and chilies.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and seasonings. Add to the bean and corn mixture and stir to combine.

3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors start to develop. Stir in the cooked rice and refrigerate until serving.

While I love the idea of both, I really prefer more versatile side dishes, especially ones that can be frozen. So I came up with this twist that is delicious. They can be frozen and reheated without any loss of flavor or quality. And they are super versatile. They definitely work for us!

Baked Brown Rice Balls

• 4 c. fully cooked brown rice, cooled
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. each black pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning
• 1/4 c. sliced green onions, green parts only
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. bread crumbs
• Olive oil for drizzling

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil. Mix well to combine.

2. Using about 2 tablespoons rice mixture at a time, roll into balls and line up on a baking sheet. Tip: To make it easier to roll out the balls, rinse your hand with cold water every so often and keep them a little damp. If your hands are dry, the rice will stick to your hands instead of sticking together.

3. Drizzle some olive oil over all of the rice balls. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until slightly browned and a little crispy.

Serve as a side dish with any meal. These are especially good with a saucy main dish where you can dip them in the sauce too. Or, cover with marinara for a fun twist. If you are doing that and want to up the Italian flavor, add 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese to the rice mixture.

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