Once a month, we’re going to look at ways to reduce food waste and keep our planet happier by using all those scraps that often end up in landfills and contribute to our environmental problems. We’ve rolled up our sleeves before to save these resources, and now’s the time to do so again.

Sunday or Monday each week, there’s probably a pot of my House Rice simmering on my stove, much more than I need for one meal. But I know it will be rewarmed and reused in some way during the week. It could be added to a soup perhaps, a casserole, a wrap, a pot of beans, a frittata, fritter, or even a dessert rice pudding. Not much better than turning leftover risotto into arancini the next night, the tender little balls of rice, often with a surprise inside, fried or baked until crispy. Sometimes I make more risotto than I need because I have these in mind. One meal does seem to morph into the next, changed a bit. Is it considered a leftover if it is planned?

A sad little take-out container

            Then there’s that mostly full container of extra white rice from the Chinese takeout on Friday night. How many times have we waited until it turned to a solid rock before tossing? If you have this rice left over, put it in a sealed container rather than keep it in the carton, it will keep longer, and look like real food to use up rather than something sad not eaten from a takeout meal. 

Fried Rice, nothing better

            Whether planned for the week or left from a take-out container, my favorite way to use leftover rice doesn’t really need a recipe – fried rice! In fact, you need the rice to be precooked and chilled for fried rice to taste right. Nothing to me is more comforting than a bowl of this, in whatever form. At the end of a long day, just a few minutes to make, it is always satisfying.

The process

            Heat a wok (or large skillet), add some oil and toss in some garlic, whites of a sliced scallion, a minced knob of ginger and sauté just until everything is fragrant, it doesn’t take long. Add the sliced scallion greens, a handful of frozen peas, and toss in the rice. Keep things moving and mixed up well, then season with some soy sauce and a bit of toasted sesame oil.

Make it pretty

            Top with some more scallions, maybe a squeeze of lime, and dig in. Who could ask for anything more? Nothing better, and you can add other leftover veggies to the mix as well, it all seems to work. Dress it up with some sauteed shrimp (do that first) or tofu or tempeh. 

 Here are a couple of other recipes we love that make use of our leftover rice. Can you tell I love rice? ~ Dorothy

Saffron Rice Salad

We had some lovely saffron rice left over from our farmers market Mediterranean takeaway lunch last weekend. So delicious, but always such a large serving. Since the next day we planned a barbecue, my mind immediately went to turning the beautifully scented rice into a salad, something I could make early in the day and let sit for the flavors to meld. This salad doesn’t need a lot, and you can use other things leftover and hiding in your refrigerator as well. Here, I used up some green beans from another meal, as well as some broccolini florets I’d chopped for a salad. The latter added a slightly bitter note to the salad, which I love. You can truly use whatever vegetable you have on hand here, leftover, or cook them along with the softening onion. 

Let’s vary the texture

Salads need some variety in flavor and texture, so I added nuts for some crunch, cranberries for a bit of tart and sweet, olives for a salty bite, and lemon for the sour. Such a nice combination. Use any olive you like, any dried fruit, and any nut you have on hand, and season it with flourish, the flavors you know you love. 

Make your own

If you don’t have saffron rice, bloom a large pinch of saffron in some hot water and add it to the rice, or simply make this with plain rice.

• 2 cups cooked saffron or plain rice
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
• ½ medium sweet purple onion
• ½ small red pepper
• ¾ tsp. za’atar
• 1/3 cup broccoli or broccolini florets
• ½ cup cooked green beans
• Juice and zest of a lemon
• 1/3 cup black olives
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/3 cup pistachios, pinenuts, or other nut of choice, toasted
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place the rice in a large bowl and break up any clumps.

In a small skillet, heat one tablespoon of the oil and add the onion, pepper, and za’atar. Cook just until vegetables softened, then add them to the rice along with the broccolini, green beans (or other cooked vegetables of choice), lemon juice and zest, olives, cranberries, nuts, the remaining oil, season, taste, mix well, and make any adjustments.

Top with fresh minced parsley or mint.

Rice Fritters

Fritters are delicious as a side for breakfast or brunch, or a full meal if topped with an egg. They make a good supper, and can be dressed up for a party as well.

________ Fritter, you decide

I sometimes joke that you can make a fritter with just about any vegetable, or most leftovers. It’s pretty much true, and a great way to keep little bits of leftovers from the compost bucket. Of course there are corn fritters, usually made in our house after we’ve consumed roasted corn the night before and have lots left for other recipes. There are also zucchini fritters, carrot, beet, and dozens more possibilities, and then there is the world of proteins: fish, shrimp, etc.

Start here, then let your taste buds guide the way

But we’re talking about leftover rice today, so this is the base with its lovely texture and infinite possibilities. This is the starter recipe, and these little cakes are tasty on their own, but now you can make it yours. Would you like a southwest taste? Add some cumin and chili powder, and use a jalapeño pepper swapped for the sweet. Italian? Italian seasoning, and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese will work nicely. Or let your rice lean to the east and add ginger, scallions, and garlic, and soak your crumbs in a splash of soy sauce and rice vinegar.

Bonus points!

Make your fresh breadcrumbs by pulsing in a food processor or grating on a box grater. Bonus points if you use stale bread that would otherwise be tossed.

• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, best from stale bread
• ¼ cup tomato or vegetable juice
• 1 ¼ cups cooked rice
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ¼ cup onion, minced
• ½ cup sweet red pepper, minced
• ½ cup mushrooms of choice, chopped
• 1 small egg
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced

            Place your breadcrumbs in a medium bowl, add the tomato juice, and let them soak while you assemble the other ingredients. Toss the rice on top.

            In a medium saucepan, gently sauté the onion, pepper, and mushrooms just until softened. They don’t need to take on any color. Add them to the bowl, along with the rice.

            Beat the egg, and mix it well into the other ingredients. Sprinkle with the flour and parsley, season with salt and pepper, and combine again.

            Heat a large skillet over medium high and add oil for frying. Use a cookie scoop, tightly packed, to form the cakes. Place in the heated oil and gently press down slightly, taking care not to split the cakes open. Tidy up any scraggly edges.

            Cook until browned on first side, and they release easily. Using a small spatula with a second spatula or even a fork to stabilize, and flip. The second side will cook faster. Place on a paper towel and let set for a few minutes.

            I fried mine in two batches and it made 15 little cakes. You can use an ice cream scoop, or even a small measuring cup, to form whatever size you like, but the bigger, the harder to flip.

House Rice

• 2 cups organic brown jasmine or basmati rice
• 4 cups veggie or mushroom stock, or water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 star anise
• Large pinch of salt

I use Lundberg Farms organic brown jasmine or basmati rice from California which I buy in bulk at the co-op. Quite reasonably priced and cheaper than most supermarket rices.

Rinse the rice well under running water until it runs clear. This is important to keep the rice from clumping together, and can take a couple of minutes. It is worth it.

Place the rice in your pot and add the rest of the ingredients. The bay and anise will float to the top for easy removal once cooked. Let this set for at least a half hour. This will help the rice to cook evenly and a little quicker. Yes, you have to think ahead for this one, which is why I make my rice on Sundays when I have a bit more time. As above, it is worth it.

Bring the rice to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and reduce the heat to low. Let this continue to cook. For my rice, it takes about 40 minutes, but check your rice instructions. Toward the end of the cooking time, check for doneness, sometimes it is quicker than other times, and you don’t want to overcook it.

Let set, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

FOOD WASTE:

A billion meals a day are wasted on this planet, and not just from rich countries. 19% on the consumer level, and another 13% pre-consumer translates to over a third of the food produced going to waste.

From The World Bank Group:

“Across global food systems, food loss and waste (FLW) is a widespread issue, posing a challenge to food security, food safety, the economy, and environmental sustainability. No accurate estimates of the extent of FLW are available, but studies indicate that FLW is roughly 30 percent of all food globally (FAO 2015). This amounts to 1.3 billion tonnes per year. FLW represents wastage of resources, including the land, water, labor, and energy used to produce food. It strongly contributes to climate change because greenhouse gases are emitted during food production and distribution activities, and methane is released during the decay of wasted food. FLW also affects food supply chains by lowering income for food producers, increasing costs for food consumers, and reducing access to food. Minimizing FLW could lead to substantial food security and environmental gains.

The causes of FLW vary across the world and depend on specific local conditions. Typically, FLW in low-income countries occurs at the production, postharvest handling, storage, and processing stages and is caused predominantly by managerial and technical limitations. FLW mostly occurs in the distribution and consumption stages in middle- and high-income countries, although it can happen in earlier stages such as when agricultural subsidies lead to overproduction of farm crops. These challenges relate to consumer behavior and government policies and regulation.”

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