Asian Chicken and Rice Salad
Created by: BITE ME MORE – Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat
INGREDIENTS
Rice
2 cups water
½ tsp kosher salt
2 cups Minute Rice® Premium Instant Long Grain White Rice
2 cups Minute Rice Premium Instant Long Grain White Rice
Asian Dressing
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Salad
2 cups roasted deli chicken breast meat, shredded
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 cup chopped cucumbers, unpeeled
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
½ cup roasted peanuts
Garnish
2 tbsp chopped green onions
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
lime wedges
DIRECTIONS
- To prepare the rice, in a small saucepan bring water and salt to a boil. Stir in rice, cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit covered for 5 minutes. Place rice in large serving bowl and set aside.
- For the dressing, in a medium bowl whisk rice vinegar, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds until smooth set aside.
- To prepare the salad, add chicken, red pepper, carrots, cucumbers, parsley and peanuts to the cooked rice. Pour dressing over to coat well. Garnish salad with green onions, sesame seeds and lime wedges.
Chicken & Mushroom Mock Risotto
Created by: THE DIY MOMMY – Christina Dennis
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
1 cup sliced fresh mushroom
2 cups Minute Rice® Premium Instant Long Grain White Rice
4 cups chicken broth
¼ cup cream cheese
1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
DIRECTIONS
- Heat the olive oil in a pan on the stove on a medium heat setting. Add the onion and garlic and sautee until the onion is clear.
- Stir in the mushrooms, and sautee until the mushrooms are golden brown.
- Add rice, and stir for about 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth, and stir the entire mixture until it's thick - about 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to a low setting and stir in the cream cheese and cooked chicken breast. Cook for about 2 more minutes or until the cream cheese is incorporated and the chicken is warm.
- Serve with a sprinkling of chopped green onion or parsley.
Easy Beef Bulgogi
Created by: CAROL AU COURANT – Carol Gomez
INGREDIENTS
1 lb of thinly sliced sirloin (or any tender prime beef cut), about 1/8 inch
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 yellow onion
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 stalks green onion, chopped
1/2 medium carrot, peeled and grated
2 tbsp rice wine (mirin)
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup of Coca Cola
1 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish
2 cups Minute Rice® Premium Instant Long Grain White Rice
DIRECTIONS
- Mix all ingredients except the beef in a bowl to create the marinade.
- Add the beef and marinate for a few hours or overnight for best results.
- Grill or pan-fry until meat is cooked (approx. 30 minutes).
- Garnish with sesame seeds, add individual serving sizes into foil packets, close packet and serve with a side of Minute Rice® Premium Instant Long Grain White Rice
NOTES
- If you want to swap the coke for a healthier alternative, use half a cup of crushed asian pear or royal gala apple
- always taste your marinade before adding beef so you can adjust to your taste
- the meat quality and thinness is super important!
- if you double the recipe for leftovers, portion them out and freeze; thaw overnight the day before consuming.
- you can freeze the unused (& uncooked) meat in the freezer for a few weeks
- you can find pre-sliced bulgogi thinly sliced beef at most Asian stores, if not, ask the deli if they can thinly slice the meat about 1/8 inch. If you choose to cut the meat yourself at home, slicing is easier when meat is partly frozen.
Looking to eat well? Keep it simple to make it stick
Stock a smart pantry to stay on track
At the start of 2017, many of us vowed that this year would be different. In 2016, we were too busy to grocery shop, our kids turned their nose up at dinner – so we caved and got takeout more than we’d like to admit. But this year it was going to be different. We were going to eat better, take proper care of ourselves and our families, and not fall into the same traps. But chances are old behaviours have already started rearing their heads, prompting many of us to ask: what am I doing wrong?
You’re doing nothing wrong. Contrary to popular belief, it can take anywhere from 18 to over 250 days to form a new habit. Every single one of us operates on a different timeline, which means our environment greatly influences our success. And when it comes to forming new eating habits, what we keep in our kitchen – or put in our pantry – can sway what we actually end up eating.
Not to mention, getting a meal on the table during the week is no easy task. There is a reason why dinnertime has earned the title of the “witching hour.” From picky eaters, to turning into a short-order cook, or being just too tired to shop, these parental pain points have us yearning for a mid-week win. Well, wait no longer. Help is on the way, with the Minute Rice® #WeekdayWin Challenge. Need a 15-minute recipe for a real? A meal your picky eater will actually eat? Our #WeekdayWin network - a community of moms, foodies and family experts - has the answers. For the next eight weeks, our network will uncover the best, mom-endorsed recipes and meal planning tips to solve the most common pain points for Canadian families. Sourced from their community of moms, our network will help families across Canada to create a new habit with simple meals they can feel good about. After all, who knows better than Mom?
So just what are those dinner time dilemmas for parents?
Shop your pantry for that mid-week win.
Recent Canadian Minute Rice® Research confirms that eight-in-ten women (82%) say that when they’re too busy to grocery shop, they rely on a stocked pantry with key items like rice, pasta or olive oil to prepare easy, wholesome meals at home. As much as many of us romanticize the idea of the daily, European-style shop, our busy North-American lives rarely – if ever, during the week – allow for it.
“When you spend as much time online as we do, you can be lured into falsely believing that every meal you make needs to be an original creation, with carefully-sourced ingredients that were bought day-of,” says family food blogger and #WeekdayWin Network member Julie Albert, who co-founded Bite Me More with her sister Lisa Gnat. “We love cooking like that occasionally, but we can’t do that every day. Our pantries are packed with simple basics that we can quickly match up with a few other ingredients to satisfy our families when we have lots of other things going on,” echoes Lisa.
Kid Friendly meals? The struggle is real.
Every parent has experienced it in one form or another – the long-faced, pouty-lipped expression coupled with an “I don’t want to eat this” (or on worse days a “you can’t make me.”) Minute Rice’s study reveals that nearly four-in-ten parents admit to struggling to find kid-friendly meals their family will eat, and 36% avoid dinnertime altercations altogether by preparing a different meal or dinner for their kids than they do for the adults.
If the adults want fish and veggies with rice, it’s easy enough to substitute scrambled eggs in place of fish, or fruit in place of veggies, without having to create a second full meal from scratch. Interestingly also, a person’s willingness to do this may somewhat depend on where they live: the research shows that people in Ontario are almost twice as likely to customize meals for kids as those from the Prairies.
“Between school, work, and activities many parents have limited time with their kids these days,” says Julie. “Many simply don’t want to spend family time fighting over dinner. Pantry ingredients like instant rice allow for easily adaptable meals that every member of the family can enjoy.”
In keeping with these sentiments, the majority of women (79%) feel that meals they can make at home in 15 minutes, with fewer ingredients, make their life easier during the week. And simple ingredients can help solve that dinnertime dilemma.
Wholesome doesn’t have to be pricy.
The study also revealed that 67% of Canadians want their family to eat wholesome and natural foods, but they feel it’s expensive to do so consistently. In reality, it doesn’t have to be. There are many wholesome foods available that don’t cost an arm and a leg – and many of them can live in your cupboard, which can come as a surprise to some Canadians.
For example, half of us don’t know that instant rice is simply rice that’s been partially pre-cooked, a fact men and women equally agree on. One in four of us admit to not knowing what instant rice is at all.
“Rice is a grain we’ve been eating for thousands of years, that is simple, delicious, naturally fat-free, gluten-free, and non-perishable,” says Norma D’Onofrio, Senior Brand Manager, Minute Rice. “Our instant rice is just rice that’s been partially pre-cooked and dried so that people can save time at home. No additives, and it’s just one ingredient. It’s really that simple.”
This means that those who stock their pantry with staples such as instant rice are in a position to save cooking-time, while also eating a wholesome grain that’s been around for ages.
“Once you’ve decided that rice is going to be a part of the family meal, you only have to select a veggie and a protein to complete your plate,” says Lisa. “A simple solution is imagining your meal in terms of ‘thirds’. Pairing a grain, a serving of vegetables and a protein – like beef or chicken – can be your family’s formula to making dinner time easy in three simple steps.”
What’s your #WeekdayWin?
Most Canadians decide what’s for dinner about an hour before they start cooking, and when you’re in the middle of your busy week, it’s fair to assume that creativity is waning. So start your year off right by following #WeekdayWin for our network’s inspiration, tips, and the winning mom-tested recipes tasted and scored by our network of savvy moms and Canadian families. And there’s more. This February 8th, Bite Me More will provide some mid-week inspiration on our Facebook Live debut which tackles 15 minute meals (for real). Need further motivation? Visit MinuteRice.ca for versatile, delicious and easy 1-2-3 meal ideas and see our network in action.
You’ll soon get used to the satisfaction of consistently getting a meal on the table that’s good for your family – and that you can feel good about serving. Achieved your first Weekday Win? Celebrate with us and share your #WeekdayWin to inspire others. We’ll bask in your glory, and you may even have the opportunity to be showcased on our site.
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About Minute Rice:
Made by the Catelli Foods Corporation, Minute Rice pre-cooked instant rice is available in tastes and formats that suit all palates. Wholesome, 100% Natural, Premium Long Grain White Rice; Premium Whole Grain Brown Rice - that’s ready in ten minutes; convenient Ready to Serve Cups; flavourful Basmati and Jasmine varieties. For more information, visit MinuteRice.ca.
About the Research Study:
A survey of 1578 Canadians was completed online between November 28th and December 1st 2016 using Leger’s online panel, LegerWeb. A probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/-2.5%, 19 times out of 20.
Hey guys I wanted to share this yummy recipe for a healthy salad! Give it a try and let me know how tasty it was!!
#Zespri4Life Black Rice Salad with Kiwifruit and Cashews
Prep time: 15 minutes
Start to finish: 15 minutes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups cooked and cooled black or brown rice
2 Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit, peeled and cut up
1 cup quartered strawberries
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup salted cashew pieces
In small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, honey, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic. In large bowl, stir dressing into rice. Stir in remaining ingredients except cashews. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend. Stir in cashews just before serving.
6 (3/4-cup) servings
*1 cup uncooked black rice yields 2 1/2 cups cooked rice.
Recipe tip: A serrated peeler works best for peeling kiwifruit.
Serving Size: 1 Serving Calories 210 (Calories from Fat 80), Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 1.5g, Trans Fat 0g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 270mg, Total Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 7g), Protein 4g; % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 80%; Calcium 2%; Iron 6%.
*Percent daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
GIVE IT A TRY! YUM!
