Who loves to eat rice? I’m Asian, of course I love rice. Rice is easy to cook, it’s versatile and it can be very healthy. I’m going to share with you 3 really simple rice recipes, which can be made ahead and they are perfect for a family dinner too.

Let’s start with a recipe that’s great as a starter or even a main meal, Wild Rice and Bean Salad. What I’ve used are:

Wild Rice & Bean Salad (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Cooked and Chilled Wild Rice – 216Cals

*You can use another other rice of your choice

2. ½ Red Bell Pepper, diced – 19Cals
3. ½ cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved – 14Cals
4. 1 Small Onion, diced – 28Cals
5. ¼ cup Corn – 33Cals
6. ¼ cup Cucumber, diced – 4Cals
7. ¼ cup Olives, halved – 40Cals
8. ½ can Beans, rinsed and drained – 108Cals

Dressing:

1. 3 tbsps. Lemon Juice – 9Cals
2. 1 tbsp. Olive Oil – 119Cals
3. ½ tsp. Maple Syrup – 10Cals
4. ½ tsp. Smoked Paprika – 4Cals
5. ¼ tsp. Cumin Powder – 4Cals
6. 6. ¼ tsp. Garlic Powder – 2Cals
7. Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Total Calories: 610Cals / 2 = 305Cals

305Cals per serving

Steps:

1. In a small bowl, mix together all the dressing ingredients and set aside.
2. To make the salad, all you have to do is assemble all the ingredients in a bowl.
3. So start with the rice as the base and all the vegetables – beans, bell pepper, cucumber, corn, cherry tomatoes, onion and olives.
4. Drizzle with some dressing and serve.

It really is that simple. When you want to eat it, simple toss all the ingredients together. This dish is so colourful, nutritious and delicious. This one huge bowl of rice salad has about 305 calories, plus it provides you with your 3-a-day!

It is great to be eaten chill so you can make 3 – 4 servings ahead, and keep it in the fridge. Simple separate the dressing to keep it fresh.

I’m so excited for this next recipe; I can’t stop making it for dinner. Let’s make the One Pot Fish & Rice Soup. Yup, I love soup and it goes perfectly with rice too. What you’ll need are:

2) One Pot Fish and Rice Soup (serves 3)

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups Chicken / Fish / Vegetable Broth – 48Cals
2. 400g Dory Fish Fillet – 410Cals

*or any other fish of your choice

3. ½ cup Uncooked Rice, rinsed – 286Cals
4. ½ can Beans, rinsed and drained – 189Cals
5. ½ can Diced Tomatoes – 53Cals
6. ½ cup Corn – 66Cals
7. 1 tsp. Cumin Powder – 8Cals
8. 1 tsp. Garlic Powder – 10Cals
9. 1 tsp. Cayenne Powder– 6Cals
10. 1 tsp. Mixed Herbs – 6cals
11. 1 tsp. Salt

Total Calories: 1082Cals / 3 = 361Cals

361Cals, 28g protein per serving

Steps:

1. We want to start by prepping the rice. Fill a large pot with 4 cups of broth and the uncooked rice.
2. Cover, bring to a boil and allow the rice to almost cook for about 25 – 30 minutes. Adjust the cooking time, depending on the rice you’re using.
3. Once the rice is almost ready, we want to stir all the ingredients in – the fish, beans, diced tomatoes, corn and all the spices.
4. Allow all the ingredients to simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes until the fish and rice are fully cooked and the soup thickens slightly.
5. Stir occasionally and serve hot.

I love this recipe because it’s so versatile. You can change the ingredients according to what’s available. So pick a fish, beans and rice of your choice. This is a one-pot dish, so you can simple double up the ingredients and cook it for your family.

This recipe is also VERY high in protein. So it’s a great post-workout meal. One serving has 361Cals and 28g of protein. Plus, soups fill you up very quickly, so it’s also great if you’re watching your weight.

You know, I love it when I can use the same recipe, change it a little bit and create a whole new dish. So for my next recipe, we’re going to use what we’ve cooked and make Stuffed Bell Pepper Rice. So here’s what we’re going to do.

3) Stuffed Bell Pepper Rice (serves 3)

Ingredients:

1. 3 Large Bell Peppers -111Cals
2. 1 Potato – 163Cals
3. 2 Carrots -50Cals
4. Fish and Rice Soup from the previous recipe, half the total amount – 541Cals

Total Calories: 865Cals / 3 = 288Cals

288Cals per serving

Steps:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
2. Let’s start by prepping the bell peppers. Cut the top part of the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds to create a pocket.
3. Then we want to fill each bell pepper with the rice and fish from the previous recipe. Fill them up without the soup. And set aside.
4. Next, fill up the bottom of a baking dish, with thickly sliced potato and carrots. You want to keep them as leveled and flat as possible.
5. Then place the stuffed bell peppers on top. The potatoes and carrots will prevent the bell peppers from burning at the bottom.
6. Then pour the fish and rice soup over the potatoes and carrots.
7. Cover the bell peppers and bake for about 30 – 40 minutes until the bell peppers and soft and slightly roasted.

Voila! Look at that. This dish is so simple, but you can certain impress your friends and family. It looks so pretty and it’s tastes good too. Each bell pepper stuffed with rice has about 288Cals. You can even stuff tomatoes, aubergins or zucchinis. Again this recipe is extremely versatile, you can melt some cheese on top if you want to, or if you are a Vegan, simple change the fish to tempeh or tofu.

Do give these recipes a try. I know you’ll love them. Let me know, which is your favourite in the comments below.