Tomato & Rice Salad ♥

Leftover rice + some good tomatoes + 10 minutes = a refreshing summer salad, one that's become a summer staple here. So good! PS For anyone else who needs a rice fix every so often, this is a great way to keep the carbs in control.

Real Food, Fast & Casual. Not Just Easy, Summer Easy. Budget Friendly. Little Effort, Big Taste. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Meal Prep. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Naturally Gluten Free.

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The Evolution of a Flexible Recipe

WAY BACK ON DAY 168 IN 2005 Maybe it was the picked-yesterday tomatoes? Or the moist and nutty oven-baked brown rice leftover from the other night? Either way, this tomato-rice combination really works. But you needn't wait for leftover rice – unless there's a cardboard Chinese take-out box in the fridge – or are watching carbs because it's also really good without the rice, just tomatoes. And it makes up in 10 minutes flat. This is great summer eating!

WAY BACK IN 2007 FOR A PHOTO UPDATE Just as good as remembered, this time with a mix of cooked brown and wild rice, an heirloom tomato, no olive oil (!) and Splenda as a sugar substitute. Very good!

AND AGAIN FOR ANOTHER PHOTO UPDATE Totally good! This time I used cooked white rice leftover from Stir-Fried Shrimp with Asparagus or Other Summer Vegetables to build an easy supper bowl with shaved cabbage drizzled with a little My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing, topped with Tomato & Rice Salad and a piece of broiled fish. Sooo good! This time I'm committing the recipe to a 3x5 card, the recipes I make over and over again and want regular reminders for!

This recipe is so quick and easy that I'm adding it to a growing collection of easy summer recipes published all summer long ever since 2009 at Kitchen Parade, my food column. With a free Kitchen Parade e-mail subscription, you'll never miss a one!

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RECIPE for TOMATO & RICE SALAD

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes (though a few minutes for the rice to soak up the tomato juice don't hurt)
Makes 4 cups

1 pound perfectly ripe, juicy tomatoes
2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar or rice vinegar or another gentle clear-colored vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil, optional
2 teaspoons sugar (don't skip)
2 cups cooked rice
Fresh basil, cut in ribbons
Salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl, stir together the tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil and sugar. Gently stir in the rice, breaking apart any clumps of rice. Stir in the rice and basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper. The short version? Mix and serve. That's it!

MAKE-AHEAD This is a great last-minute summer salad but a few minutes to let the rice soak up the tomato juice and the tomatoes soak up a bit of vinegar is good.

VARIATIONS Tomatoes and basil are a summer classic but cilantro and fresh dill would be delicious too.

ALANNA'S TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
TOMATOES Ripe, juicy tomatoes are super-important here, for example, ripe but meaty Roma tomatoes aren't a good choice.
SUPPER SALAD This is a lovely stand-alone salad but I also often use simple salads like this as "meal prep" – one component in a healthy, supper bowl with lots of vegetables, a few carbs and protein.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup (assumes white rice): 90 Calories; 2g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 2mg Sodium; 17g Carb; 1g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 2g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS (purple points assumes brown rice) WW Old Points 2 & PointsPlus 2 & SmartPoints 3 & Freestyle 3 & myWW green 3 & blue 3 & purple 1 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = generous half cup (2g protein).

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION Adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2000

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Looking for healthy new ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of super-organized quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables. Join "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg to explore the exciting world of common and not-so-common vegetables, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.

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