Rice Adds Delicious Flair To Holiday Meals

(NAPSI)-If you're looking for tasty ways to mix up your holiday menu, try making room for rice.

The nutrient-dense "energy food" is light on calories, has no saturated or trans fats and can provide a welcome change from pasta or potato side dishes. Plus, rice can be made in the microwave, freeing up space on your stove top for other holiday foods. More reasons to rave about rice include:

• Brown rice is 100 percent whole grain, and just one cup provides two of the three recommended daily whole grain servings.

• Rice is gluten-free and the least allergenic of all grains.

• Rice is a versatile and delicious partner to other healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and beans.

Holiday Recipes

You can find plenty of festive rice recipes-from holiday side dishes to delicious desserts-at Web sites such as www.AllRecipes.com. Additionally, Rice-Select, the makers of the well-known Texmati rice, offers more than 100 recipes using rice ranging from Jasmati and Texmati to Arborio and Royal Blends.

Made with Texmati white, brown, red and wild rice, Royal Pecan Rice Bake is a tasty side dish to serve with poultry, pork or beef.

Royal Pecan Rice Bake

¾ cup chopped onion

¾ cup chopped celery

¼ cup margarine

3 cups cooked RiceSelect® Royal Blend Rice

½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

¼ cup chopped parsley

½ teaspoon salt (to taste)

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or to taste)

In large skillet, sauté onions and celery in margarine until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing well. Spoon into casserole; cover tightly and bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes. Makes about 8 servings.

Try this recipe for a Creamy Cranberry Rice Pudding. Made with Arborio rice, it makes a sweet addition to a holiday party or a delicious ending to a family meal.

Creamy Cranberry

Rice Pudding

21/2 cups cooked RiceSelect® Arborio Rice

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

¼ cup half-and-half

½ cup granulated sugar

(or ¼ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup light brown)

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine all ingredients, mixing well with a fork. Pour into a buttered 8x8x2-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes, stir gently. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until set. Serves 6.

Learn More

All-natural, award-winning RiceSelect rice is made with specially bred, nongenetically modified seeds, and their organic products are certified by USDA accredited agencies. And their Texmati rice was featured in Consumer Reports and in the "Chef's Guide Book," an annual directory of the nation's best food products.

For more recipes and information, visit www.RiceSelect.com.

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