kale and pea rice salad

It's a weekday, I don't feel like cooking, but desperately need to consume some greens and all I have on hand are frozen kale and peas, some scallions and one tomato. So what's a girl to do? Chop it up and throw it all together with some barley rice and season it with a little love. I think it ended up needing a bit more love, but it was a light, healthy meal. Maybe adding some protein like grilled chicken or a fried egg would have been a nice touch.

[frozen] kale and pea rice salad

1 1/2 cup of day old rice*
1/4 cup thawed out frozen kale
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
2 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp light oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
dash of ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste


Saute garlic in the oil on medium high heat in a non stick pan making sure not to burn the garlic. Toss in the diced tomatoes; season as you go. Add the kale and rice, giving it some good stirs. Add the frozen peas, cook until peas are heated through. Season with soy sauce, sesame oil, and cumin. Always taste as you go. And yes, it reads more like fried rice, but rice salad sounds much healthier, don't you think?

* Make your own two-minute ready-rice. Having to cook for myself most of the time and cooking just one serving of rice be foolish, here is a little trick I learned. When the cooked rice is still piping hot, I scoop one serving size into a sandwich size freezer bag. When it's still steaming, zip it up and pop it in the freezer. Whenever you need rice, peel open a bag, add a sprinkle of water if you choose, and nuke it in the microwave for 2 minutes and voila!