Killer Rice

There is an explosion of flavored rices in the supermarket today. Lipton, Uncle Ben, and Knorr should down from either side as you wheel down the aisle. They are flavorful (so they can be high in salt), but low in fat and cholesterol. Stroll down the aisle until some strike your fancy, like Moroccan - Seven Grain or Long Grain Wild Rice in Herbs, and put them in your camp box. Add canned fish, such as tuna or salmon, and vegetables at the last minute and you have a simple, well-balanced one-pot dinner that is not only low in fat and cholesterol, but good to eat. Be creative with your vegetables--from the traditional mushrooms to the more exotic bamboo shoots. (Ed. Note: This would be a great place to use the extra chicken from "Nancy's Chicken," at this link.)

Here is one recipe I used in Baja this past October:

• One 147 gm packet of Lipton Onion and Mushroom Fried Rice
• One 8-oz. can of mixed peas and carrots
• One 5-oz. can of chunk tuna in water

Prepare the rice in a 2-quart sauce pan with 2 cups water as directed. Just before rice is finished, stir in the tuna and gently add the peas and carrots. Reheat contents of the pot. Let sit for 3 minutes and serve. That should satisfy two hearty eaters.

To stretch that to a third joining your campfire, simply heat a can of some of the gourmet canned beans that are also on the supermarket shelves. One I tried and like was S&W Regional Recipe San Antonio Beans. In contrast to some of the traditional canned beans, these new ones are low in saturated fat and have a provocative taste.