[ THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN ]

Potluck favorites great
for a busy season

Football season is here and that means it's potluck and party season as well. Here's a familiar recipe popular around New Year's, but why wait? It's simple to prepare and always a hit with both young and old.

Barazushi

4 cups uncooked rice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package (0.6 ounces) dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked
1 can (6 ounces) seasoned clams, including liquid
2 carrots, julienned
2 aburage, julienned
1 cup julienned green beans
1 block (7 ounces) kamaboko (fish cake), julienned
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
1 sheet tamagoyaki (thinly fried egg), julienned
1 package (1.05 ounces) furikake nori
1/4 cup julienned pickled red ginger

Cook rice.

In a small glass bowl, combine sugar, vinegar and salt. Microwave on high power 2 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved. Cool.

Stir into cooked rice.

Remove stems from mushrooms; thinly slice caps. In a large glass bowl, combine mushrooms, clams, including liquid, carrots, aburage and beans. Microwave on high power 5 to 6 minutes, stopping and stirring several times, until vegetables are tender.

Stir vegetables, kamaboko and peas into rice. Top with tamagoyaki, nori and ginger. Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 350 calories, 1.5 g total fat, no saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 510 mg sodium, 70 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 12 g protein.

Now is also the time when family schedules are filled with school, sports practice and homework. This one-pot meal is prepared in the rice cooker -- what could be easier? Instead of plain white rice, try using half brown-half white. With the other tasty ingredients, your family might not even notice the brown rice!

Kayaku Gohan

(Rice with Chicken and Vegetables)

2 cups rice
1/3 cup soy sauce (or reduced-sodium soy sauce)
2 tablespoons sake
3/4 cup diced chicken
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas and carrots
1 can (13-3/4 ounces) chicken broth (or reduced-sodium, reduced-fat chicken broth)
1 aburage (fried soy bean curd), diced

Rinse rice and soak in water to cover for 30 minutes. Combine soy sauce and sake; pour over chicken; let stand for 20 minutes. Put frozen vegetables under warm running water to separate.

Drain rice; put rice and chicken broth into rice cooker or saucepan. Mix in chicken and marinade, vegetables and aburage. Turn on rice cooker and run through cooking cycle, or cook in saucepan until rice is tender. Toss lightly before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 320 calories, 3 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 1,180 mg sodium, 57 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 13 g protein.

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