This tasty bowl of goodness with its unique spices is a filling vegetarian main dish for your weekday dinner. If you prefer, chicken, shrimp, pork, ground turkey, sausage or scrambled egg are all excellent additions for added protein.

This is a fantastic way to use up any leftover cooked rice and all the veggies left in the fridge at the end of the week. Use those suggested below or try out your own combinations. Fresh or frozen vegetables can be used, and as far as cooking time goes, just use your own judgement.

Versatile basmati rice combined with colorful vegetables will warm you up. Karen Schneider photo

You won’t want to skimp on the cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg, though, and may want to use even more than what I recommend.

I use home-roasted almonds in this stir fry. To prepare, roast the almonds in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Place them on a small, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes or until golden, stirring a few times. Then chop the almonds when they’ve cooled.

Flaked or slivered almonds will also work. Sprinkle those crunchy bits on the stir fry just before serving so they don’t get soggy.

Crunchy Asian Salad makes for a nice hit of springtime on a cold winter’s day. It’s a lovely side dish with chicken or fish and has the flavors of a Thai spring roll and sunshine. If you don’t have a vegetable spiralizer or don’t want to make the carrot spirals with a peeler, simply chop the carrots into very thin rounds (I use a mandolin for this).

You’ll want to make extra salad for lunch, knowing that you’re treating yourself well by getting in all your vegetables. Both these recipes are great go-tos as we lean into our Maine mid-winter.

Aromatic Rice with Vegetables

• 1 1/4 cups uncooked white basmati rice
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup zucchini, diced
• 1/2 green beans (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup pea pods, cut into thirds
• 1/2 cup colored bell peppers, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 toasted almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Bring salted water to a boil in a saucepan, add rice and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, in a skillet or wok, heat the olive oil and stir fry the vegetables until tender crisp, about 10 minutes. Stir in cumin, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute.

Stir the cooked rice into the vegetables in the skillet. Adjust the spices and salt. Garnish with almonds and herbs and serve right away. Yield: 4 servings

Crunchy Asian Salad

• 4 cups carrot spirals
• 1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound snap peas
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup roasted cashews
• 1 tablespoon reserved toasted sesame seeds

Make carrot spirals with a vegetable peeler. (You can also purchase ready-made spirals.) Refrigerate in a bowl of ice.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add snap peas and cook for 4-5 minutes until peas are crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and set aside.

Drain carrot spirals, then combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over all to coat. Garnish with remaining tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds. Yield: 4 servings

Dressing

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, divided

In a medium bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients, except for 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds.

Karen Schneider cooks and writes in the village of Cundy’s Harbor. You can reach her at iwrite33@comcast.net.