BLT Rice Salad

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
2/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 Tbsp. bacon drippings
4 tsp. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup skim milk
3 cups cold cooked Riceland Gold Perfected Rice
6 cherry tomatoes, each cut into fourths
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
6 cups torn lettuce leaves
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese or toasted croutons

Preparation

Fry bacon until crispy; reserve 1 Tbsp. drippings. Drain bacon on paper toweling; cool and crumble. Set aside. In large bowl, combine mayonnaise, reserved bacon drippings, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper; mix well. Gradually stir in milk. Add rice, tomatoes, celery, onion and crumbled bacon; mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 3 hours. To serve, place 1 cup torn lettuce leaves on each of 6 individual salad plates. Top each with generous 1/2 cup rice mixture; sprinkle with cheese or croutons.