~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Friday, June 5, 2009

Spanish Rice


Spanish Rice....A simple dish to prepare that comes in handy with any Mexican dish. Try it with a side of beans and some enchiladas, stuffed in a taco salad bowl, or in burritos. This dish is easily prepared in about half an hour...just make sure you have your veggies all cut up:). In this recipe I happened to use canned tomato juice, but feel free to use fresh tomatoes if you like(just puree them to a sauce-like consistency. I used taco seasoning to my liking, but feel free to use more if you like. I like mine a bit on the milder side, just because I don't want to overpower the taste. Also, I used green bell pepper...feel free to use other colors and maybe even add some finely diced carrots. I like to make this rice using Basmati rice. I noticed that it is fluffier and lighter...For this recipe, I used 1 cup of rice. Feel free to adjust amounts. It is important to "toast" the rice a bit before adding the liquid as this ensures that the rice doesn't clump up on you.
You will need:
1 cup basmati rice
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup bell pepper,diced
1-2 TBS olive oil
2-3 tsp taco seasoning
2-3 TBS tomato sauce
2 cups water
green onion, sliced for garnish
chopped cilantro (optional)
salt/pepper to taste
Directions:
In a large skillet, add oil and heat on medium. Add onion and bell pepper.
Sautee until soft(about 5-7 minutes). Sprinkle some salt as it cooks. You may need to adjust your heat to med low. Add the rice and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
You just want the rice to be coated with the oil and brown a bit. Add the water.
Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce stir to mix. You may need to sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper.
Lower heat to low and cover with a lid. It would be great if you have a clear lid that way you can see when the liquid has absorbed into the rice. But you should check after about 15 minutes. Stir it once or twice making sure that nothing is sticking at the bottom. cover for an additional 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and sprinkle some green onions and cilantro, if you like.

4 comments:

Ashleyta said...

Hey Ellie, I was recently desperately looking for a good spanish rice recipe...i ended up buying boxes of rice-a-roni w/ spanish rice flavoring. No need to do that in the future...your recipe sounds yummy!

Ellie said...

Ashley,
I like rice-a-roni too...but, sometimes I like the 'clean' taste of homemade rice. Feel free to adjust seasoning to your preference. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment:)...you are too nice.

Sarah said...

Hello Ellie,
I was checking your Reinhart's whole wheat bread post and trying to muster some guts to actually go ahead and make it. It was also dinner time and I needed to cook some rice, and liked this recipe, sounded easy and delicious, and it was! My husband loved it. Thanks for sharing, I really enjoy visiting your blog and trying your old and new recipes.

Best Regards,
Sarah from Egypt

Ellie said...

Hi Sarah,
It was so neat to read your sweet comment. It just makes my day, when someone tries a recipe and likes it! So glad you took the time to write and let me know. I really appreciate it.
As for Peter Reinhart's ww bread, I think you will really like it. We LOVED it. I know it takes a couple of days, but it was worth it. You also gain some valuable experience:) I really think you can do it. Weighing the ingredients gave perfect results. So, if you have a scale, use it. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks again for trying out some of my recipes and taking the time to write.
Have a great day!~Ellie