Spanish Rice (Quick and Easy)

At our house, we eat Mexican cuisine once or twice every week.  And we like to have Spanish rice and beans with our meals.

 Even when I was buying a mix on sale at $1.00 a package - I knew that I was wasting my money on processed food that I could make just as fast and with fresh ingredients.  So with some experimentation, I found that my version is actually better.  This recipe serves 4, (but you can easily double it to serve 8 without any problems), and leftovers keep very well in the refrigerator in a covered container.

You will need:
2 Tabs. oil
1/4  medium onion
1/4 green pepper
1 cup Minute rice
1 cup hot water
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 teas salt
1 teas black pepper
1 teas garlic powder
2 Tabs picante sauce, (you can use homemade)

Chop your green pepper into small pieces, and thinly slice your onion

It doesn't take much onion, (I only use 1/4 of a medium sized onion).
And, it only takes a small amount of sweet green pepper, (I use about 1/4 of a medium sized green pepper).

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons of oil over medium heat.  Add 1 cup of Minute rice.

 Add the onion and green pepper, and stir.

Cook until the rice browns and the onions and pepper are softened, (about 4 - 5 minutes), stirring every so often.

 Once the rice has browned, it will look like this.  (Browning the rice, helps bring out the nutty taste and enhance the flavor.)

Add 1 cup of HOT water.

 Add 1, (8 ounce), can of tomato sauce, stir well.

Add the garlic powder, pepper, and salt.  Stir everything well.

Add 2 Tablespoons picante sauce.  (You can add mild, medium, or hot - depending on your taste for heat).

 Stir well.  Bring the ingredients back to a boil.  Lower the heat, and simmer UNCOVERED for 5 minutes, until the rice is cooked.  (Everything will thicken up during the cooking process.)

And that quick, is how you can make your own Spanish rice for less than 50 cents, in only 5 minutes.

It's very tasty, and goes well with many dishes.  I no longer buy any packaged Mexican or Spanish rice.  We have had family taco, (or enchilada), night and all the kids and grand kids ask for seconds on the rice and beans.

Give this a try at your house.  You'll wonder, "why did I ever buy that high sodium, chemical loaded packaged store product?"


Enjoy!

Raspberry Rice Pudding

We all have those comfort foods that bring back our sweet childhood memories, (macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, homemade chicken soup, Tapioca pudding).  For me it's rice pudding.  When I was growing up, my mom would make a BIG pan of rice pudding for supper's dessert.  We would always have the leftover for breakfast the next morning.  Sometimes mom would add raisins, (in the winter), sometimes she would add raspberries or blackberries, (in the summer).  I remember we would go out picking wild raspberries for mom and I always made sure I picked as many as possible, so that there would be plenty for the rice pudding.  Back in the early 90's, I was telling my co-workers about this wonderful rice pudding, and they challenged me to reinvent it into a healthier version and bring it in for a taste test.  It was an instant hit!!  I cut the recipe down, (my mom had to feed a family of 9 - not me!).  I replaced the whole milk with skim milk, the long grain rice with jasmine rice, and reduced the sugar by 1/2.  The result was wonderful and not a grain of rice came home.  My co-workers often asked to bring it in on winter days to share for lunch time.  Lucky me, this week a local market had raspberries on sale, so I grabbed 8 cups, (knowing that raspberry rice pudding was on my menu).  So here is my updated version of my mom's Raspberry Rice Pudding.

First preheat your oven to 325 degrees
Spray coat a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick spray.
You will need the following:
1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
4 cups skim milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 teas vanilla extract
1 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 teas salt
1 cup fresh raspberries (in a pinch you can use frozen raspberries)

Rinse your rice well to remove the starch.

Note:  if you don't have jasmine rice you can use regular long-grain rice, but jasmine gives the pudding another layer of flavor that is so good. I always give my rice 3 good rinses, until the water runs clear.

In a medium saucepan, Stir the rice and sugar into the milk.

Note:  if you don't want to use skim milk, you can use 1% or 2%, but, the pudding will have more fat. My version is a healthier version.

Place the rice/milk mixture over medium heat.

Add the salt, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Stir to mix well.  Continue cooking at a low simmer, for 6 minutes over medium heat, stirring every once in a while to prevent sticking.  The mixture will have a nice mocha color, and you will notice that the rice is starting to plump up.

Pour the rice mixture into your baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake for approximately 30 - 40 minutes, (until most of the liquid is absorbed).

Remove from oven and let stand on wire rack for 10 minutes to cool slightly.

Remove foil and gently fold in your raspberries. OH MY GOSH!, this smells so heavenly already.

It's so hard for me to let this wonderful mixture cool down.  I just want to dish up a bowl right now, but I will patiently wait about 15 more minutes, so I don't burn my mouth.  You can serve this dish warm, or cold.

It is delicious the next morning for breakfast.  Some of my family would add milk and eat it like cereal, but I just like to eat it served in a bowl cold for breakfast.

OK - it's been 15 minutes, and time for me to do some quality control checking.   YUMMY!!  I wish you had smell-a-vision or taste-a-vision.  This is delicious.  Yet, such a simple comfort food.

Did you know that rice is served in every country on the planet.  It is also the one grain that even those who can't eat wheat can enjoy.  Rice is one of the first solid foods most babies eat, (strained rice cereal).  No wonder rice pudding is such a comfort food.

ENJOY !