Green Rice

This is a recipe I have used regularly over the past few years.  It is an easy and healthy rice dish with Mexican flavors. It is full of spinach, but you can't taste it.  The kids eat this one up. The recipe is from Rachel Ray.  The only change I usually make, is to use brown rice instead of  white (and increase the cooking time for that).

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, divided
• 3/4 pound baby spinach
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Place a medium pot over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon.
 2. Toss the jalapeños into the pan and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes.
3. Add in the rice and cook about a minute (you're toasting it, so it's ready when it starts to smell nutty). 4.Add in 2 1/2 cups stock and bring up to a bubble. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer the rice until tender, about 20 minutes.

5.Make the "green" part of the rice by pureeing together the baby spinach, cilantro and remaining stock (about 1/2 cup) in a food processor. Dump the mixture into a dish and reserve it until the rice is finished cooking. When the rice has finished cooking, stir in the green sauce and transfer the rice to a serving bowl or platter

Cilantro Lime (brown or white) Rice

This rice is a great addition to burritos or use it as a side dish instead of Spanish rice. If you don't do brown rice, it will still be delicious and yummy!!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup brown rice
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
2 large handfuls of cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1/2 - 1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
1-2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Instructions:

1.Cook rice according to package instructions ( using the rice, water or vegetable stock and the butter ).
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, process the cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno and salt until finely minced.
3. Cool cooked rice to room temperature then add in the cilantro mixture and toss until rice is completely coated.


*You don't have to wait until the rice is cool to add the cilantro mixture, but it will taste better and look better. The hot rice tends to cook the cilantro and lime a bit. In my picture, we were hungry so I did not wait to cool the rice. It was still good, but not the best.!