Rice

How to Jazz up Your Everyday Rice

Serves 3-4:
1 cup rice
1/2-1 onion
1 packet of vegetable soup mix
1 1/2-2 c chicken broth

Chop up your onion, saute in a little oil till soft, add rice and toast for a few minutes, add stock and vegetable soup mix, bring to boil, lower heat to minimum, cover and wait 20 minutes. 

My Mexican Rice:

Serves 4:
1 c rice
1 tbsp oil
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2-1 onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I often don't include this)
1 small-medium can diced tomatoes, drained (you can also just dice a tomato or two)
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/2-1 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro

In a medium sauce pan, saute onion and rice and garlic in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in green pepper, jalapeno, and diced tomatoes. Season with bouillon cube, cumin, and a little pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. When rice is cooked, add cilantro and fluff gently with a fork (the recipe calls for the cilantro to be added with the other seasonings, but I prefer my cilantro fresh not cooked). I often squeeze fresh lime juice over this as well.

I cook quite a bit of southwest/mexican food so I like to find ways to season my rice to use in my dishes.  Another easy way to jazz up your plain rice to go along with your southwest dish- add lime zest and cilantro.