Anyway, when it comes to sides for mexican food. We eat the same things over and over again. Its always some combination of Easy Black Beans, Non-fat “Refried” Pinto Beans, corn and salad. (Well and of course chips & salsa). I don’t branch out and experiment with sides as much as I could/should. I rarely make mexican rice because hubby just isn’t big on mexican rice. Too tomatoey for him I guess, but he never eats his at restaurants which just means more for this carb loving girl! But I finally decided to find a recipe that I really liked (previous efforts have been unsuccessful); and I found one! This is a very easy, basic recipe. Its got a good flavor but its not a knocks-your socks off full of flavor recipe, but that’s how I like it! Its a pleasantly subtle mexican rice. Yum!

Basic Mexican Rice

1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth (low sodium if possible)
salt & pepper to taste
cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add chopped onions & rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until rice is golden & onions are softened. Add garlic powder, cumin, tomato sauce, and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Season with salt & pepper as desired. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

One of our all time favorite meals is fried rice. Its frequently on our menu because its easy to make, inexpensive and a great one pot dinner using leftovers. When we first got married, I always made chicken or pork fried rice without any veggies cause hubby didn’t like veggies (seriousl,y scallions were the only “veggie” in the mix). Well over the years I’ve managed to incorporate more and more veggies and even start leaving out the meat Tricky tricky!

This is the perfect week night meal, it utilizes leftovers and can be made in a breeze. I most commonly use diced carrots, red bell peppers & edamame (frozen). But you can use whatever veggies you’ve got on hand! You can even use whatever type of rice you’ve got handy. In the last six months or so, I’ve started using more and more brown rice and it comes out great using leftover brown rice as well. Fried rice is so versatile which is why its perfect for weeknight dinners!

Vegetable Fried Rice

4 cups cold prepared rice (white or brown), loosened/crumbled
4 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, diced
2 c veggies of choice, chopped/diced
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
3-4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3/4 tsp garlic powder
2-3 large eggs, beaten
3 scallions, white and light green parts, trimmed and chopped

In a hot non-stick wok*, heat 1 Tbsp oil. Over medium-high heat, add onions and veggies and saute until softened. Add Siracha sauce to season veggies. Add crumbled rice and drizzle with remaining oil and soy sauce. Add garlic powder. Stir rice until even in color and all rice has soy sauce on it. Stir occasionally, while allowing rice to warm up. Make a well in the middle of your wok and pour in beaten eggs, scrambling the eggs while incorporating more and more rice. Add chopped green onions. Continue to heat rice until egg is fully cooked. Season with salt & pepper as desired.

* if using a stainless steel wok or pan, you may need additional oil

I do a decent job of eating my veggies, but hubby doesn’t. In an attempt to get him eating a little better (and myself really), I’m working on incorporating vegetarian dinners into our meal rotation. We certainly don’t need meat every meal! Tonight it was black bean enchiladas. Hubby did comment that he thought they’d be better with chicken, haha! But really they were quite good and he commented on the fact several times. Looks like it might take a little bit of effort to get hubby over the mental hurdle of not eating meat all the time but we’ll get there, especially if I can pull off meals as tasty as this one!

Black Bean Enchiladas

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp oil
1 c chopped onion
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 c corn kernels
½ c green bell pepper, diced
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles, drained
2 tsp ground cumin
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8-10 tortillas
1 1/2 c green chile enchilada sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9×13″ baking dish. In a medium sized skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and sauté until aromatic and onions are softened. Add green peppers (and corn if using frozen), sautéing until softened. Stir in beans, cumin, green chiles & corn (if using fresh). Cook for ~5 minutes until warm; partially mash beans. Remove the pan from the heat, mix in 1/2 cup cheese. Season with salt & pepper as desired.

Spoon some of the black bean mixture down the center of a tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour green chile sauce over the tops of the enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and bake for 10 more minutes until cheese is melted.

I’ve never eaten Risotto until today. I’ve heard all the raves about risotto for months, but I finally made it today. I needed a rather simple, uncomplicated Risotto to go along with our steaks. I had a hard time finding a recipe I felt would work so I had to improvise. I was thrilled with the outcome. It was delicious!! I ate far too much of it, but I simply couldn’t stop.

Risotto is a common Italian dish. When making risotto, short grain rice (such as arborio or carnaroli) is cooked briefly in butter/olive oil until evenly coated and the rice starts to turn translucent. Then broth is added, a ladle at a time. If the rice is not toasted, it can not be called “risotto.” Traditionally, risotto is a dish in itself – either a first course or main course. Its rarely served with meat, chicken, or fish, but just about anything can be added to risotto to flavor it. However, the methodology of preparation remains the same. The rice should be cooked ‘al dente,’ it should be firm but tender. It sounds much more complicated than it really is. You just need a little bit of patience. I’m looking forward to experimenting with future varieties!

Parmigiano-Reggiano Risotto

3 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup Carnaroli rice (or arborio rice)
1/4 – 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese*
Black Pepper to Taste

Bring broth to a boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover saucepan.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion; sauté until very tender but not brown, about 10-15 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Add rice and stir 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup of warm broth. Boil gently until broth is absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining 2 cups broth, 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 25 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and grated cheese. Season with pepper.

* I like it with 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano but my hubby thinks its too strong So I typically make it with closer to 1/3 of a cup. Start with 1/4 of cup to see what you think and work your way up, if desired

Cheesy Green Chile Rice

1 cup rice (I used Jasmine)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1-2 roasted green chiles, diced (or one 4 oz can, drained)
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp butter
1/4 Tbsp garlic powder
paprika for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized pot, melt butter. Add onions and garlic powder, and saute until onions are soft. Add rice & chicken broth. Cook rice per package directions (adjusting broth if necessary for the type of rice being used). Turn off the heat and remove pot from stove. Add green chiles, sour cream, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Stir until incorporated. Pour rice into baking dish (I used a pie pan). Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese on top is melted.