Mexican Rice With Smoked Sausage

I love rice. I love Mexican food...therefore, I love me some Mexican/Spanish rice! Unfortunately, my husband won't eat it so I don't make it very often but when he's out of town, the kid and I enjoy it.

I'm sure this isn't a traditional preparation but I just started making it like this many, many years ago and it seemed to work well for me so I kept on making it this way. Here's what you'll need:

Rice (I prefer to use Minute Rice in this recipe because it just seems to turn out better but this was all I had), canned black beans, frozen corn, salsa and/or canned tomatoes with green chilies and smoked turkey sausage. (I've also made this with smoked chicken breasts or chorizo. Both are excellent.)

Determine how much water you will need for the amount of rice you're cooking. Substitute canned tomatoes for part of that water if you're using them. If you're using salsa, use two parts water for one part salsa. Add your rice and cook according to package directions.

This is what it will look like when all your liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse your beans and thaw about a cup of frozen corn (or to taste).

Add your beans and corn to rice mixture.

Halve your sausage and cut into 1/4 inch slices, add to your rice mixture and heat through.

I love to serve this with a little bit of shredded cheese and a small dollop of sour cream. Also, to me, the avocado is absolutely necessary! This makes such a good (and pretty healthy!) meal...it also freezes exceptionally well! I like to make a big batch and freeze in individual containers so they're ready to just grab on my way out the door as I'm heading to work.

 What are your go-to simple summer time meals?

Linking up to:

Knock-Off Bean Dip

Early last week one of my new favorite bloggers, Bianca at Little Brick Ranch, posted her recipe for black bean dip. I've been craving it like crazy since I saw her post and I was inspired by how easy it looked! Well, I decided to make it a little easier by using canned black beans (dried would have been better, I'm sure) and adding my own little touches. Aren't personal touches what make knock-offs so great?

I started with two cans black beans, drained and well-rinsed, and added three cloves garlic. You know I can't do anything without garlic! I added these to the food processor.

Bianca added cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. I didn't have any cayenne so I substituted Tabasco and because I used canned beans I decided to forgo the salt. I also added a little more cumin than she did because that's just how I roll :)

I added about a tablespoon of olive oil (really, I don't measure) and about a quarter cup of water and just let it go on high until it was about the right consistency.

I added a little more water as I went and just watched it until it looked right.

Viola! This actually lasted about a day because my daughter and husband loved it so much. Maybe I'll have to make some more in honor of Cinco de Mayo....

Seriously, this dip was so easy and so good. This will be a party staple for me from now on! Thank you SO MUCH to Bianca for posting your recipe!

Roasted Chickpeas

I'm not normally much of a snacker but I love to have a little something to keep in my desk at work just in case I miss my breakfast or lunch. A while back, my mom told me about these roasted chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) she had made and how good they were. I knew right away I had to try them!

I started with three cans of chickpeas, well-rinsed and drained.

I tossed them with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and seasoned to my liking. I used some seasoned salt, fresh ground pepper and dried dill this time but think maybe next time I would like to try some paprika. Really, you could use any seasonings you like here.

I used LOTS of dill...I'm all about the dill.

I spread them out in one layer on a lined pan and put them in an oven preheated to 375.

After about 40 minutes I took them out and tossed them so they will roast evenly.

I put them back in for another 40 minutes or so.

Let them cool well and store in an airtight container.

I'm sure they would be fine for a week or so but somehow they never seem to last that long. These are a great snack and super good for you. They are high in protein too so they help keep you full!

Tomorrow I'll be showing you another bean recipe I borrowed from another blogger. See you on Cinco de Mayo!

Linking up to:

Little Brick Ranch - Foodie Friday

Momtrends

Beans



If you have kids, you know just how picky they can be when it comes to what they eat.  I have a beautiful two year old and although she likes a lot of different side dishes, she's not so into her veggies :(  I have NO idea where she got this because neither my husband nor I have ever met a veggie we didn't like.  The one exception for her is BEANS.  She loves 'em!  Even LIMA beans.  Who knew?  Anyway, I was paging through a magazine and saw an advertisement for Bush's Beans with recipes when a picture caught my eye.





(click here for more)

 

I know, I know...it just looks like a big pile of beans.  Well, I got to reading and there are veggies hidden in with those beans!  I figured it would be worth a try so I went and bought a can of pinto beans (I always have black and kidney beans on hand).

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small celery stalk, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped canned whole tomatoes
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 teaspoons white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Okay, so I didn't have any canned whole tomatoes but I always have these yummy tomatoes from Hunt's on hand.  However, I didn't use them. (more on that later)

Chop your veggies (onion, carrots and celery).  I chopped them pretty small so they wouldn't take too long to cook and so they wouldn't be so obvious in with those beans.

Heat your oil in a pan set to medium

Add veggies to hot oil

Sautee until the onion starts to get transparent, you can add salt and pepper to taste any time in here.  Just remember that canned beans are already kind of salty, you probably don't need to add a lot.

Add your chopped garlic for the last two minutes.  This is important because you don't want your garlic to burn as it can really taste bitter.  Here I actually tripled the amount of garlic the recipe calls for.  Hey - I already told you I LOVE GARLIC!

Add your tomato.  I decided to seed and chop a fresh tomato I had on hand instead of opening up a whole can for just a half a cup.

Add your beans

Add your thyme and white wine.  (you can sub water or chicken broth for the wine)

Yum!  The kid loved them and because they're such a great source of fiber and protein, they're so healthy.  Bonus!

What food quirks do your kids have?  Do you have any tricks you use to get them to eat healthier?  I can't wait to hear!