Oven Baked Brown Rice

 adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup brown rice
1 cup beef broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
dried or fresh onion, optional
dried or fresh garlic, optional
salt & pepper to taste 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

In a 2 quart casserole dish, mix together all ingredients. Bake covered in preheated oven for 90 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Last Minute Rice & Beans

4 servings of brown rice
1 can Rotel tomatoes & green chilies
1 can pinto beans, drained

In a small sauce pan, mix beans and Rotel and cook until hot. Prepare the rice according to package instructions. Combine bean & Rotel mixture with rice and enjoy.

Making burritos for dinner tonight, I went to the pantry to grab some spanish rice and behold...there was none. Since I had already made the rest of the meal, I decided to try a new concoction and it turned out very yummy. It's a great side dish or a burrito/bowl filling. Since it's a lot healthier than the processed rice packet from the store, this may become a new staple. Beware, it does have a bit of a kick to it and may be too much for the little ones.

Fried Rice

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 tablespoons butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups cold, cooked white rice
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 green onions, sliced
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Heat butter in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the egg; cook and stir until scrambled and firm. Remove from wok, and set aside.

Put oil in the wok and turn heat up to high. Stir in rice until each grain is coated with oil. Stir in carrots, peas and green onions. Reduce heat to medium, cover and allow to steam for 5 minutes. Stir in scrambled eggs and soy sauce, and cook until eggs are heated through.

This would also be really good with a variety of veggies and chicken or shrimp

Chipotle Restaurant Rice

Tastes just like the rice at Chipotle...so yummy!

1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter

2/3 cup white basmati rice

1 lime (juice)

1-2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons fresh cilantro

1. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted.

2. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute.

3. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. **The original recipe calls for 1 cup of water, but I have read reviews that people use 2 and it works well. I used 1 1/2 and I kind of think it could have gone either way. If you like your rice dryer, go with less water; more sticky, go with more.**

4. At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes.

5. Add in the cilantro and fluff rice with a fork.

SERVES 4

Broccoli, Rice & Chicken Casserole

From: Brandie Kennedy

Ingredients:

4 thawed chicken breasts (we do chicken chunks or tenders)

1 can of cream of mushroom

1 can of cream of chicken

2 cups of uncooked rice
1 package of frozen broccoli

1 packet of dry onion soup

2 cans of water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine soups, rice, water and onion soup. Put the chicken and broccoli in and pepper to taste. Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish and cover with foil. Slow cook for 2 hours.