Perfect Rice

One of the staples of the Mexican-American restaurant is the ever-popular Spanish Rice.  Making it isn’t too difficult.  All you’ll need is the following ingredients:

1/4-1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-2 cup long grain rice
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1/2-1 small onion, diced
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons cumin
2-4 tablespoons tomato paste
2-4 cup water, boiled

Cook 2 cups of rice in a rice cooker.  Once it’s done, let it cool for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, fry rice in oil until slightly golden, about 3-5 minutes.

Add salt, cumin, onion and garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add tomato, tomato paste and boiling water. This should boil almost immediately; turn down heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 mins, or until water has evaporated.

 A nice rice side dish for fish or chicken.

1 cup uncooked rice
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
2 tsp. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried oregano
6 cups shredded fresh spinach leaves
4 oz. feta cheese crumbled
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper

Combine rice, broth, and water in your rice cooker. Cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.  The ‘cook and hold’ style rice cooker will switch over to warm setting and chime when ready.  The ’steam type’ cooker, set timer to 20 minutes and check.  The time depends on the type of rice used in recipe.  Brown rice takes longer than most white and converted rices.

Heat oil in large skillet.  Saute onion, mushrooms and garlic until onion is tender.  Stir in lemon juice and oregano. Add cooked rice, spinach and feta cheese; season with pepper.  Toss lightly until spinach is wilted and rice is heated through.
Garnish with roasted red pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

These are more additive than potato chips.

I use my Oster Steamer/Rice cooker for this recipe, but a rice cooker with a steaming tray will work just as well. Place a layer of small new potatoes, 1 to 2 inches in diameter( scrubbed and unpeeled) in the the steamer basket.  Filling the water resevoir that goes underneath this basket, and replace basket on the steamer. Cover.

Set the timer for about 20 minutes. Test when time is up. If potatoes are not completely cooked, simply allow to steam a little longer with lid on.

If using a rice cooker with the tray, add about 3 cups of water to rice pot, place tray in cooker and arrange the layer of new potatoes on tray and replace cover.Turn on the rice cooker, and start timing from the time water starts to boil. Takes about 20 minutes as well.  If all the water evaporates add more water to pot to increase steam time if needed.

Put cooked potatoes in a serving bowl and serve hot with butter, a little salt and pepper.

OR

Steamed New Potatoes with Butter and Parsley.

Mix 2tbs. mellted butter/olive oil with 1 tsp. lemon juice, add 2 tbl. chopped fresh parsley.  Pour over the potatoes in serving bowl, toss to coat and see if you can eat just one. 

A slightly chewy textured side dish with a pleasant combination of sweetness ( barley) and bitterness (Wild rice).
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
Provides 7 gms protein, 6 gm of fiber, 17 mg calcium, 0 mg cholesterol, 233 calories  (66 from fat), 591 mg sodium if 1tsp salt
added.

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice, rinced
1/2 cup uncooked pearled barley, rinced

3 cups water
1 tsp salt optional, I didn’t use any
fresh ground pepper

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium/high heat.
Add shallots,garlic and mushrooms and saute for about 2 minutes. Mixture should be well coated with oil.
Add wild rice and barley, continue to saute until barley looks toasted and wild rice becomes fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Put mixture into a rice cooker. I used the Oster Rice Cooker
Add water, pepper and salt.  Turn cooker on.
When the rice cooker shuts off or switches to warm cycle check to see if grains are tender.
If not, add a little more water and let cook a little longer.
When done, fluff  and serve hot.

Just a thought:
 I don’t see why you couldn’t use 3 cups of stock instead of water. I would leave out the salt then as well, because most stocks have sodium.