Mexican Rice

My friend Liz (remember her? the one that showed me how to make Chicken Enchiladas Verdes) told me how she makes this rice - so you know it's gonna be good. Her explaining this recipe to me all happened at Elisha's (onna my best girl fraaands) birthday party.

All introductions aside, this was the first time I made this recipe. It was a bit touch and go being that I added a tablespoon of butter mid-browning of the rice. And I also added cumin and salt to the end result. Having said that, I will definitely make this recipe again as per additions and edits. Just try it out for yourself - you won't be sorry.

Ingredients:
1C Rice
1C Water
1 Packet Goya Chicken Seasoning

2 Roma Tomatoes
1 clove Garlic
1/2 a White Onion
1/2 of a Jalapeno
1/4C Cilantro
1/2 of a Lime

1/2tsp Kosher Salt
1/2tsp Cumin
Oil and Unsalted Butter

Directions:
Chop garlic, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, tomatoes and add to a blender. Add chicken seasoning packet, juice of lime, and water to the blender. Blend. Brown rice in 1Tbl oil for 5min. over medium-high(ish) heat. Add butter. Brown rice for 5min. Add blended contents. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover for 15min. Add salt and cumin.

Directions 2.0:
Brown rice in butter and oil over medium heat for 10min. Add 1C pico de gallo, 1C water, 1 Goya Chicken Seasoning packet, 1/2tsp salt, and 1/2tsp Cumin. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15min.

Chop garlic.

Chop onion.

Chop half a jalapeno.

Chop cilantro.

Chop tomatoes.

Add all of this to a blender along with a packet of Goya chicken bouillon, the juice of half of a lime, and 1C water.

Blend until a watery pico de gallo is seen.

Over med-med/high heat, add 1Tbl oil and 1C rice.

Brown for 5min. while stirring to prevent burning.

Add 1Tbl butter and continue to brown for another 5min.

Once the rice looks brown and on the brink of burning, add the watery pico de gallo.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15min.

Once finished cooking, taste for seasonings. I added 1/2tsp each of salt and cumin. 

Done son.

Camera-less

The camera that supplied pics for this blog has gone M.I.A. Let's have a moment of silence to mourn my loss.

...
...
...

Okay, now that's all said and over with - I don't want the death of my camera to become the death of my blog. So, because of my unwavering decision to keep making entries - I'm going to press blog on & attempt to use my iPhone as a resource for pic-taking. Not as many photos will be taken because I don't want my iPhone to be covered in food droppings. In turn, not as many photos will be posted. So if you can't deal with that or have a problem with it - take it to the complaint department because this blogger don't wanna hear it!

… actually not really about that last part. I really am sorry about the lack of photos. I'm just talking out of anger because I hate that I lost my camera.

Not Chicken Chili

I love soup. Soupy, soup, soup. Here it goes down, down into my belly... (mmm, mmm, mmm)

It's true. I love soup. Not the canned kind but the kind you make yourself. The kind you stir, taste, throw in a spice here, readjust and add something else there. Admittedly, some pots turn out better than others. And then some, like this one, I hit right out of the ballpark with bases loaded. (think Hamilton or Cruz, yah it's that good)

I call this recipe 'Not Chicken Chili' because even though the recipe has the flavors reminiscent of a chili, it's not really a chili. However, it's not really anything else either. It's whatever though -quite literally- because this recipe is dope. (Do people still say 'dope?')

Ingredients:
6C Chicken Broth

1 1/2 Onion
1 Stalk Celery
1/2 Green Bell Pepper
2 cloves Garlic
1 Jalapeno

1 Chicken Breast
1 19oz Can Cannellini Beans
1 1/2C Corn

1/4C Cilantro
1tsp Coriander Seed
1tsp Cumin
1/2tsp Chili Powder
1/2tsp dried Oregano
1/4tsp Cayenne

Flour
Seasoning Salt
Salt & Pepper
EVOO
Lemon or Lime Juice

Directions:
Season chicken breast. Cook, slice, coat in flour, and reserve.

Bring 6C chicken broth and coriander seed to a boil. Simmer for 10min.

Rinse and drain beans. Blend 1C corn, 1C beans, and 1C stock together. Reserve unblended corn, beans, and stock.

Dice onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic. De-seed half of jalapeno and dice.

In a soup pot over medium heat, add EVOO. Add onion and celery. Cook for 10min. Add green pepper, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and EVOO. Cook for 5min. Add stock, blended beans and corn, unblended beans and corn, and cilantro. Simmer for 15min. Add chicken, corn, cilantro, lemon and/or lime juice, and cayenne pepper. Serve.

Slice chicken breast in half length wise.

Season both sides of chicken with seasoned salt.

Wash hands. Preheat a skillet over medium-high for 3 min. Add 1Tbl EVOO. Add chicken. Cook 2min. on the first side. Flip. Cook 2min. on the second side. Remove and cool.

Once cool, slice or shred. I decided to slice.

Coat in flour. 

 

Add 6C chicken stock to a pot and 1teas coriander. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10min.

Rinse and drain beans.

Add 1C beans, 1C corn, and 1C stock to a blender.

Blend.

Dice celery and onion.

Chop and dice the bell pepper.

Deseed all or none of the jalapeno. Personally, I have a hang-up with recipes that include jalapenos (or any other spicy pepper for that matter) and instruct to remove all seeds & ribs. I mean, what's the point of adding the pepper in the first place?

Having said that, an untamed jalapeno is a bit full-on for me. So, I tend to turn into a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to this subject & end up deseeding/de-ribbing one half of the pepper. Whatareyagonnado?

Chop.

Mince garlic.

FINALLY, let's start making the soup. (I know this all looks a little lengthy written out, but in reality all of the prep work takes maybe/at most 15min.) Add 1Tbl EVOO over medium heat.

Add the onion and celery. Cook for 10 min.

Just added.

After 5min.

After 10min.

Add the green bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic.

Add the spices.

Add another tablespoon of EVOO. 

Stir to combine. Cook for 5min.

Add salt, broth, corn/bean mixture, reserved/whole beans, and pepper. (in no particular order) 

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15min.

Add the chicken, corn, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and cayenne pepper to the pot.

Serve w/some tortilla chips or cornbread or rice or nothing but the soup. I opted for a few chips.

Bowl up.