I love Mexican food any way I can get it. Tacos, enchiladas, fajitas … basically anything you can top with guacamole is alright with me. Maybe it’s my California roots.
In any case, alongside my Mexican-food favorites there always has to be some rice … flavorful Simple Spanish Rice.
It used to be easy to grab a quick box of prepared flavored rice from the grocery store whenever we had tacos or fajitas for dinner. Add a can of diced tomatoes and stir…pretty simple. But when I began to read more food labels back when Em was first diagnosed with her egg allergy, I started seeing ingredients that were unfamiliar. So, I wondered … what is that doing in my rice? Is it necessary? Do I want to serve it to my family? Two popular brands of Spanish Rice that I found at my store listed ingredients such as monosodium glutamate, sodium sulfite, and hydrolyzed soy protein on their lists. …all added to “enhance natural flavor” or “retain natural color”… but at what expense?
I recently found a great site called Be Food Smart, an online database for unfamiliar food ingredients. Type in any ingredient you find on a label and you can learn more about exactly what it is and why it’s used in food, as well as any possible health effects and allergy information. Each ingredient also gets a “grade” based on the health benefits and/or potential risks of consuming that ingredient. Be Food Smart recommends only consuming foods with A, B, or C grades. Those three ingredients that I found in the prepared rice packages at my store? Grades F, D and D, respectively.
Ummm…no thanks.
My question is can’t we just add more “natural flavor and color” and by actually just adding more natural ingredients? Spices, salt, vegetables, herbs… those are ingredients I can get behind. This Simple Spanish Rice is just that…simple, real food ingredients with plenty of natural color and flavor. Just as easy as that packaged rice in the store, without all the questions.
Em LOVES this rice and has been known to eat two bowlfuls at dinnertime…that’s quite a lot for my little bird-like eater.
I think I know where she gets it…
Little Hands Can…
- Drain the tomatoes
- Measure and add the broth, rice and spices to the pot
- Fluff the cooked rice
- Add the reserved tomatoes at the end of cooking
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 to 1½ cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 teaspoon EACH cumin, chili powder and salt
- ½ teaspoon EACH garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper
- Cilantro for garnish
- Drain the diced tomatoes, reserving the juice in a measuring cup. I usually get between ⅓ and ½ cup of tomato juice. In the same measuring cup, measure out the broth (chicken broth or vegetable broth) to equal 1½ cups of total liquid (tomato juice and broth).
- In a medium saucepot, add the tomato juice and broth, jasmine rice and all of the spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Turn the heat off after 20 minutes and let the rice sit covered for another 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, fluff the cooked rice with a fork or spoon. Stir in the reserved diced tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and cilantro to taste.
On the Side
Rice, rice baby! We’ve explored the letter A and the letter C using recipe ingredients before. This time, we’re back at it with the letter R, just as we did with our Easy Coconut Rice recipe. Rice is not only great for sensory play, you can use it as a tool to teach your kids about the letter “r” and it’s sound!
Disclaimer: As with all of our recipes, my suggestions for how kids can help with a particular recipe are based on what has worked in our kitchen. Your child may be able to help more or less based on their age and/or ability. As always, make sure you are properly supervising kids in the kitchen.
Carol says
May 2, 2016 at 8:51 AMSounds divine and super easy! Another recipe to try with the grandkids. Thanks for the inspiration Sally!
Sally says
May 4, 2016 at 7:14 PMThank you, Carol!
Petra says
May 2, 2016 at 3:43 PMSounds delicious. Can not wait to try it. Thank you.
Sally says
May 4, 2016 at 7:13 PMThank you, Petra!