Rice Pilaf

There comes a time in every woman's life where she just has to say to herself "Self, you need to up your side dish game." For far too long I've relied on the help of mashed potatoes, french fries,cheesy potatoes and, dare I say it - boxed rice pilaf. Gasp!

I know. I know. Trust me, I know how pitiful I am. A food blogger who uses Rice-A-Roni to fill the empty void on the plate next to the peas and 4-star roasted chicken with creamy tarragon sauce and a sprinkling of rare Mongolian parsnips. Okay, so I totally made that part up and i'm not even sure if there's such a thing as Mongolian parsnips, but, it doesn't take away from the fact that I'm seriously dropping the ball when it comes to the accompaniments at dinnertime.

Well, fear no more, good people, I have come to tell you that no longer is my pantry filled with small boxes of laziness, guilting me every time I go to grab one... My plates are now overflowing with delicious, flavor-packed rice pilaf with the perfect consistency and texture. No mushy bits, no crunchy bits -- just pure perfect grains of plump rice, noodles, peas, bell pepper, onion and just enough herbs to keep it interesting!

If you're stuck in a side-dish-rut like I was, go ahead and give this recipe a try. It's simple, hard to mess up and the end result will leave you feeling satisfied and proud. Your main dish will love it's new sidekick and all will be right in the world.

Rice Pilaf:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup angel hair pasta, broken into small bits
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions:

Bring chicken broth to low simmer, add in thyme and simmer. In the meantime, add angel hair pasta to a large skillet or pot (preferably one that has a lid) over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden, add in olive oil and butter, melt, then add onion and bell pepper and sauté until onion is translucent.

Add peas and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add rice and stir often while cooking (about 4 minutes) to ensure full coverage. Add broth to mixture, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow rice to sit, covered, for an additional 10 minutes. 

Fluff rice with fork, mix in parsley and serve.

Enjoy!

One, Two, Three Rice

This week has been a rather fun week for me! I have spent the last couple of days e-mailing and messaging small businesses and shops to ask them to sponsor my 1,000 Fan Giveaway! I am so grateful to you all for your support and for sticking with me even when i'm not the best blogger I can be! You are all so sweet and kind with your comments and your sharing of my recipes and I want to make sure that this 1,000 Fan Giveaway is AMAZING!

Unfortunately, today hasn't started off being such a good day. Today I woke up to the news that 10 people had been shot and died and dozens more were injured and taken to the hospital. They were all watching the new Batman movie at a movie theatre in Colorado and some of them were even children. My heart goes out to them all and their families and I pray that the ones who are in the hospital will survive.

The following recipe, which I have so adorably named "1, 2, 3 Rice," was really just my attempt at throwing together some of the ingredients that I had in my kitchen out of pure desperation. The result was actually a really yummy, flavorful rice dish that my family has requested again! It's kind of similar to a spanish rice with ground beef, only not. It's so much more than that. I named it 1, 2, 3 Rice because of the amount of steps involved in the process: sauteeing the bell pepper, onion and garlic, dumping in the remaining ingredients and last but not least, cooking. Of course you do have to mince and chop the garlic, onion and bell pepper... so, I guess it's really 4 steps... But, 1, 2, 3, 4 Rice just doesn't have the same ring to it.

*I updated the printable recipe to have the picture, so that when you're finished making it you can compare it to mine and say "wow, mine looks even better than hers!"

1, 2, 3 Rice Recipe:   {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

1 lb  ground beef

3 cups white rice

1 tablespoon oil

4 cups water

1 bell pepper, chopped into small pieces

1 small yellow onion, chopped into small pieces

1 large clove fresh garlic, minced

16 ounces tomato sauce

15 ounces diced tomatoes

1 tsp cumin

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a large pot, over medium heat, sautee bell pepper, onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes or until onion is translucent and bell pepper is beginning to soften. Add beef and cook until no pink remains. Add rice and sautee an additional 1 minute. Pour in tomato sauce, tomatoes, water and season with cumin and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 18-22 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked and no crunchy bits remain. If there are any crunchy bits, add a couple of tablespoons of water, cover and cook for a few extra minutes.

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Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen

Spanish Rice

I'm going to keep this post simple and sweet because well, I have to get my daughter to school like... right now. Sooooo, all you lovely people will just have to bare with me as I keep this post to a minimum. Do you think you can do that? I appreciate it. I mean, I really and truly wish I could sit here and write a long, detailed post about all the amazing things happening in my life. But, well, let's face it, there's really nothing that amazing going on in my life right now anyways. If I were going to write a long post, I would probably be here for hours trying to come up with a story, or a funny little anecdote. But, unfortunately, there is simply no time for this. My daughter is sitting on the couch just waiting for me and waiting for me... and I really must go now! 

Here is my version of spanish rice. This is the same recipe *with a little tweaking* that my husband used to make for me when we were dating. He liked to impress me by cooking for me and making me wonderful meals. He really and truly knew the way to my heart, and he still does!

Easy Spanish Rice Recipe:   

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups white rice
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 2 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 3 cups water

Directions:

In a large pan (with a lid) over medium heat, add oil and heat. Once oil is hot, add garlic and onions. Sautee for 4-5 minutes, or until onions are translucent. 

Add rice and stir. Allow rice to cook for about 2 minutes, then add your tomato sauce your water and your chicken bouillon cubes.

Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to simmer.

Cook for about 20 minutes, or until rice is no longer "sticky".