It’s that time of year again; desserts galore everywhere we look and the need for a little savory dish does not escape me. Whether you’re a sweet or savory person; one can’t ignore the need for hearty dishes that are potluck perfect; feed a crowd, or just a great side. I grew up on festive rice dishes that were fully decked out for the best kind of flavors. In fact, my moms stuffs her Christmas turkey with a yellow saffron rice that’s got the best kinda minced meat, garlic and shallots. The rice cooks inside the turkey resulting in a risotto-like effect. “Brothy”, moist, and super flavorful!
This rice is also a family favorite, except mom adds black beans for a more traditional Cuban-style rice and black beans with a fresh tomato salsa on top. But- because this girl is OBSESSED with all things chickpeas; this rice has my favorite legume. You could substitute with anything you like, or simply leave legumes out of the equation altogether.
One thing is certain: this dish is a win-win, you can’t possibly go wrong with it, people will help themselves to seconds (so make sure you make a good-size batch) AKA you can double up on the recipe! Also, leftovers are really great I just have a trick to them: I store the salsa separately from the cooked rice and mix only right before serving. But you could do either; some people may enjoy the salsa warm when reheating those coveted leftovers.
And, one final hack/tip: if you are big on Taco Tuesday or Taco night at your house- whether it be burritos or tacos; this recipe is the best! Why? you can’t imagine how good this rice is to stuff burritos with along your favorite kind of protein. I stuff my brown rice tortilla burritos with this rice, pulled beef, and organic mozzarella for the munchkins. For myself, I don’t consume dairy but I’ve tried adding a little Tofutti which is a great tofu-based cream cheese-like spread that’s very close to sour cream.
So go ahead and get cooking! 😉
Fiesta Salad Rice
Ingredients
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups of jasmine or basmati rice (or any rice of your choice)
- 4 cups of water or bone OR vegetable broth (broth makes it far more flavorful)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- sea salt to taste
- 2 cups of halved cherry tomatoes
- one can of small organic chickpeas OR black beans
- a handful of rough chopped organic cilantro
- 1 cup of finely chopped red or green bell peppers
- 2 cups of roasted corn (or organic corn) I season mine with paprika, chili powder, cumin, a pinch of Tabasco and garlic powder. About 1/4 tsp each!
Instructions
- In a large saucepan with a lid, heat the extra virgin olive oil and add the shallots and onions. Stir until softened/translucent then add the garlic. Finally stir in the rice until well coated/mixed with the oil and onions.
- Add the broth and stir, once it boils: reduce heat to a simmer and cover the saucepan with a lid. Simmer for about 20 mins.
- I turn off the heat and leave covered for at least another 10 mins so it can fluff up.
- In a separate bowl: mix in all the vegetables. Before serving, top over the rice and mix in. Other option: add the vegetables to the rice before you add the broth and have them cook with the rice if you prefer everything warm/sauteed.
- Tip: I add a tiny bit of pickled chopped Spanish red onions to the fresh salsa rice topper for a little kick. I pickle them with white wine vinegar and sea salt.
- Enjoy!! x
By: Aleyda | The Dish On Healthy
