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Mexican Rice & good news!

Question: Rice or beans?

Changing things up…starting with a question. 😉

If I have a choice between rice and beans, I always choose rice. I subconsciously believe this to be nutrition-related. Authentic refried beans have plentiful amounts of lard in them, making Mexican rice a healthier alternative. I also like a little carb-on-carb action. That is, rice scooped up on a tortilla chip. Heavenly.

When I decided to make Crispy Shrimp Tacos, I decided to out-do myself and make the homemade Mexican rice to go with. Refried beans? Well, those are usually of the canned, fat-free, vegetarian variety…but for this meal we went without and just enjoyed the rice. 😀

To kick things up a nutritional notch, I used a long-grain brown rice. The rice still took on that beautiful orange/amber color and we were able to sneak in some more dietary fiber…always a good thing. If you don’t have corn, peas, or peppers on hand…no problem. But I wouldn’t omit the onion (unless of course you’re one of the few out there who hate the fellers)…it adds so much flavor!

You can prep this meal ahead of time by dicing up your veggies, and it comes together in 30 minutes, max. Definitely a doable feat for those who see the value in homemade versus those 1-minute microwave-in-the-bag deals of rice you can score for $0.50. Not that the price isn’t right, but this is way better. And for some ODD reason, I feel less polluted with preservatives. Go figure. Husband is not so convinced that “polluted” is something you can feel, but he wasn’t complaining. This compares to a bag of the heat-and-serve variety. How flattering.

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Mexican Rice adapted from AllRecipes and What’s Cookin’, Chicago?

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 1/3 cup brown long-grain rice, uncooked
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2/3 cup tomato sauce
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup peas, frozen or fresh

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté onions, garlic and bell peppers until softened.

Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until toasted and golden. Add the garlic powder, salt, cumin, and tomato sauce. Stir until all the rice is coated.

Add the chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and add frozen corn and peas. Fold in and cover for 3 minutes until warmed through. Fluff with a fork before serving. Yield: 7 servings (1/2 cup each).

Nutrition Information (per 1/2 cup): 108 calories; 4.1 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 226 mg. sodium; 15.6 g. carbohydrate; 1.7 g. fiber; 2.1 g. protein

Result: Delicious! I believe this will be my go-to Mexican rice recipe. It is quick and easy and you can easily adapt it to include any veggies you have on hand, or don’t have on hand, for that matter. Love the nutrition stats that include fiber and are lower in sodium than ready-to-serve rice options out there. Enjoy!

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And a bit of good news! Back in January (the 27th, to be exact) my business partners and I visited the largest group of nephrologists in the state of Ohio to talk with them about offering medical nutrition therapy (MNT) to their chronic kidney disease (CKD) population (you can read about that here). The meeting went SO well. Us three gals, sporting our best business suits, even went out for celebratory drinks at 2pm that afternoon. It was a Thursday and we had just wow’ed a phenomenal group of physicians. Drinks were in order.

As the weeks passed, we grew discouraged. Why hadn’t they called? And recently, we had moved on. I have even made the decision to take on a larger dialysis clinic to increase my hours at work and to continue teaching this quarter. Yesterday afternoon, an email comes through on my Blackberry. The group of nephrologists wants us! We’re talking out the deets this morning. It’s just amazing how things fall into place sometimes. Whether or not we had landed the gig, we brought our A-game and our best. Ends up, it was enough. We just couldn’t be happier to see Mid Ohio Nutrition Specialists growing! 😀 It is so rewarding to have something, like a business, to call your own and to nurture and watch develop. It can be trying, but ultimately so very rewarding. Go after your dreams, folks. Good things will happen with time, passion, and perseverance!

Now, can I buy just a few more hours each week to do all that needs to get done!?

On cloud 9,

Share With Your Friends!

29 Comments

  1. Suman Singh
    March 24, 2011 / 6:52 am

    congrats on your business growing..
    I love this kind of one pot meal..looks so yummy and irresistible..thanks for the recipe!

  2. Matt
    March 24, 2011 / 7:09 am

    I’m not a rice fan, but yours looks really good. Maybe because rice just seems bland to me?

    I need to mix it up!

  3. Brit
    March 24, 2011 / 7:11 am

    Congrats Nicole! That is excellent news!

  4. Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope
    March 24, 2011 / 7:22 am

    Congrats on landing the gig!!!! That’s HUGE! Can’t wait to hear how it unfolds. ๐Ÿ™‚

    What a great recipe… I love all the spice!

  5. HCM
    March 24, 2011 / 8:00 am

    Congratulations to you and your colleagues on landing such a big gig and growing your business! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Gina (The Candid RD)
    March 24, 2011 / 8:04 am

    CONGRATULATIONS!!! I remember you talking about this meeting, and how it had gone so well, but I totally forgot to follow-up with you and see if you’d heard back (I’m a bad friend), but I’m happy to hear they accepted and want you guys on their “Team”!! Fantastic.
    I feel you when it comes to “wanting more time”. I feel like since we have more daylight I need to do more with my day. Ewww, why do I feel that way?! I should just turn that extra daylight time into relaxation time. Yeah! I wish. We do need to get together sometime soon. Maybe sometime in mid or late April?? I know you’re busy, we’ll figure something out soon.

  7. Kristina
    March 24, 2011 / 8:39 am

    Congrats on the news-that’s great!!!!
    Can’t I choose rice and beans? Love the combo…bit i’m with ya-I love rice so I would prob choose rice, unless I crazy carbo loaded the rest of the day which isn’t rare!

  8. Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday
    March 24, 2011 / 8:57 am

    Wow! Congrats with the business success!
    Sometimes I think doctors can be a bit slow to get things done…they’re not exactly business people.

  9. erica
    March 24, 2011 / 9:01 am

    Congrats Nicole! That is so exciting, I would be on cloud nine as well. Good luck with everything. That rice looks great too.

  10. Kierstan @ Life {and running} in Iowa
    March 24, 2011 / 9:01 am

    Congratulations! That is very exciting news!!

  11. Liz
    March 24, 2011 / 9:03 am

    Congratulations!!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    And to answer your question, definitely beans! I love veggies in my rice though. This recipe would be the perfect way to use the brown rice that’s sitting in my pantry.

  12. FoodFitnessFreshair
    March 24, 2011 / 9:09 am

    I love rice variations. This looks great! And CONGRATS! That sounds like such a great opportunity that you and your business partners worked hard to successfully get. How exciting!

  13. renee@mykitchenadventures
    March 24, 2011 / 9:17 am

    Oh congrats! that is great news!

  14. Christina @ Food.Fun.Fabulous.
    March 24, 2011 / 9:34 am

    Congrats on the exciting news!

  15. thehealthyapron
    March 24, 2011 / 10:05 am

    Mmm I am loving this recipe!

    Congrats on your business! That is so exciting and very encouraging to someone who DREAMS of opening my own business!

  16. Mellissa
    March 24, 2011 / 10:29 am

    Yeah for more business opportunities! Sounds like good things are coming your way.

  17. Anne Marie@New Weigh of Life
    March 24, 2011 / 10:31 am

    Yay!! That’s incredibly exciting!! Congrats to you!

  18. Biz
    March 24, 2011 / 11:43 am

    You know me, first thing I would ditch in that recipe is the onion, but I love everything else! ๐Ÿ˜€

    CONGRATULATIONS! Sometimes things do work out in the end – you should be so proud of yourself Nicole! ๐Ÿ˜€

  19. Leah @ Why Deprive?
    March 24, 2011 / 1:19 pm

    Congratulations!! You definitely deserve it. ๐Ÿ™‚

    I love Mexican rice – this is totally going on my “must be made” list. ๐Ÿ™‚

  20. Sushma Mallya
    March 24, 2011 / 5:15 pm

    Congrats!!…….Tht looks so delicious, love the colour:)

  21. Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun
    March 24, 2011 / 5:49 pm

    HUGE congrats! What an awesome opportunity!

  22. Roz
    March 24, 2011 / 6:19 pm

    Congratulations Nicole! Fantastic news!!! You will certainly make a difference in those patient’s lives. I think more celebratory drinks are in order. Today, business suits are optional though! ๐Ÿ™‚

  23. Cara
    March 24, 2011 / 6:23 pm

    Congratulations!
    I get far too excited when a Mexican restaurant has black beans. Otherwise, I don’t really like the rice or the beans!!

  24. Andrea@WellnessNotes
    March 24, 2011 / 11:16 pm

    So glad you got such good news!!!!

    I’ve been thinking of you! Sending you a big hug!

  25. Baking Serendipity
    March 25, 2011 / 12:57 am

    Congrats on such an awesome opportunity! How cool ๐Ÿ™‚

  26. Pingback: Lower-Fat (Vegan) Banana Bread & asking for support | Prevention RD
  27. Lena
    March 25, 2011 / 7:45 am

    Congrats!! Things do always seem to work out for the best :). Good luck with the extra hours. But if you find them, let me know where to look ;)!

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  29. Janna
    June 3, 2013 / 3:22 pm

    As far as rice being healthier than refried beans, I’m not sure. Most mexican rice uses vegetable shortening or oil but yes, the beans do use lard. I’ve heard that lard is healthier than the vegetable shortening or oil.

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