Simply Sides 27 - Better Than a Restaurant Mexican Rice

As promised in my last post for the queso chicken, today's recipe is an easy way to make a delicious rice side dish. In my opinion, this recipe is even better than a lot of the rice I have at Mexican restaurants. Plus you can control the amount of spices you put it in so you can make it as flavorful as you like!

Better Than a Restaurant Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 a small onion, diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt & pepper
• 1 tbs olive oil

***optional: 1 clove garlic minced

Directions:
Saute the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. If you are adding garlic, saute now for 1 minute. Stir in the rice.  Saute for 2 minutes until rice is coated with oil and seasonings and begins to toast. Add in 1/2 the can of tomato sauce; stir well. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a very low simmer and place a lid on. Steam rice for 25-30 minutes.  When the rice is cooked through, add the remaining tomato sauce if desired, and fluff with a fork. Serve with your favorite Mexican or Southwestern meal. Enjoy!

Copycat Southwest Egg Rolls - Pinterest Pick #20

My friend Tanya is a HUGE fan of Chili's and their Southwest Egg Rolls. I enjoy them myself, and thought I would try to make a copycat recipe I found on Pinterest. I changed a couple of things. I left out the spinach (yuck, I am not a fan lol) & I just made regular ranch dressing as opposed to the Avocado Ranch to go with them. You could easily mash half an avocado and add it to some ranch dressing and you would have your Avocado Ranch. Also, I saute'd my chicken breast instead of grilling it as I already had a saute pan going and there's no point in heating up a grill for 1 chicken breast. I added onion powder and garlic powder to the spice mix because HELLO, flavor! I do prefer my ranch homemade and not out of a bottle, so I made it with a packet. These were delicious, and I cannot wait to try out more egg roll recipes as they are one of my favorite food items! You can find the original Pin HERE and the original recipe HERE.

Copycat Southwest Egg Rolls

Ingredients:

• 5 flour tortillas (I used the Mission Super Soft, Soft Taco size)
• 1 chicken breast, diced into small pieces
• 1 cup corn
• 2 tbs of red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbs jarred jalapenos, diced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• dash of cayenne
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack
• oil for frying, butter for sauteing chicken

Directions:
Saute chicken breast pieces in a tablespoon of butter over medium heat (or you can grill your chicken breast if your prefer). Once it is cooked through (about 5 minutes), add in corn, red pepper, black beans, green onions, and jalapenos. Saute another 5 minutes. Add in spices, mix very well, and cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let filling cool completely. Stir in cheese. Fill tortillas with filling and wrap tightly into an egg roll shape (secure with tooth picks). The original recipe I used said to let them sit 4 hours to over night, and I chose to let them sit in the fridge over night. I deep fried mine at 375 for 12 minutes. Serve with ranch or Avocado Ranch.
Enjoy!