SRC Reveal: Southwest Veggie and Taco Rice

This month I kind of pushed it with getting my Secret Recipe Club recipe made. There was no way I'd forget, but I was looking for the right time to make it and that right time just wasn't making its appearance. I finally made it today. Phew. 

This month I was assigned the blog, The Pajama Chef. Love that name! Sarah is this blogs author and she LOVES peanut butter...a girl after my own heart. Some fun facts about her:

•  She has been married since 2009.
•  She and her hubby have quite a few kitties running around that they love. 
• She loves running...um, can't say I can agree with her there! 
• She loves a good deal. 
• and of course, she LOVES cooking. 

Trying to choose a recipe was a bit hard. I pinned a few and may still make her Buttermilk Chocolate Bread and her Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies. I opted out of those because we had already had quite a few sweets this last week and needed a break. Instead I chose her Southwest Veggie and Taco Rice Casserole. I made this with some grilled chicken. The nice thing about this casserole is that it is very versatile. As I was making it, I was thinking of several other ways this could be used...how about as a side with scrambled egg or topped with a fried egg. How about inside a quesadilla or sprinkled on top of nachos. My youngest daughter ate hers in a bowl with chopped chicken and sour cream on top. Which reminds me, I could have chopped up some avocado as well. This dish turned out great...a little on the spicy side. My hubby loved it but I think next time I will ease up on the spice, and I didn't even use jalapeno. I think it was the canned tomatoes with chilies. Overall it was yummy, hearty and full of flavor. 

Ingredients: 

For Taco Rice:

1/2 Tbs. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. oregano

2 Tbs. tomato paste

2 c. long grain white rice

3 c. water

For Casserole:

2 Tbs. Canola oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 med. jalapeno diced, deseeded if desired

1 bell pepper, diced (I used red and yellow)

1 zuchinni, sliced and quartered or 1 c. mushrooms another bell pepper, or an extra cup of corn

1/2 Tbs. chili powder

1 c. frozen or canned corned

1 15oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 c. prepared taco rice

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan whisk together chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, tomato paste and water. Add rice. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is cooked and water absorbed. Fluff with fork and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 375. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. 

3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Then, add rest of the veggies: jalapeno, bell pepper, zucchini, and chili powder. Stir to combine. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until soft. 

4. Remove from heat and stir in beans, corn and tomatoes. Stir in rice and cheese and stir well. NOTE: you will have extra rice. Transfer to prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. 

It's yummy. It's ooey and gooey! Might be better than plain old Spanish rice!!

-->

An InLinkz Link-up

<!--

With Joy UNquenchable,