This Mexican inspired side dish is perfect for those nights. It’s super quick and much healthier than using a boxed pre-seasoned rice (also MUCH lower in sodium and made with real fresh veggies as opposed to dehydrated ones).
You can make this with leftover brown rice, but if you’re live near a Trader Joe’s, I’m pretty obsessed with their frozen brown rice – it’s the perfect texture and takes just 3 minutes to heat up. Great for those days I don’t have time to make brown rice from scratch.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups frozen or cooked (unseasoned) brown rice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ medium onion, finely diced
- 2 medium plum tomatoes, small dice
- 1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 lime wedges, for serving
- chopped cilantro, optional
Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions, tomatoes and jalapeno and sauté until just tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
Add the tomato paste, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Stir to evenly coat the vegetables. Add the cooked rice, stir, and cook for 1 minute or until heated through. Serve with cilantro and lime wedges on the side.
Nutritional facts:
Servings: 5 • Serving Size: generous 3/4 cup • Points+: 5 pts • Smart Points: 5
Calories: 200 • Fat: 3.5 g • Protein: 5 g • Carb: 39 g • Fiber: 3 g • Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 234 mg • Cholesterol: 17 mg