Spanish Rice

One of the most difficult parts of cutting dairy out of my diet is that most side dishes I like include cheese or milk. (Which means I can't eat them anymore.) I'm finding new foods to replace these, but it's a slow process. This rice is something I combined together after doing some internet searching and it goes very well with chicken.

The amounts listed below should work fine. The only things I don't measure are the peppers, onion, or taco seasoning. The amounts you use will depend on how much you like those flavors. I forgot to add the garlic while making the rice this last time. It is much better with the garlic, so don't forget the garlic. This recipe is also for one serving, which means you may need to adjust it accordingly. And finally, you can use white rice, but it's the same thing as brown rice, just naked.

Spanish Rice
1/4 C brown rice
3/4 C water (or go with what the bag of rice says)
2 T bell pepper, chopped
2 T onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T salsa
1/4 t taco seasoning
1/2 T canola oil

Chop up the peppers, onion, and garlic.

(garlic not pictured due to forgetfulness. peppers icy looking due to being frozen.)

Measure out rice, salsa, and water. Set aside.

(thought you might like to see some salsa)

Saute the peppers, onion, and garlic in the oil over medium low heat until the onion starts to turn translucent. (not pictured because my phone decided to restart at this point.)

Add the rice and saute until browned.

Pour in the water and salsa along with the desired amount of taco seasoning. Stir it all together and then bring it to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer according to directions on the rice bag. Rice should be cooked properly.

Caution, the rice will be very hot. I have not learned this yet and I keep burning my mouth.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Potatoes

Cheesy Potatoes: potato chunks covered by a creamy cheese sauce and baked until bubbly. This is another common food that was found at most family get-togethers. I can't honestly say that I've tried the potatoes before now; if I eat a potato, I prefer it be raw. I'm just a picky eater. These potatoes are cheesy, gooey, and delicious. Most people love these potatoes and often ask for the recipe (if they don't already have it!). The cheesy potatoes are a great addition to a cook-out or a wonderful side dish for meatloaf. They are simple to make and easy to serve.

This makes a large amount of food, so unless you are planning to feed many people, you should use two casserole dishes (8in x 8in or similar size). One dish will be enough for 4 people, maybe more if you have another side dish. The extra dish of cheesy potatoes can be frozen once they are securely covered with freezer paper. Just be sure to write the contents and date made on it!

Cheesy Potatoes (Printer-friendly PDF Version)
3 cans Cream of Potato Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
32 oz Frozen "Home Fries" Potatoes
8 T butter (1 stick)
8 oz cheddar cheese (shredded)

Coat the inside of the casserole dishes with a a thin covering of olive oil (or cooking spray).

Place the cubed potatoes in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the cream of potato soup and the cream of chicken soup until well blended. Add the soup mixture to the potatoes and mix until well the soup evenly covers the potatoes.

Add half of the cheese to the potato mixture (approximately 1 cup of cheese). Mix until well blended.

Divide the potato mixture between the two casserole dishes.

Evenly cut the butter into thin slices. Evenly distribute the butter slices on top of the potato mixture in the casserole dishes.

Cover the potato mixture with the remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for one hour. Allow the cheesy potatoes to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts: I'll figure these out when I decide on a decent size per serving!

When making the cheesy potatoes for this post, I only had 2 cans of cream of potato soup. The store didn't have any more and I didn't feel like driving around to find one can of soup. I substituted the missing can of cream of potato soup with a can of cream of chicken soup.
The frozen potatoes can easily be replaced with cubed potatoes if you want to take the time to cube them!
The cheddar cheese can be either mild or sharp, depending on your personal preference.