Chile and Cheese Rice - Delicious!

Mmmmm, cheese, rice, green chile's, fresh corn, sour cream, I mean what's not to like?  This is chile and cheese rice which is so delicious I can't even begin to tell you.  My family also loved it so that is confirmation that this is one good recipe.

Rice is one of the most adaptable and creative ingredients you can put on  your table.  I can't even begin to imagine how many hundreds or even thousands of recipes there are that use rice.  You can eat rice for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  It makes great desserts and can be a tasty snack.  Most kids love rice too which is a BIG bonus.  Therefore, rice is surely one of the most universally accepted grains on the face of the planet.

I just had to know, so I looked up how much rice is grown world wide.  Care to take a guess?  In 2009 there were 678 million tons of rice grown in the world.  Now that's a lot of rice.

You know I'm a big fan of the Food Network.  Watching chefs and cooks on the network have given me so much confidence in my cooking ability and has allowed be to branch out and be creative in the things I make.  This recipe inspiration came from a show on Food Network called Mexican Made Easy.  When I watch Marcella Valladolid whip up her amazing recipes, I want to rush to the kitchen and try every one of them.  Why?  Because Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine are my favorite and her recipes are fantastic.  I like other ethnic foods, but if I had to choose it would always be Mexican.

Don't you get tired of making the same old tacos and rice over and over?  Well, here's a new recipe for you to try and I can say with much confidence that you will really, really love it.  Here is what you need.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 large white onion, minced
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups water
2 ears fresh corn kernels removed from the cob (or 2 cups frozen corn)
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup sour cream or crema
1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
2 poblano peppers charred, peeled and chopped*
*I used one can chopped green chiles, works just great if you don't want to go to all the trouble of charring peppers.

Heat oil in medium sized skillet.  Add onion and saute until translucent - about 5 minutes.  Add rice and cook until opaque (stir so it doesn't burn) - about 10 minutes.  Stir in water and corn.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Cover.  Simmer until rice is tender - about 15 minutes.

Preheat broiler.  Fluff rice with fork, stir in chiles.  Transfer to 7x10 baking dish.  Drizzle with sour cream (or crema), sprinkle cheese on top.  Broil until brown in spots and cheese has melted - about 5-8 minutes.

Serve.  Yum.  All I have to say.

Next time you are looking for a different way to serve rice with taco or enchilada night, give this recipe a try.  It is absolutely outstanding.  Makes me want to whip up a batch right now.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“Without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook”

Chinese Proverbs quotes