Ingrediants: (to serve two)
1 box Rice-a-Roni Spanish rice (I know it sounds like an oxymoron, just try it)
1 tbl butter or margarine
2 1/4 cup water
2 tortillas (you can use tortilla chips if you prefer, or even crushed taco shells)
salsa, about 2 tbl per person (I used my favorite salsa, which is poblano chile corn salsa from Whole Foods)
hummus about 1 tbl each
shredded cheese about 2 tbl per person
(preferably a sharp cheddar or a Mexican blend)
guacamole about 2 tbl or so per person
First, saute the rice and salsa with the butter in a flat sauce pan until rice turns golden brown. Add spice packet and water, bring to a boil, then cover and let sit until the rice cooks.
Next, once rice has cooked, add the cheese and hummus, stirring until cheese is melted and everything is well mixed.
Next come the tortillas, and I recommend toasting your tortillas for best results. I am poor and have no toaster, so I have to sort of ghetto-toast mine by sitting them on the still-hot stove burner and turning them with a fork until they’re slightly crispy...this is slightly dangerous as I have a gas stove and it‘s really easy to burn yourself on the blue flame, so proceed with caution. You can also microwave them, or heat them on a tray in the oven, if you prefer convenience and safety to third degree burns. Then, cut up your tortillas and mix with the rice concoction, or if you’re using chips or taco shells just pour the rice mixture over your chips.
Finally, dollop with guacamole and enjoy!
I invented this yummy dish using some leftover rice plus whatever I had in my fridge. What I like about this recipe is
1.) It uses ingredients you can play around with to create different tastes and textures,
2.) Because there is no meat it’s fairly inexpensive, but still filling enough to be a meal, And,
3.) You can easily modify it to fit your dietary needs.
Easy modifications (or things you can add if you have them):
Add crumbled tofu, corn, fresh chopped tomatoes, garlic powder, refried or black beans, jalepeno or habenero peppers, sour cream, or vegetarian ground beef.
Saute your rice and salsa together in olive oil instead of margarine for a healthier use of fat.
Use Uncle Ben's Spanish rice to avoid MSG (at my grocery store this costs about 10 cents more than Rice-A-Roni).
Experiment with different flavors of hummus for different tastes (especially green chile hummus!)
To cut fat, skip the tortillas/chips and/or guacamole.
You can also use the rice concoction as a vegetarian taco filling, topped with lettuce and tomato.
To create a vegan dish, use soy cheese (or just skip the cheese altogether) and replace the margarine with olive oil (which is better for you anyway).
For those who do not require a vegetarian meal, you can add ground beef or even chorizo to create a filling taco salad.