Veggie Rice

A couple nights ago I had a problem. I had forgotten to take any meat out of the freezer for dinner, and my son and I got up from our nap only thirty minutes before my husband got home from work! Not that my husband is the "You'd better have dinner on the table when I get home" type, but I knew he'd be hungry. What to do....

Fortunately, my friend had just given me some produce from her garden a few days before. Ok, improvise! Meatless Monday!

3 stars

1 cup uncooked rice
1.5 cups water
.5 cup chicken broth (from a can, or powder, or you can just use 2 cups water if you don't have any chicken broth or stock)
2 Roma tomatoes
1 jalapeno
1 cup mushrooms
1 diced onion
salt and pepper
butter

I do this like the dirty rice recipe I posted before, so that it's a one-dish recipe. Melt some butter in a pot, and toss in your veggies, all chopped up, and saute for just a couple minutes. Don't cook them too long, cause they will break down in the cooking process anyway.

Pour in your liquids -- the water and broth. Add salt and pepper. Then add your cup of uncooked rice. Bring to a lively simmer/slight boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Once it's done, I drop a couple dabs of butter on it and put the lid back on for a minute to let it melt, and then stir. I would add a little Nature's Seasonings or more salt and pepper. Husband added hot sauce, but it was hot enough from the jalapeno for me and our 1-year-old. And yes, the 1-year-old loved this, especially the mushrooms!

Thanks to Jen for the tomatoes and jalapenos! Can't wait to stir fry with those squash!