Recipe for Arroz con Pollo: Tex-Mex Style Spicy Rice with Chicken

Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)

This is a Tex-Mex (Texas - Mexican) style dish.  As you may know, Mexican style food varies greatly throughout the United States.  This is a common meal in many homes and some restaurants in Texas.  You will find that there are some variations to this dish.

Serve with refried beans and tortillas. 





Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts cut into pieces/chunks.
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups of water
1 - 10 ounce can Rotel (diced tomatoes with chilies) - Do not drain.
1 - 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 - 15.25 ounce can of corn - Do not drain
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon Cumin powder
1/2 - Tablespoon Garlic powder
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon Onion powder
1/2 -1 Tablespoon Chili powder
2 Teaspoons Salt (or to taste)
Black pepper to taste
2 - 3 Tablespoons of oil

The spices listed above do not need to be exact.  The more you use the stronger the flavor.

Optional Garnish: Chopped green onions, cilantro leaves, shredded cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese.

For this amount of ingredients you need a very large skillet.  You can easily adjust the quantity of ingredients to fit your needs and your cookware. 

Heat 2 - 3 Tablespoons of oil in skillet.
Brown the chicken in the skillet.
Slowly add all other ingredients.
Bring the mixture to a slow boil.  Stir occassionally.
Once your mixture reaches a boil, turn the heat to a very low setting, cover the skillet and let it simmer.
Simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is soft and the chicken is cooked all the way.  Stir occassionally.

The mixture will thicken as it cooks.

 

Up Close Picture of Arroz con Pollo

Recipe for Celery - Mushroom - Onion - Parsnip - Apple Soup

Soup with Celery Onion & Parsnips

We juice lots of fruits and vegetables for breakfast and lunch.  Today, I made a quick and easy soup with some leftovers.  Many of my recipes are based on odds and ends we have on hand in the pantry or frig. 

The ingredients may sound a little odd, but they work well together.  It cooks up fast, meaning the vegetables soften quickly.  Because of the sweetness of the parsnips and apple, I chose White Zinfandel and cinnamon as 2 of the ingredients.  Celery is great for working well in just about any flavor direction you choose.  This soup isn't sweet like dessert, but is more savory with the earthy flavors of the cumin and rosemary.

I garnished it with provolone cheese and served pumpernickel bread on the side.

Ingredients
1 entire package of celery chopped (even the leaves)
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
1 Fuji apple, peeled and chopped
32 ounce container of Swanson organic vegetable broth
2 packages of Lipton Mushroom Onion soup mix (the dry powder kind)
Couple shakes of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup White Zinfandel wine
1/2 tablespoon Mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic powder
Couple shakes of Cumin powder
Couple shakes of Cinnamon powder
Couple pinches of dried Rosemary
1/2 teaspoon of salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper or to taste
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Chop the onions first and saute in your pot with the olive oil and pepper.  Add your ingredients into the pot and boil just until soft (approximately 20 minutes).

Garnish with provolone cheese.
Goes well with pumpernickel bread.