Spicy (or not) Spanish Rice

This easy rice is my go-to side dish when we are having a Mexican main dish.  I usually have all the ingredients in my pantry so I throw them all in my rice cooker and have a savory side 30 minutes later.  If you want it to have a kick to it - just use Ro-tel instead of regular diced tomatoes.  I usually make the non-spicy version but every once in a while it's fun to make it with a little spice!  

Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups white rice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup dried minced onions (or 1/2 onion chopped fine)

4 cups chicken broth (or 4 cups water & 4 tsp chicken bouillon)

1 cup diced tomatoes (OR 1 cup Ro-tel)

1 tsp salt

pinch Oregano

To cook on the stove-top, lightly brown rice in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  Add onion and garlic (if you're using a "real" onion - not dried ones) and cook until onions are soft.  Then add this and all other ingredients into a saucepan, cover and cook according to package directions.  It will be around 20-25 minutes once it's boiling.  

See, I'm lazy, and I just use my rice cooker.  The button pops up and the light turns off when it's done so I don't have to time it.  If you're going to cook rice very often, a rice cooker is a well-worth-it investment!  I just add all the ingredients to my rice cooker, give it a little stir, and let it do its magic.  I really prefer using minced onions for this - and actually most - recipe.  You get the great onion taste without the obvious crunch.  If you're going to use a "real" onion, you'll want to cook and soften it in olive oil before adding it.