Green Rice with Cilantro and Spinach
Prep 5 mins Cook 25 mins Eat 30 mins
Green Rice or Arroz Verde was a great discovery at our Modern Mexican cooking class. Fresh, healthy, easy and delicious. Why not add something green to your rice? It looks good and tastes even better. Spice it up with jalapeno or a poblano chile as Martha Rose Shulman suggests in the original recipe I found in her Mexican Light cookbook. Serve it with Mexican Street Corn and some fish, chicken or grilled meat for a light and delicious summer meal.
The minced jalapeno and diced onion is cooked until it is translucent and soft before adding the rice.
Start by cooking some diced onion and jalapeno pepper (I used half of the jalapeno without the seeds to give it a little kick), then add in long-grain or basmati rice to coat the grains with oil along with the garlic. Add half the warmed stock and cover.
Fresh cilantro and spinach are added to the Torrent blender pitcher with some stock.
What I like about this recipe is that you use fresh ingredients. Mix it up in a blender while the rice begins to cook.
The KitchenAid Torrent Blender quickly purees the spinach and cilantro.
I had a little help making the Green Rice with a new tool sent to me by KitchenAid. It’s their new Magnetic Drive Torrent Blender, which is designed to power through any ingredient including ice and make a silky smooth puree out of your soups and smoothies. This is a serious machine with a powerful motor that I am looking forward to putting through its paces in my serious kitchen.
Blending the cilantro, spinach and stock were child’s play for the Torrent Blender. It chopped up the mixture so fast, I could barely get a photo of the process.
Here is what I am going to like most about the KitchenAid Torrent blender, that the other fancy blenders cannot claim. I can walk away from a serious blending job and not worry about the top flying off and exploding blender chaos all over my ceiling and walls. I’ve heard the stories…it may have happened to you! It also fits nicely under my counter so I can have it ready to go to work.
The spinach mixture is added to the half-cooked rice.
After a minute or less in the blender, it’s ready to add to the half-cooked rice.
Green Rice – Arroz Verde is almost ready.
Stir in the green mixture, cover and simmer until the liquid is soaked into the rice.
Arroz Verde – is a very green rice.
Remove from the heat and serve warm with a Modern Mexican meal or whatever you are having for dinner.
The Modern Mexican Cooking Class dinner was superb!
Green Rice with Cilantro and Spinach is a great side dish for any meal. It will go well with grilled meats or vegetables when you’re cooking outdoors. At our Modern Mexican class, we served it with Verzacruz-style fish and grilled Mexican street corn – ummmmm! Click here to get the Mexican Street Corn recipe.
Green Rice with Cilantro and Spinach
2 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 cup long-grain rice or basmati rice
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1. Heat up stock in a small saucepan until it is hot to the touch. Set aside
2. Heat the oil in another heavy saucepan over medium heat and add the onion and the minced jalapeno. Cook, stirring until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and rice and cook until the rice is coated with the oil. Add half the stock, stir and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Most of the liquid will be gone.
3. While rice mixture is cooking, combine remaining half of stock with the spinach and cilantro leaves in a blender and blend at high speed until smooth. Add to rice mixture and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes in all. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered for 10 minutes or until ready to serve. Before serving, fluff rice with a fork, taste and season with salt if needed.
Servings: 4 181 calories per serving
Green Rice with Cilantro and Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 1/2 jalapeno chile seeded and minced
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 cup long-grain rice or basmati rice
- 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat up stock in a small saucepan until it is hot to the touch. Set aside
- Heat the oil in another heavy saucepan over medium heat and add the onion and the minced jalapeno. Cook, stirring until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and rice and cook until the rice is coated with the oil. Add half the stock, stir and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Most of the liquid will be gone.
- While rice mixture is cooking, combine remaining half of stock with the spinach and cilantro leaves in a blender and blend at high speed until smooth. Add to rice mixture and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes in all. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered for 10 minutes or until ready to serve. Before serving, fluff rice with a fork, taste and season with salt if needed.
- ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FreshFoodinaFlash.com
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