Spanish Rice

Ingredients
2 T. oil
1/4 c. chopped onion (I use dried onion flakes)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. long grain rice (uncooked)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 c. chicken broth OR water & chicken bullion
1 can black or kidney beans (optional)
cooked chicken breast cut up (optional)
1 cup frozen corn (optional)

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, and rice and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is golden brown. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until rice is tender.
I serve this as a main dish with cheese, tortillas, sour cream, etc. It's one of Jared's favorites!!

Cafe Rio Deliciousness

Cafe Rio Chicken

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
5 lbs chicken breast

Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.

Café Rio Rice
3 c water
4 t chicken bouillon
4 t garlic –minced
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles—or equivalent fresh
¾ t salt
1 T butter
½ onion
3 c rice

Blend cilantro, green chiles and onion together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes.

Tomatillo Dressing

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 C. Mayonnaise
1 C. chopped Cilantro
2 cloves Garlic
3 Tomatillos (fresh or canned- found on ethnic foods aisle, roast in oven if using dressing that day)
1/3 cup Buttermilk
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Put all the ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. I think this dressing is better on the second day.

Enjoy some Provo goodness!!

Simple Baked Pasta

1 jar spaghetti sauce, flavor of your choice
1 jar water
1 lb pasta, your choice of type
shredded cheese
1/2 lb cooked ground beef

Put pasta into a 9x13 inch (or in our case, 7x11) baking dish. Pour sauce over the top. Fill jar with water and pour over the pasta. Put in meat and stir together. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, until the noodles are tender. Top with cheese, and return to oven to melt.

I found this recipe on some0ne else's blog, and I added the meat to the recipe. It is a GREAT quick recipe!

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Ingredients
1 12-ounce jar salsa verde
3 cups cooked chicken pieces (1 small deli-counter rotisserie chicken or leftovers)
1 15-ounce can black or kidney beans, drained
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
Tortilla chips (optional)
Preparation
Empty the salsa into a large saucepan. Cook 2 minutes over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, beans, broth, and cumin (if desired). Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top each bowl with a sprinkling of onions, a dollop of sour cream, and some tortilla chips (if desired). For a soupier dish, use 4 cups of broth.

Makes 4 servings

Tortilla Chicken Chili

I tried this recipe and thought it was really yummy and different with the chips added in... I think it would also be good without the chips.

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 package chili seasoning mix
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 to 16 ounces) kidney, black, white or pinto beans, undrained
1 can (11 ounces) Mexican-style corn or whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups broken tortilla chips (bite-size pieces)
Shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions
1. Heat lightly oiled large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

2. Stir in Seasoning Mix, tomatoes, beans, corn, water and tortilla chips; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped cilantro, if desired.

Tip: If a thinner chili consistency is desired, stir in an additional 1/2 cup water.

I found this recipe off of the McCormick website