Whew! What a busy weekend! It was almost 90 degrees and so humid the air actually felt wet. My hair turned into a giant frizz ball, and my hubby and I were both literally drenched while we finished up getting everything planted.

Though I was a hot mess, literally, we didn’t really mind. We actually had so much fun and got so much done,  that it didn’t matter!

We even got in an apple tree, a four-in-one apple tree, that our neighbor helped us plant! I’ve never seen anything like this, and am crossing my fingers hard that it grows!

With all of the planting and yard work, I wanted something quick and easy for suppers and lunches! So along with some killer good tacos that I made and will be sharing tomorrow, I decided to whip up some spicy Mexican-style rice!

This is much more spicy than what I usually make, and man was it ever good! I could’ve made it even hotter, but I didn’t want to set my hubby’s tongue on fire! He prefers things a lot more mild than I do, so I just added a bit more sriracha sauce to mine. 😉

You can do the same as well, or up the peppers and spices to suit your own personal taste.

The red beans can also be switched out for black beans if you like those better. I used what I had on hand already, and they worked out very nicely for this!

This rice ended up being my favorite so far! Plenty of spices and goodies going on, easy to make with items you probably already have on hand, and finished off with some fresh snipped green onions straight from my garden!

I’m so thankful that summer is here! And with all of the grilling coming, do keep this flavorful dish handy! This would be wonderful as a main dish even, with just some grilled and sliced chicken breasts on top!

Be sure to pop back by tomorrow to see what I served this with! The whole meal was absolutely wonderful, and just what we needed after all that gardening! 😉

Yield: 5-6 servings

Spicy Mexican Red Beans & Rice

Print

Ingredients

• 3 Tbl. butter
• 1 cup white rice
• 1/2 of a red onion, diced
• 3 jalapeños, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (1 tsp.)
• 2 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base dissolved in 2 cups hot water
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbl. sriracha sauce, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can Hunt's Spicy Red Pepper Diced Tomatoes
• 1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans
• 1 tsp. dried or 1 Tbl. fresh chopped parsley (can sub chopped fresh cilantro to taste)
• 1/2 - 1 cup shredded Mexi-Blend cheese, optional
• sour cream, optional

Instructions

In large saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat. Add rice and chopped onions. Sauté, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Add jalapeños and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes longer.

Add chicken bouillon mixture, spices, sriracha, oregano and tomatoes. Cover pan with tight fitting lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on Low for 15 minutes. (Do not lift lid or stir.)

Remove from heat, do not lift lid, and let sit for 5 more minutes.

Fold in kidney beans, and parsley or cilantro. Place into serving dish and serve hot, sprinkled with cheese if desired. Set more sriracha sauce and sour cream out on the table for those who would like some.