Brown Spanish Rice

This is the perfect side dish for tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and burritos. It’s reminiscent of Spanish Rice-A-Roni, without the sodium bomb and processed ingredients. Because it’s brown rice, it takes almost an hour, so put this on first thing.

1/2 onion diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup brown rice
Water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan. Add the onion and pepper and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Open the can of tomatoes and drain, reserving all the liquid. Add water to the tomato liquid until it reaches 2 cups combined. Add to the saucepan with the cumin and the chili powder, and bring to a boil. Add the rice and the tomatoes, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, 45 to 50 minutes. When the rice is done, taste for salt and pepper. Continue to simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, if necessary. Serve immediately!