With just a few minutes of up-front effort you can have this fun rice dish simmering away while you’re cooking up the main meal (salmon tacos or white wine tilapia, perhaps?) Depending on the salsa you use, this may have only a whisper of heat so, if you’re feeling feisty, add a roasted or raw poblano, jalapeno, or Serrano chili when blending the spinach. Alternatively, to eliminate the heat completely, leave out the salsa and increase the chicken broth to 1-1/2 cups.
This is an impressive paleo, gluten-free side when entertaining and also a great way to disguise vegetables for kids. Unlike most rice dishes, it’s acceptably moist and tasty the next day.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro sprigs
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh stemmed spinach
- 1 8-oz can salsa verde
- 3/4 cups fat free, low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1-1/4 cups milk
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 cups long-grain rice
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions
Using a blender, hand blender, or food proccessor, puree cilantro, spinach, salsa and broth until smooth. Add the milk and blend until combined.
Heat olive oil and butter in a medium pot over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the rice and onion. Sauté, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and rice is opaque and beginning to brown, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the garlic and saute and minute, until fragrant.
Add the liquid and bring to a boil, stirring. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff rice, and set aside, covered, for another 10 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and let the rice steam in the covered pot for 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Nutritional Information
Calories 197 / Total Fat 5.8g / Saturated Fat 2.6g / Cholesterol 11mg / Sodium 192mg / Potassium 125mg / Total Carbohydrates 31.3g / Dietary Fiber 0.9g / Sugars 2.3g / Protein 4.5g
Weight Watchers Points: 4 / PointsPlus: 5
I love green rice, but haven’t yet found a recipe I like (one was so heavy on lime juice that it was practically inedible, and another had far too much water). I love that this one incorporates spinach as well as cilantro! Yum!
The next time I make salsa verde, I’m going to try out this recipe! I, too, love the use of spinach.
Mmmm… this would be so good with homemade salsa verde!