Many times, after a morning workout, we like to head to our favorite Mexican food restaurant for lunch, where I dine on a rice bowl filled with Spanish rice, pinto beans, and grilled chicken (though I really look forward to the chips and salsa more than anything!).
Recently, however, I’ve been having more allergy trouble.
My allergies are weird in that I can eat something for a while, but if I eat too much of it, I become allergic! It’s highly stressful and can take a toll on my emotional well-being when I feel like I don’t know what to eat.
Because of this, we’ve been steering clear of our lunch spot, and I’ve been attempting to make our favorite rice bowls at home.
I’ve made Spanish rice before, but this gave me the opportunity to perfect the recipe.
I like to use olive oil as the fat and healthier brown rice in place of white…not quite authentic, but better for you and just as delicious!
The addition of a few veggies and spices make this really special, and the best part of the meal!
I like to take this rice and layer it in a bowl with a spoonful of black beans, some diced chicken, iceberg, lettuce, fresh cherry tomatoes, cold cucumber cubes, and cheddar cheese.
I also enjoy making a creamy cilantro dressing to go over the top, and it just makes the best dinner!
Spanish Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup cooked long-grain brown rice about 1 1/4 c. raw rice
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped
- ¼ cup green bell pepper chopped
- ¼ cup celery chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 ½ Tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- black pepper to taste
- ½ cup lightly packed cilantro chopped
- ½ lime about 1-2 teaspoons juice
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet.
- Add in the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic, and saute the mix for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Add in the cooked rice, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and cumin.
- Stir the mix to evenly distribute the tomato paste among the rice grains (add a splash of water if necessary to facilitate this process).
- Heat the rice through and stir in the cilantro and lime juice (start with one teaspoon and add more to your taste).
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
If you have a chance to try this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below letting me know how you liked it!
I love Spanish Rice and I love even more this lighter take. What a great flavor combo and for just a few calories. YUM!
Have you posted the creamy cilantro dressing?
This rice looks great!
I don’t go to the gym anymore but we’ve set up a little home gym in our spare room. I haven’t used it much this summer since I’ve been running/cycling mostly, but I love that it’s so convenient to go in and do a pilates video or lift some weights.
I did love the gym and even worked at one, but got kinda burnt out on it over the years.
Hi Jill,
I haven’t posted the dressing recipe yet, but I will! My husband would be jealous of your home gym. He’s been wanting to turn our garage into one, but I told him he has to clean it out first! 🙂
I love Denise Austin. So inspiring and she makes it fun. I have been a member of my neighborhood YWCA for 10 years. So close I can walk. The rice looks fantastic.
Thanks Dana! 🙂
I love that it’s gluten-free. I just wanted to let you know that I have a website (Simply Creative Recipes) where I showcase recipes that I find and I am linking to this post if you don’t mind.
I don’t mind, Alyssa, thanks for the message! 🙂