"Meatless Monday" Recipe of the Week - Smoky Fiesta Rice

This week's "Meatless Monday" Recipe of the Week is Smoky Fiesta Rice. Rice and a variety of vegetables make up this Meatless Dish. Several variations of the recipe but I'm going with the one on the CooksRecipes website. At the Cooks site you'll find a fantastic selection of recipes for all tastes and cuisines.    http://www.cooksrecipes.com/index.html

Smoky Fiesta Rice

Recipe Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup yellow onions, 1/2-inch dice

3/4 cup long grained white rice
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 1/3 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle peppers in adobo, puréed
3/4 cup red bell peppers, 1/2-inch dice
3/4 cup yellow squash, 1/2-inch dice
3/4 cup green peas, frozen
2/3 cup California Ripe Olives, sliced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled

Cooking Directions:

1 - Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepot over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent.
2 - Stir in rice and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes until just golden. Add garlic, cook for 1 minutes, then pour in water and chipotle purée. Bring to boil, then turn heat down to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes until rice is tender.
3 - In a separate sauté pan, heat remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium heat. Add peppers and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
4 - Stir in squash and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn heat down to low, stir in peas and olives and cook until heated through. Season with salt.
5 - Toss sautéed vegetables with cooked rice. Garnish with green onions and cotija cheese just before serving.
Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of recipe): Calories: 263; Calories From Fat: 30; Total Fat: 8g; Cholesterol: 9mg; Total Carbs: 39g; Protein: 7g; Sodium: 799mg.

http://www.cooksrecipes.com/mless/smoky_fiesta_rice_recipe.html