Baked Chimichangas and Restaurant-Style Spanish Rice


Tonight's dinner was fantastic. Pinterest helped me crack the code to Restaurant-style Spanish Rice!


Spanish Rice

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 20 Min
Method: Stove Top


Ingredients:

1 cup raw regular white rice
1/2 can small 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp ground oregano
2 cups water
1/8 chopped fine onion
1/8 cooking oil doesn't matter what kind

Preparation:
1. You want to make rice in a heavy bottomed frying pan and have a tight fitting glass lid. Place cooking oil in pan with raw rice, use a medium heat to brown the rice, then add the onion making sure all rice/onion is coated with oil. When rice has turned white you add the 1/2 can of tomato sauce, it should be sizzling by this time.

2. When the rice and tomato sauce are sizzling, you add the 2 cups of water and all the spices, stirring until well mixed. When rice mixture is bubbling you lower the heat to simmer, covering with glass lid. cook on low heat for 15 minutes. DO NOT LIFT LID!!!

3. When the 15 minutes are completed, turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove lid and use spatula to turn rice from bottom to top. Rice is done and ready to eat!

4. As you can see the rice should be dry...not sticky (too much water) or gummy(someone lifted the lid)Not bright red(whole can of tomato sauce)or almost white(too little tomato sauce)there is also no brown onions or brown rice(browned too long)



Oven-baked Chicken Chimichangas


1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup drained and rinsed black beans
2 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro (or baby spinach)
3/4 cup salsa
8 oz freshly shredded monterrey jack cheese
7 flour tortillas (Taco-size, about 8 to 9")
Vegetable oil or olive oil for brushing

Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cumin, oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, scallions, black beans, and cilantro. Add the salsa and cheese. Stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Brush 4 tortillas on one side very lightly with water then place them in a stack on a clean kitchen towel. Wrap the towel around the tortillas. Microwave the tortillas for about 25 seconds. This heats the tortillas enough to make them pliable.

Remove one tortilla from the kitchen towel and rewrap the others to keep them warm. Add 1/3 cup of the filling to the center of the tortilla. Wrap the chimichanga like you would a burrito. Fold the left and right sides of the tortilla up over the filling then roll it starting from the bottom to completely enclose the filling. You should not roll the chimi too tightly or the tortilla will tear (or later burst during baking). Place the chimi seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other tortillas – heating additional tortillas in the microwave when needed.

Brush the tops and sides of each chimi with some oil. Bake for 23 to 26 minutes or until the chimis are golden and crispy. Serve with additional salsa, sour cream, or pico de gallo.

Alternative Preparations:
1) Use freshly grated 2% sharp cheddar. Regular cheddar is also tasty but releases a lot of oil when it melts. Pepper jack cheese works great for those who appreciate things on the spicy side. Feeling naughty? Use 12 oz of cheese. It's really tasty that way but increases the caloric content and level of saturated fat considerably.
2) Make it vegetarian! Instead of chicken, add some red bell peppers, corn, and additional black beans.
3) Use whole-wheat or low-carb tortillas.
4) Instead of regular salsa, use salsa verde. It's really tasty this way!


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