I love to eat colorful food. It makes me happy. I also love to take any opportunity I have to add veggies in my dishes. My girls love veggies!.. for the most part. This rice looks so beautiful and colorful, it makes it easier for them to eat their veggies. Jardinera basically means garden and the veggies in this rice dish are the ones you mostly find in your garden. If you have one. If you don’t have one, well.. frozen veggies are pretty amazing. This rice is a perfect side dish for any chicken dish, and I say chicken because the seasoning of the rice is pretty mild and won’t compete with the simple beauty of the chicken but that’s my opinion. Like I say, you do you. My mom used to make Arroz a la Jardinera all the time and I loved it growing up but I have to confess, I always picked the veggies out. Can you believe I did that? It would drive my mom crazy! but Look at me know, bloging about how much I love veggies. Be patient with your kids mommas, they’d eventually come around.
This dish may be simple but it is pretty great in flavor, color and texture. The fluffy rice is perfect for the bright crispy vegetables. When I said the flavor of the rice is mild I meant it the best possible way. Here is why, the rice is not taking away anything from the veggies, it only helps them to shine on their own. You are going to taste the rice but also, each and everyone of your veggies. Add as many as you want. It is all good. Here’s how I make my “Arroz a la Jardinera” Did you just read that with a Mexican accent? I hope you did.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1 Cup of rice
- 1/2 chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon chicken buillon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup of frozen veggies, thawed
Instructions
- Bring 1/2 cups of water to a boil
- Heat your skillet on medium high
- dice the onion and mince the garlic
- add the oil to the pan along with 1 cup of rice
- stir constantly for 2 minutes
- add the garlic and onion and stir for another minute
- Carefully and slowly add the boiling water to the rice. Add chicken buillon and salt. Stir one time put the lid on and set a timer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes gently and evenly drop the vegetables on the rice. Do not stir. Put the lead back on and set your time for another 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and let It rest for a couple minutes before you serve it.
