Taco Rice

Dinner tonight was a huge success. Except for the three year old who is going through the "I'm not hungry" stage. Hmmm... she seemed hungry enough when I said I had a dessert tonight. Interesting. But, as she did not eat her dinner, she did not get to enjoy the dessert that my boys gobbled down.

On to dinner...

Taco Rice

This recipe calls for very finely chopped carrots and broccoli. I highly recommend a food processor. It does not have to be one of those big ones like you see on all the cooking shows (though I would love to have one someday). I have found that the smaller and more economical 1.5 or 2 cup food processors work just fine (mine was only $15.00 and that was several years ago).

Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked rice
1 Tbsp oil
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
3-4 large carrots, finely chopped
1 and 1/2 cups of broccoli, finely chopped
1 and 1/2 cups corn kernels (canned or frozen, if using canned, drain the liquid)
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup water
Toppings of your choice: shredded lettuce, taco sauce, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ground beef. Brown the ground beef over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until there is no pink remaining. Drain the beef and return to the pan.

Stir in the carrots, broccoli, corn, taco seasoning and water. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the water has evaporated. Add the rice and mix well.

Put on the plates and top with the toppings of your choice (my kids love to put their own toppings on).

Makes about 6 servings.

Cook time (including time to cook the rice): 30 minutes
Prep time: about 10 minutes

As for dessert... well, I'll tell you all about that later. Suffice to say, my kids and I ate it all up!