Rice! Is it in your pantry?

Uncle Ben's is having a contest right now which is my inspiration for my article on rice.  

Ben’s Beginners Cooking Contest you could win $20,000, along with a $50,000 grant

Rice is a huge part of my families meals.  My Husband is from Cuba so rice is his potato.  We use rice as a side or part of a side almost every night.  Rice is always the go to when my kids are not feeling well.  And since my part of the family is Italian I grew up eating rice for breakfast.  My kids are a huge part of our cooking,  They love to be in the kitchen with aprons on and spoons in hand.  In fact my 12 year old is currently telling what her favorite things are with rice.  She listed Rice and Beans (a cuban staple), chunky soups with rice and she mentioned my previous, when she is sick.  

Our cuban staple of rice and beans is so easy, full of flavor and the kids get a great source of protein.  Aunt Gladys' Cuban black Beans are super simple.  I steam rice to eat with the beans. 

1 can seasoned black beans

1 tsp olive oil

dash of Garlic powder

dash of cumin 

salt to taste

Directions; mix ingredients together in a pot and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Serve over rice.

• Green  Shellfish
• Pink Gluten
• Yellow Nuts
• Blue  Soy
• Purple Milk
• Red Eggs
• Orange Fish

Another favorite around my house is my Confetti Rice.  A colorful inviting dish that the kids can put together themselves.  My 9 year and 12 year olds  love mixing the ingredients, and are always eager to gobble up their creation.  Confetti Rice can be served as a main dish or a side. 

1 cup rice

1 can organic tomato sauce

1 pound cooked chicken (antibiotic and hormone free)

1 can organic black beans

1/2 cup organic frozen corn

1 tbsp adobe seasoning (look at the ingredients to make sure it does not have MSG)

Directions: Cube or shred chicken. Do not drain beans.  Mix ingredients together in a bowl.  Pour into a 8x8 glass baking dish.  Bake covered with foil in oven at 325 degrees for 45 min.

• Green  Shellfish
• Pink Gluten
• Yellow Nuts
• Blue  Soy
• Purple Milk
• Red Eggs
• Orange Fish

When my kids are not feeling well they enjoy simple steamed rice.  Rice is so soothing to an upset stomach.  Rice naturally helps diarrhea and it does not irritate a sore throat.   Colds and flues kill kids appetites, however some steamed rice stirred into some hot chicken broth makes everyone fell better.  

Rice is always in stock in my pantry.  I grew up eating rice a little different than my cuban relatives.  My favorite way to eat rice was this simple recipe I enjoyed for breakfast or desert at the end of the day.Take 1/2 a cup of steamed rice in a bowl.  Pour some warm milk over and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Sorry for the lack of measurements, I have never measured only eaten hundreds of times.  This is a great warm treat when you have one that needs a little warm milk to help them sleep.  I hope some of my rice inspired ideas get your family in the kitchen. 

Disclosure "I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Uncle Ben’s blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” (make sure you link tohttp://BensBeginners.socialmoms.com/about)