Mimi's Mexican Rice

Our bestest buddy from California, Mimi, shared this delicious recipe for Mexican rice when we were all living together in Sonoma. I had tried for years to perfect this fluffy, savory and slightly spicy rice, but my results always ended up a lump of starchy, sticky, flavorless mess. Mimi's recipe is so easy to make, and can be easily modified with other ingredients to make it a meal. Serve this with any kind of Mexican dish or just add some black beans, roasted corn, cilantro and a dollop of sour cream for an easy meal! Now if only I had a freezer full of her mama's tamales...

1 cup of white rice
1 can of spicy V8 juice
1 medium onion grated or very finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped
1 chicken flavored bullion cube
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter

In a medium pot or dutch oven (my preference), put in the butter and rice over medium heat. As the butter melts, stir the rice around so it's well coated. Add the onion and jalapeno. The rice will start to sizzle and a few pieces will start to brown. When the browning starts, add the water, bouillon cube and V8, and bring to a boil. When it starts to boil, cover, reduce to a simmer and let it cook down until all the liquid is absorbed. If the rice is soft but there is still liquid left, just take the top of the pan off and let it reduce.

We added kale to make it a meal!