Green Rice

Spinach, yuck !!!!!  How about Green Rice. Here is a great way to get your kids to eat spinach without even realizing it. Serve this rice with just about anything — it has a fresh, herbal flavor. You can make the dish with brown rice, but it won’t have the usual vivid green color. If you use basmati, you’ll have a much larger yield, as basmati expands about twice as much as regular white rice.

• 2 cups chicken, vegetable or garlic stock, or water

• 1 cup tightly packed baby spinach

• 1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves

• 1 tablespoon canola oil or extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup long grain rice or basmati rice, rinsed several times with cold water

• Salt to taste 

1. Combine 1 cup of the stock or water with the spinach and cilantro in a blender, and blend at high speed until smooth. Place the remaining stock or water in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer.
2. Heat the oil in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, three to five minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic and rice. Stir together for a few minutes until the rice is beginning to crackle. Add the simmering stock or water and salt to taste  Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer five minutes.
3. Uncover, and stir in the blended green mixture from the blender. Rinse the blender with about 1/4 cup water, and add it to the rice. Stir once, raise the heat and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Turn off the heat, uncover and place a clean kitchen towel over the pot. Replace the lid, and allow the rice to stand undisturbed for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a spoon or fork, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve.
Yield: Serves four to six as a side dish.

Recipe found on NYTimes

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