Spanish Rice

I love spanish rice..... I probably make this almost once a week since we love mexican food.  This is in honor of Cinco de Mayo coming up!!

RECIPE 

2 TBL Butter (or oil)

1 C. White Rice

1 1/2 C. Chicken Broth

1/2 C. Salsa

1 1/2 tsp Tomato Bouillon

1/2 tsp Chili Powder
(Optional) 7 oz. drained and rinsed black beans.

*Rinse and strain the rice.  Heat butter in a skillet, add rice and saute until the rice is a deep golden brown, 5-8 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Let the rice cook for 30 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.

*So I made this yesterday and added 1/2 a can of (drained and rinsed) black beans and it turned out amazing.  I'll have to update the picture with the beans in it. 

Tips:

*1 cup of rice can feed 6-8 people (as a side dish).  Just half the recipe if there's only two of you for dinner, otherwise you'll have a lot leftover.  Rice is still good for a few days if you reheat it on the stove top- just dump it in a skillet and saute until it's warmed up.  It tastes better that way than reheating in the microwave.

*I don't always rinse my rice-if you're in a hurry or forgot to do that step, it won't ruin your rice.  

*I have tried canned tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauce in place of salsa and (in my opinion) salsa wins.  I always have it on hand and nothing goes to waste.  I've tried using homemade salsa and it doesn't turn out the same.  I prefer store bought.

 *The tomato bouillon can be found with the Hispanic foods.  This is worth buying.  It's a few bucks and will last a long time.  (If you don't want to buy it or don't have it on hand, you can omit it from the recipe-the rice will still taste good.)