A simple and healthy one-dish Mexican meal with rice, kidney beans, veggies and cheese.
This is one of my go-to recipes when I can’t think of what to make and I don’t have a lot of time. t’s similar to my chili recipe, where there are several different cans that you throw into one big pot, except this meal is meatless. The ingredients are all staples in my kitchen, and the meal comes together pretty quickly, especially if you skip the baking part. I Sometimes I don’t even microwave or broil the cheese; I just sprinkle it on and cover it until it’s melted. My mom used to make this dish when was I was growing up, so it brings back lots of memories for me when I make it. I find myself drawn to many of my childhood meals when I’m cooking, I guess because they remind me of home and there’s something comforting in that. I want to recreate that for my own kids. I’m not too sure if it’s working, but they’re still young. Right now dinners are often a struggle, especially with Cole. This meal was no exception. I don’t force him to eat it, but I also don’t offer him anything else for dinner. So he left the table without eating anything, and eventually came back to it and had a few bites but said he didn’t like it. The rest of the family enjoyed it though.
[amd-yrecipe-recipe:4]
-Recipe adapted from The Lighthearted Cookbook
Food and Whine 
This would make a great weeknight meal
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I had problems with pickiness as well. We used a system of rewards for trying new foods. We had a sticker chart for a month and every time our kids finished a small portion of the new food, they got a sticker. Once they had the whole month done, they got a big treat (for us it was a basic build a bear animal). We have worked really hard to keep up with it, but both of our boys (even my super picky boy who has Autism) are good eaters now. It makes dinner time much less stressful knowing that they will eat what I have made. You are doing the right thing by nudging your son to branch out a bit! He’ll get there before you know it!! (We always offered cut up fruits and veggies as sides when trying out a new dish so that the kids were at least getting something nutritious if they only tried a little bit of the weird or new entree!)I love seeing the recipes you are trying out and have made a few. I make something similar to this dish, but with ground beef. Looks good!
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love your blog! I’ve given you the Cherry on Top award…come to my blog to pick it up and pass ‘er on! http://foodieatthefinishline.blogspot.com/
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This looks so good! You have some great recipes that Ill be trying soon!Check out some of my recipes 🙂 http://summyb.blogspot.com/
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I found this on Pinterest and tried it tonight and we loved it!!! So easy! I used microwave rice so it was fast. Thank you!!!!!
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This was pretty good. We skipped the mushrooms and red pepper since we didn’t have either on hand. Also, we did not drain the tomatoes (was not specified in recipe) and it turned out fine. Thanks for sharing!
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This may sound stupid, but what is converted rice ?
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haha, no that’s a great question! It’s brown rice that’s been pre-soaked and steamed, so it takes less time to cook than regular brown rice and tastes more like white rice. It’s also known as parboiled rice.
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Thanks!
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Converted rice is just parboiled white rice, not brown rice. That’s why it tastes like white rice. Brown rice is just white rice with the hull still on it.
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Has anyone tried substituting white rice for the converted rice? Did it turn out? I don’t have any converted rice on hand.
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I saw this on Pinterest today and it looks amazing! It’s right up my son’s alley! I can’t wait to make it!
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I assume you add the rice when you add the other ingredients? I didn’t see it, but I may have missed it.
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Yes you’re right, you add rice with the other ingredients, it was missed.
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Saw this on Gojee. Made it tonight with some slight modifications. Excellent dish
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My husband made this for our family on the weekend, it was so delicious he made it the following night. He also added corn (off the cob) and once cooked added coriander and Greek yoghurt, with cucumber and iceberg lettuce on the side. It’s our new favourite vegetarian dish. Thanks! 🙂
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How many people does this serve? I’m thinking of increasing for a potluck.
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Funny, I just made this for dinner last night! It makes about 4 adult servings.
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Thanks!
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