As a tradition of sorts, my mum helped me unpack Tuesday evening and we got Chinese food to help us along with this. On Wednesday I then had the left overs for dinner; this was a bit of a delayed process, as it took me 25 minutes to work out how to turn on my touch-operated electric hob and in the mean time I ate some cold Chinese chips to keep me going (I was so hungry by this point they didn't taste half as bad as I know they should have!). Once I managed to turn it on (more of a happy accident), I could then only figure out how to operate one ring, to the highest heat and had to switch it off at the wall afterwards. You'll be pleased to hear I managed to work it successfully for this recipe today and it's really not as complicated as it first seemed, but perhaps I was just too tired and hungry for my brain to work it out! The hot water also decided to cut out a few times, luckily it's summer and pretty warm, so the freezing cold showers didn't make the start of the day too bad! But the main thing is, I'm all moved in, everything's figured out and I'm absolutely thrilled with my new place & my new job.
Before I moved in I stayed at an air bnb for a couple of nights; here I needed quick and easy food that didn't make too much of a mess of someone else's kitchen. I ended up buying a 2 minute microwavable Mexican rice pack, an avocado & some marinated tofu - I really enjoyed the Mexican rice and thought it would be great for a new post. I cooked the rice in the seasoning using the absorption method, then added in some black beans, coriander & spring onion. I then made a mango, sweetcorn salsa and guacamole to accompany the rice & make it feel a little more gourmet than the rice packet I called dinner on Monday night.
Whilst not as easy as my air bnb 'dinner', this dish is still pretty easy and is full of nutrients - fibre from the wholegrain rice, protein & fibre from the beans, vitamin C from the salsa & healthy fats from the guacamole. The rice is seasoned with cumin, smoked paprika, chili flakes, tomato puree and a little vegetable bouillon - its smoky, savoury, a little spicy and absolutely delicious! I personally love adding all the different spices & flavours myself and with quite a built up stock now I can do this, but if you don't have many spices at home already, you can sub these out for a couple of tbsp of of taco/Mexican seasoning. I paired the rice with some fresh grilled corn & mango salsa and a side of guacamole, for some added flavour, texture and nutrients too! These dishes are so delicious together and also make great leftovers for lunch the next day!
Have you got any funny moving/new house stories? Any mishaps or simply things you might like to eat whilst moving? I'd love to hear about them, so leave a comment at the bottom of the page!
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Mexican Rice & Grilled Corn Mango Salsa | Serves: 4 | Time: 45 mins
Click here for printer friendly version
Mexican Rice & Grilled Corn Mango Salsa | Serves: 4 | Time: 45 mins
You'll Need
- Large saucepan
- Griddle pan
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Griddle pan
- Tongs
- 2x small bowls
Ingredients
Rice
- 1.5 cups uncooked wholegrain rice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp vegan bouillon
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 4 cups water
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
- Juice 1/2 lime
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/2 large mango
- 2 corn on the cob
- Juice 1/4 lime
- 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
- Pinch salt
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 large avocados
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- Juice 1/2 lime
- 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
- Salt
- Pepper
Method
- Add 1.5 cups wholegrain rice to a large saucepan, along with 2 cloves minced garlic, chili flakes, cumin, turmeric, onion powder, smoked paprika, oregano, vegan bouillon and tomato puree. Cover with 4 cups of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the rice is cooked and all the water is absorbed. Keep stirring throughout and add more water if required. Then add 1 can black beans, 4 spring onions and the juice of 1/2 lime and combine.
- To make the salsa, cook the corn until slightly charred, then run a sharp knife down the edges to remove the kernels and transfer to a bowl. Finely dice the onion and mango and add to the bowl along with lime juice, coriander, salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Combine and adjust seasoning if required.
- Mash two large avocados, quarter the cherry tomatoes and combine with lime juice, coriander, salt and pepper. Serve up with the salsa and rice and enjoy!
Cassidy xx
