I never grew up eating taco salads and such - ours was an Italian home. We do meatballs and pasta, Italian sausage and lasagna. In fact, I think my first taste of taco salad was after the birth of one of my children, when someone brought it over for dinner. My first thought was how messy it was going to be, but it wasn't as bad as I thought, and the fun of it and ability to customize it for picky eaters can't be sniffed at.
One day I was looking online and stumbled across this wonderful recipe for Mexican Rice at Good.Cheap.Eats. This totally completes the meal and does a great job of filling up my hungry crew. Follow the link for video instructions, or simply:
Heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add 2 cups rice and toast until the grains are very white. Remove from heat and add 8oz of tomato sauce. Stir will then add 4 cups of chicken broth. Return to the heat & bring to a boil. Then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
For the full meal, add some taco-flavored meat or heated beans (we like black or pinto) and serve with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cheese, salsa, sour cream and tortillas. Yum.
