Healthy, easy rice recipe

I tweeted about sharing this recipe, so here it is!

A couple weeks ago, I made a few Jamaican jerk pork chops and needed a rice recipe to go with it.  What was suggested with the pork was a curry rice, but neither my fiance or I are big fans of curry, so I scavenged the cabinets and came up with something on my own.  What resulted was apparently very good (I didn't actually get to try it the first time around), and my fiance talked about it for days.  So, I made it again tonight and documented the process for anyone who might be interested!

First thing, a rice cooker will make this process a lot easier.  I have the following one from Proctor Silex.  It's not fancy and I believe it was pretty inexpensive.

The brown rice I use is Texmati long grain brown rice.  I find this at my local grocery store, but any real brown rice will do.

I put the rice in the rice cooker bowl and first "wash" it with cold water, swirling the rice around in the water and then draining.

Then I put enough water in the rice so that when I place my index finger in the bowl and touch the rice, the water comes up to the halfway point to my first knuckle.  I think it was almost a cup and a half of rice, maybe a little less.

Chop a small to medium tomato and half of a medium to large red onion.  Heat some olive oil in a skillet, and add the onion.  I like to add a little minced garlic (I use the jarred kind).

When the onions have started to soften, add the tomato and mix.

When everything is soft and cooked through, it's ready to add to the rice cooker.

First, I add some spice for more flavor.  I like chipotle chile pepper - it has a smoky scent and flavor that brings a nice warmth to the rice.  I add probably close to a teaspoon - add as much as you like.

Now the rice cooker is just sitting there, waiting for the tomatoes and onions.

Add the contents of your skillet to the rice cooker and stir to mix.

Turn on the rice cooker, put on the lid, and let it do it's thing.

When your rice cooker is done, the result is a flavorful side dish that complements any kind of spicy entree.  My fiance swears it's the perfect combination (jerk pork and this rice recipe), and I like how they're distinct flavors that do seem to work well together.  It's also a healthy side dish.

If you try this out, let me know what you think!