"paella"

This dish started off as mexican tomato rice and ended up somewhere in between that and a paella. it's got the vegetables and the arborio rice, but chili powder instead of saffron, and it wasn't made in a paella pan; instead, i turned the non-stick pan i was using up on high at the last minute to brown the bottom a bit. if you want to get it extra-crunchy, you could put the whole thing in the oven in a cast-iron pan and bake it to finish. If you want it more like mexican rice, just replace the arboria with normal rice and cook it as you would normal rice (add all of the liquid at once and cover). it would also be good with some green beans or kale added to the mix - just cook them separately and add them at the last minute.



Mexican Rice-Paella Hybrid

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1 small can crushed or diced tomatoes
chili powder or paprika to taste
few dashes chipotle powder
some saffron or turmeric (optional - will make it yellow)
1/2 can chickpeas
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
~1 cup frozen peas
1 lime

Heat up some olive oil in a pan and cook your onions with some salt until translucent. Toss in the garlic and arborio rice and cook until everything has started to brown. Add the tomotoes and spices and cook for another few minutes. Add about a cup of water or vegetable broth and cook until it has fully absorbed into the rice, and repeat (like making a risotto). When the rice is getting close to done, stir in the chickpeas, artichoke hearts, and peas (you want them in there long enough to absorb some flavor, but not so long that they fall apart). Keep up the process until the rice is done, adjust salt and spice, and serve with some lime juice squeezed over top. Enjoy!