There’s a newer show on the food network called Simply Delicioso.  I haven’t watched it a ton because it’s not my typical type of food that I like to make, but I watched it a while ago and she made a thing called emerald rice.  It’s a really good way to dress up rice.  I really like it because I’m all about cooking something once and using it twice…so recently when I’ve been making a dish that you eat over rice like Chicken Divan, Katie Couric’s Lemon Chicken, or Stir Fry I’ll make extra rice and use it to make this Emerald Rice as a side dish later that week.  It’s surprising how much you can spice up simple rice with this recipe with ingredients that alot of times you already have on hand!

I’m not usually a huge fan of rice, but I really love this dish!  It’s called Emerald Rice because it has cilantro and parsley in it so it has pretty green flecks all through it.  Then you broil it with parmesan cheese on top so it comes out with a golden crust.  So not only does it taste delicious but it’s a pretty looking little side dish too!

Emerald Rice

• 2 c. cooked rice
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 c. finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves*
• 1/4 c. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 tsp lime zest
• 1/4 c. finely grated Parmesan (I use more!)
• s&p

1. Preheat your broiler to high.
2. Place the rice and butter in a 8×8 pyrex dish and heat in the microwave until it’s warmed through.
3. Mix in the cilantro, parsley, lime zest, and s&p.
4. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan.
5. Place the dish under the broiler for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese is browned.

Recommendations:

• I know a few people that don’t like cilantro (I don’t understand why!), so if you don’t like cilantro, or if you don’t have any on hand I’m sure you could use all parsley.  I’m sure it would still be great because the main components of this dish are just the fact of having fresh herbs and the Parmesan crust on top.

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