Make Your Own Takeout: Cilantro Lime Rice

I live about 20 minutes from the nearest anything.  Grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, hardware stores...you get the idea.  And what is available 20 minutes away is limited which means we often have to drive quite a bit further to satisfy our cravings...which we almost never do.  Seriously, after spending a minimum of 2 hours in the car per day, 5 days per week the craving has to be pretty intense for either one of us, much less both of us, to be willing to put on proper clothes, hop in the car and go out anywhere for anything.  This has led to a desire on my part to learn to make as many of the foods I crave from our favorite takeout joints as possible.  If you happen to follow me on Pinterest, you may be aware I have a huge group board I call Make Your Own Takeout.  Hence, this first installment of Make Your Own Takeout: Cilantro Lime Rice.

One place I have been introduced to since starting my job in Kent is Chipotle.  I really like the burrito bowl with Cilantro Lime Rice, Carnitas, beans, corn, etc.  The rice is very good, but I knew I could not only easily make it at home, but make it even better with more flavor.  The beauty of this dish is that you can either make it completely from scratch or make it using leftover rice and, if you're in a hurry, you can even make the whole thing in your rice cooker (or saucepan on the stovetop) in one fell swoop!

I am making Chicken Enchilada Cobbler today and I had some leftover rice in the fridge I decided to use up so I started with 2 cups of the leftover rice and added the zest of 1 lime...



...and the juice of half of the same lime...



...a handful of cilantro....





...plus some ground cumin, onion powder, and salt.  Mix it all up, reheat and Voila!  Cilantro Lime Rice.  At this point you can reheat it and serve it with Fish Tacos, Fajitas or top it with Carnitas and Make Your Own Takeout burrito bowl - or any other recipe you'd like to use it in - like the Chicken Enchilada Cobbler I'm making.



Here's the recipe:

Cilantro Lime Rice

Method 1: Precooked Rice

2 cups cooked rice
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lime (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
pinch of salt
handful fresh cilantro, chopped or 1 tsp dried cilantro

Mix all ingredients together, reheat and serve.

Method 2: Rice Cooker
*1 1/2 cups rice
*3 cups water or chicken stock
zest of 1 lime (or more to taste)
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt (less if using salted chicken stock)
handful fresh cilantro, chopped or 1 tsp dried cilantro

Thoroughly rinse uncooked rice until the water runs clear.  Add to rice cooker along with all ingredients except cilantro if using fresh.  Set rice cooker per manufacturers instructions.  Serve hot with your favorite Mexican dish.

*NOTE: You may need to adjust these amounts per the manufacturers instructions for your rice cooker.  The manufacturers instructions trump those above.  If using a saucepan on the stovetop, follow the instructions for rice to liquid ratio on the package of rice you choose to use, then add everything else and cook as per usual.