Rice, chicken, Bread and The Sierra Madre Grocery Company

I love food that is home made.  As a general rule I feel like the food tastes, smells and looks better than foods made from packaged, processed ingredients.  There are a few exceptions to that rule and the products from the Sierra Madre Grocery Company are definitely exceptions!

I was given four jars of salsa, one jar of caramelized onions and garlic, seasoning rub and a box of cheese and olive crisps (yum!) to sample and immediately thought to myself "play time!"  Yes, salsa is often eaten with corn chips (which my kids love to do) but since I can't eat corn tortillas I usually find something else to do with it. 

The first jar I opened was the Fruit N' Fire Bruschetta Salsa.  It intrigued me.  I had a fresh baguette which I sliced, topped with Brie cheese and added a spoonful of the sweet and slightly spicy salsa.  I loved it!  The flavor is fresh with a sweet tangy fruit taste and a bit of a spicy bite that hits you at the end. 

The kids thought I was crazy, nothing new, but I knew they would understand once they tasted it.  I suggested they open the other jars and try them with the corn chips I had picked up.  My daughter skeptically tried the Black Bean and Corn Bruschetta Salsa.  As she started chewing her face lit up.  "Oh my gosh this is really good!" she said as she dug in with the another chip, all while telling her brother to he had to try it.  A full bag of chips later they had eaten more than half of that the jar and half a jar of the Roasted Rustic Vegetable Bruschetta Salsa.    I have been told I must find where these products are sold.

As you know I like to play with my food and I thought the Caramelized Onions and Roasted Garlic would be wonderful not only on burgers but also baked into bread.  Turkey burgers, wonderful topped with this.  The bread, so good.  I used my one hour French style bread recipe, reduced the water by 1/2 a cup and added 1 cup of the onions and garlic in its place and a 1/4 cup of finely shredded Parmesan cheese and proceeded as usual, adding a little extra shredded Parmesan cheese on top of the loaf also.  The bread made great toast, garlic bread and sandwiches but was really good all on its own also.

Since the bread worked so well I decided to use the Roasted Garlic and Olive Bruschetta Salsa in a version of my pressure cooker chicken and rice. I also used the Sierra Seasoning Rub on not only the chicken but also in the rice.  Using the pressure cooker I had a really good meal in under 30 minutes and I didn't heat up the kitchen.  I will definitely be making this again soon.

You will want to find these products.  You will be pleased.  Try the chicken and rice, it is a quick easy dinner your family will enjoy.

Chicken and Rice with Sierra Madre Grocery Company

4 chicken breast halves
1 Tablespoons Sierra Seasoning Rub (plus more for seasoning the chicken)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups long grain rice
3 cups water
1/2 SMGC* Roasted Garlic and Olive Bruschetta Salsa

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Season both sides of the chicken liberally with the seasoning rub. Set an electric pressure cooker to brown, add 2 T olive oil. Brown both sides of the chicken in pressure cooker (2-3 minutes each side).  Remove the chicken and set aside.  Set the pressure cooker to saute.  Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes until soft. Add water, tomato sauce, rice, seasoning rub, salsa and salt. Stir to combine.  Place chicken on top of rice mixture. Close pressure cooker.  Set to high pressure for 3 minutes. Natural release for 7 minutes then quick release pressure.  Serve chicken with additional salsa if desired.

 *SMGC = Sierra Madre Grocery Company

One final note.  If, like my son you love these salsas so much you find you can't just eat a small amount, he discovered they combine well.  He found about a 1/6 of the of the Roasted Rustic Vegetable Salsa and decided that it was not enough so he combined with with about the same amount of the Roasted Garlic and Olive Bruchetta Salsa and said they tasted great together.  Who knew? Got to love the kid!