Rec: Lo-Cal Spanish Rice

This is a low-cal Spanish rice accompaniment for an entree. This dish takes a little chopping, so it's best for those days when you feel ambitious in the kitchen. It serves 4, but may be frozen in portions to microwave on other days. This is from Change One, the Reader's Digest diet.

Spanish Rice

1 medium onion, finely chopped (or 1/2 cup minced frozen onion)
1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon jarred garlic)
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced (mild mushrooms, such as button)
2/3 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 cup low sodium tomato juice
1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup water)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
4 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded, and diced (or one 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes)

Lightly coat a deep nonstick skillet with cooking spray and saute the onion, green pepper, celery and garlic until the onion is almost soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and rice and saute until the rice turns golden, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the tomato juice, chicken broth, salt, black pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium-heat. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes.

Cover again and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes longer. Fluff with a fork to keep the rice from sticking, and remove the bay leaf before serving.