Tomato Rice

Living with 6 other roommates has its perks. We share lots of food, and hardly anyone ever eats alone. We'll also have the occasional family dinner, where we all cook together and eat together. This is a recipe that I learned from my cousin Karen, who I think learned it from her friend Ezzie, and ever since I made it for my roommates for a family dinner, we make it almost every week. It's a staple of sorts in our apartment. If you want the rice to be extra tomato-y, skip the water and substitute more tomato sauce. Karen also suggested adding a can of beans to the mixture (when you add the tomato sauce and water), which I love to do. Serve it with your meat of choice, with taco fixings, or just in a tortilla. This recipe serves four as a side dish, or two if it's the main course. As always, there will be leftovers for tomorrow!

Half of a small yellow onion, chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic (I love garlic, so I put 2), minced
1 cup of white rice
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
Olive oil
Salt

Rinse the rice in a mesh strainer under cold water. Let drain. Place a small pot over medium-low heat and coat the bottom with olive oil to heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 7-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until just starting to brown. Add the rice and cook until the rice is translucent, or at least more translucent than it was to start. Add a few dashes of salt. Add the can of tomato sauce and stir, then add water. Bring the liquid to a boil, then turn down heat to medium-low or low, so that it is no longer boiling, but slightly simmering. Cover with a lid so that rice stays moist. Let cook for about 20 minutes, depending on the rice (be sure to check on it, and stir it if it sticks to the bottom!).