Creamy Rice with Nopalitos

Ingredients

• 8 ounces anaheim chiles 
• 1.5 cups basmati long-grain uncooked
• 8 ounce carton cream fat-free sour
• 3 cups less-sodium chicken broth fat-free
• 2  garlic cloves minced
• 6 ounces monterrey jack cheese shredded
• 9 ounces nopales trimmed (cactus paddles)
• 1.5 teaspoons olive oil 
• 0.5 cup onion chopped
• 4 ounce pimientos diced drained
• 8 ounce carton yogurt plain fat-free

Equipment

• baking sheet
• oven
• baking pan
• ziploc bags
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 37
2. Place the nopales and chiles on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until chiles are blackened and nopales are tender, turning nopales once.
3. Place chiles in a zip-top plastic bag; seal.
4. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel chiles; cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes; chop chiles to measure 1/2 cup. Chop nopales to measure 1 cup.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 35
6. While nopales and chiles cook, prepare the rice.
7. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
8. Add onion and garlic, and saut 5 minutes or until tender.
9. Add rice, and saut 2 minutes.
10. Add broth, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Cool slightly.
11. Add nopalitos (chopped nopales), chiles, yogurt, sour cream, and pimiento to rice mixture; stir until well-blended. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with cheese.
12. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Broil 8 minutes or until lightly browned.