I believe there’s nothing better than coming home to a plate of Arroz con Gandules, a good Chuleta and a succulent piece of Aguacate. There’s no question that this spell heaven to many of us. I think is partly because of the smell of the crispy chuleta, the anticipation of the buttery goodness of the aguacate and of course there’s the simple pleasure of savoring the gandules with the perfectly seasoned arroz.
Unfortunately as we get older, we realized that loosing or maintaining a healthy weight is something vital in our lives. No longer can we indulge in the simple delicious pleasures that we did before.
Growing up Latina, we always had a full meal waiting for us at dinner. There were no questions regarding grease, carbohydrates or even sugars. You had to eat everything on the plate. And trust me, there were no arguments there when it came to having mami’s food. The problem began in my mid twenties, when I could no long indulge in a plate of arroz con what ever goodness was available because my thighs and back fat were out of control.
So I went on these crazy diets, that mentioned NOTHING about the traditional foods I was used to. Guess what happened next…yup bye bye diet. Then I adopted the eat what you want just in moderation. This one still works till this day. And with that notion in mind I thought about how to make a traditional Latino dish a little bit more healthy and potentially give you the ability to eat more than one little spoonful. Hence, Arroz con Gandules: The Brown Rice Edition.
I know, you’ve had brown rice before and you didn’t like it. Perhaps it was too nutty or even didn’t have taste at all. But I ask that you give Brown Rice a break. Here are some facts regarding brown rice versus white rice;
Plain white rice has far less Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron and over dozen other nutrients. If this is not shocking enough, the dietary fiber contained in white rice is approximately 75% less than of brown rice.
Below is a simple table giving you a at a glance comparision;
| Brown Rice (one cup) | White Rice (one cup) |
Calories | 232 | 223 |
Protein | 4.88 g | 4.10 g |
Carbohydrate | 49.7 g | 49.6 g |
Fat | 1.17 g | 0.205 g |
Dietary Fiber | 3.32 g | 0.74 g |
Thiamin (B1) | 0.176 g | 0.223 g |
Riboflavin (B2) | 0.039 mg | 0.021 mg |
Niacin (B3) | 2.730 mg | 2.050 mg |
Vitamin B6 | 0.294 mg | 0.103 mg |
Folacin | 10 mcg | 4.1 mcg |
Vitamin E | 1.4 mg | 0.462 mg |
Magnesium | 72.2 mg | 22.6 mg |
Phosphorus | 142 mg | 57.4 mg |
Potassium | 137 mg | 57.4 mg |
Selenium | 26 mg | 19 mg |
Zinc | 1.05 mg | 0.841 mg |
The question now is not whether brown rice is good for me, but how to prepare it so that I would actually stand to eat it!
Thanks to Adornos Boricua I was able to do so. The Brown Arroz con Gandules made with Adornos Boricua is one that will quickly become a favorite at your home.
2 cups of Brown Rice
1 Can of Gandules (pigeon peas)
1 envelope of Achiote mix
1 cup of Organic Chicken Broth
Additional ingredients (optional)
1 Tbsp of Alcaparrados (a mixture of olives, pimientos strips and capers)
In a pot combine the
Adornos Boricua Organic Sofrito, tomato sauce, achiote mix, alcaparrados and have it simmer for about 2 minutes on medium heat. Once the flavors have melded, and then add the gandules, and olive oil. Wait approximately 2 minutes, before adding the rest of the ingredients. Stir once to make sure all of the flavors and ingredients are well combined. Put a lid on the pot and have it cooked, undisturbed, for approximately 30 minutes on medium heat.
Your rice should be near perfection! Combine with your favorite steamed vegetables and protein and you have a healthy alternative to a Latino Classic!
Buen Provecho!
I think almost everyone I meet that have not grown up with Latinos confuse bananas and plantains. Which is a normal response, considering that when plantains are ripe they do resemble a Giant Banana. But you should not confuse the two. Let me help you clarify.
