Skip to main content

Arroz Chicano

Here is an easy and healthy way to enjoy Mexican style rice. This works perfect every time and is good enough to eat on its own or even with some vegetarian refried beans as a meal. I have been using this for years. It works for Weight Watchers as a core food!

1 tsp oil (grapeseed or olive is best)
2 cloves of garlic. minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano (optional)
1 cup of brown rice
1 can 10.5 oz vegetarian vegetable soup
2 cans of water

Heat oil in a 2 quart pot. add the pepper flakes and garlic to the hot oil and heat 30 seconds. Add the brown rice and stir occasionally.
When the rice starts to become fragrant (will smell like popcorn) add the soup and the water. Bring to a boil. Add oregano.
Cover and cook on lowest setting until the water is all absorbed (about 35 minutes). Allow to rest 5 - 10 minutes, covered, before serving.
Fluff with a fork (a spoon will crush the grains).

This can also be cooked in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees (after the rice comes to a boil).

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Buy the cheap stinky onions!

Oddly enough the hot stinky cheap onions have more cancer fighting vitamins than those really sweet ones! Here is a good way to cook them to make them sweet and delicious! In fact, when cooked they are always sweeter. The sweet varieties are best eaten raw because when cooked they are less sweet. Peel and core (with your apple corer) a large onion - don't poke the corer all the way through. Place the onion on a sheet of foil. Put a bullion cube in the core, top with a 1/2 teaspoon of a butter substitute, sprinkle with thyme and pepper. Pour a teaspoon of dry sherry over all and grill for 45 minutes or until completely soft. Open and enjoy - it will taste like sweet French Onion Soup! Make one for each person because you won't want to share!

Mindful Eating

Here is an exercise in mindful eating I found on NPR. It is a good exercise for you to try and it could help you slow down your eating which will translate to satisfaction sooner which means less calories consumed! If you're curious to know what mindful eating looks like in practice, here's one exercise, excerpted from a review written by Stephanie Vangsness of Brigham and Women's Hospital. She writes: "Do this exercise with a friend. You will need one small slice of an apple for each person. One person reads the instructions listed below while the other person completes the exercise. 1.Take one bite of an apple slice and then close your eyes. Do not begin chewing yet. 2.Try not to pay attention to the ideas running through your mind, just focus on the apple. Notice anything that comes to mind about taste, texture, temperature and sensation going on in your mouth. 3.Begin chewing now. Chew slowly, just noticing what it feels like. It's normal that your mind will w

Eggplant Parmigiana as good as Mom's

This is a recipe from Terri and John at my St. Bens meeting. I have never been a big eggplant fan except when my mother made eggplant parmigiana. Of course, her version began by frying the eggplant which absorbs oil like a sponge. I usually avoid it just for that reason. In this version the eggplant is baked not fried. The results were so good, we ended up eating double portions at our house. This is one of those things I make over and over again! EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA 1 eggplant (1 1/2 - 2 lbs), peel and cut into 1/2" thick slices and lightly salted 1/4 cup egg beaters (or egg white) w/ 1 T water, lightly beaten 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs (or 1 cup fresh crumbs) 2 cups reduced fat pasta sauce (or your own version of sauce) 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, grated 3 Tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray. Dip eggplant into egg mixture and then toss in bread crumbs. Don't worry if they are not completely co