Paella

My husband and I love seafood and what a better way to incorporate all these marvelous flavors than in a tasteful paella.  Paella is a famous Spanish dish with rice, sea food and chicken.  What gives the rice a particular delightful seafood taste? It is the saffron. If you are a seafood lover give it a try.  I am positive you will love it!

Serving Size: 2
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Money Savings: $20.
Approximate calories per servings: 350

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 lbs chicken breast cut in cubs
2 tbsp garlic minced
1 cup Arborio rice
½ tsp saffron
½ cup tomatoes diced
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 red pepper cut in strips
1 artichoke heart
½ cup frozen peas
6 large raw peeled/unpeeled (your choice) shrimps
1 16oz bag artificial crab meat
8-10 clams
1 ½  lbs calamari
2 tilapia filets in cubes
Adobo
Garlic powder
Complete seasoning

Directions:
In a large bowl place all the sea food together sprinkle (very little) adobo, garlic powder, complete seasoning.
Heat oil on medium heat.  Add chicken pieces and sauté until almost done. Add the rice and saffron, string to coat with oil, stir about one minute.
Add tomatoes, wine and broth.  Bring to a boil.
Add the pepper strips, artichoke heat and peas. Reduce heat to low simmer for 5 minutes.
Add all the seafood into the rice for and keep cooking for another 15 minutes or until rice is done (until grains are open and soft).

Brown Rice with Red Peppers

Many people don’t like brown rice because they think it taste bland. But I could tell you it taste just like white if you know how to prepare it. I soaked the rice for 45 minutes to one hour before I actually began to prepare it. I made the change from white rice to brown rice for the simple reason that it is healthier. My brown rice with red pepper is very delicious and it could be beneficial to your diet and health. This perfect rice can be accompanied with any meat or vegetables. If you prefer it is also perfect by itself.

Serving Size: 4
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 1/2 hour
Money Savings: $4.00
Approximate calories per serving: 223

Ingredients:
3 tbsp Oil
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
2 medium red peppers cut in long slices
2 cups of rice
4 ½ cups of water
Abobo
Complete seasoning
Garlic powder

Directions:
Soak the rice in water for 45 minutes before actually beginning to prepare.
On a medium cooking pot place the oil on medium heat. Place the garlic and onions until onions are glazy. Throw in the peppers and immediately after the rice. Mix in well, for about 5 minutes. Pour the water, sprinkle adobo, complete seasoning, garlic powder to taste. Let it simmer once the water has consumed place a lid on the pot and lower heat to low until rice is cooked.

Brown Rice Gallo Pinto

You might call this arroz y frijoles (rice and beans) moro, or casamiento. We call this great dish Gallo Pinto. Gallo pinto is a typical dish from my country. It is made a little bit different then the other rice and beans. Gallo Pinto is made from cooked rice and cooked beans and it is refried. It is cook different than moro and all the rest of the rice and beans. We also like to add salsa lizano (worshire sauce). We have this for breakfast, lunch or diner it doesn’t matter it is a fabulous dish no matter when you’re craving it. It is also a wonderful dish when you have left over rice and beans.

Gallo Pinto is usually made with white rice. I prepared it with brown rice just because it is healthier. Either way this dish taste amazing.

Serving Size: 4-6
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Money Savings: $5.00

Ingredients:
2 tbsp of oil
1 small green pepper thinly chopped
1 small onion thinly chopped
2 cups of rice
1 ½ cup of beans
Adobo
1/3 cup of fresh cilantro thinly chopped
2 tbsp of worshire sauce or (salza lizano)

Directions:
On a large skillet on medium heat pour oil, green pepper and onions until simmer. Pour rice, then beans mixing well making sure the rice and beans are well mixed. Mix in the cilantro and the worshire sauce (salza lizano). Lower heat to low for 5 minutes and mixing well.
Sprinkle adoblo if needed.

Arroz en Leche (Rice Pudding)

This delicious desert is an old tradition in most Spanish household. Have it cold or hot it doesn’t matter it your choice, your taste, it is still exquisite. Since, this is my husbands absolute favorite desert I took my mother-in-laws recipe and my mom’s recipe and combined them to make one. Very good, very tasteful, Mmmm! DELICIOSO!

Serving Size: 6-8
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Money Savings: $10.00

Approximate calories per serving: 323
Ingredients:
3 ½ cups of water
3 tiny slices of lemon peal
3 cinnamon sticks
2 cups of rice
2 cups of sugar
½ gallon of milk
1 14oz can of sweet condensed milk
Ground Cinnamon to taste

Directions:
In a large cooking pot on medium heat boil the water with cinnamon sticks and the lemon peal.
After water boils pour the rice let the rice boil until the rice is soft if you need to add a little bit more water so that the rice cooks correctly go ahead.
Once the rice has been cooked pour in the sugar stirring it a bit so that the rice doesn’t stick. At this moment the water should have consumed a little so pour in the milk. Keep on stirring. Then pour in the condensed milk. Stir for a couple of minutes then it is ready to eat. If you like it hot!

Tips:
If you rather prepare this with less calories and fat you can use skim milk, skim sweetened condensed milk.
You can also prepare it with brown rice but it takes longer cooking time, because brown rice is a little harder so it will take more time to soften.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Arroz integral con Gandules (Brown Rice and Pigeon Peas)

In many Hispanic households when people get together there is always a dish of Arroz con Gandules or Rice and Pigeon Peas. Every time we had get-togethers my mom always prepared this delicious rice, and every time friends and family have get-togethers they always request my moms arroz con glandules. This amazing rice tastes like and explosion of goodness to your mouth. In each bite you can taste a bit of ham and the pigeon pea in whish is pleasant experience. It is a fine alternative to the regular white rice. I took my moms exact great recipe of her Arroz con Gandules and gave it a healthier twist. I prepare it with brown rich or arroz intergral con Gandules or Brown Rice Pigeon Peas.

Serving Size: 4-6
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Money saver: $15.00
To double serving size just double ingredients
To reduce size just reduce the ingredients and use ½ can of Gandules or Pigeon Peas and use 1/2 of the small ham stake

Ingredients:
3 tbsp of olive oil
Small ham stake cut in cubs
1/3 cups chopped of onion
1/3 cups chopped red pepper
Garlic clove chopped thinly
2 cups of brown rice
1 15oz can of Green Pigeon Peas or Gandules Verdes
4 ½ cups of water
1 envelop Ham Flavor Concentrate
Adobo
Garlic Powder
1 envelop of Sazon


Directions:
On medium heat in a large saucepan place oil, ham, onion, pepper, garlic, and the rice, brown the rice add the glandules or the pigeon peas add in the water. Then add envelop of Ham Flavor Concentrate, Adobo, garlic powder and Sazon. Bring to a simmer cover and lower the heat down to low. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the grains of rice are open and fluffy.