Chris M Jolley DDS

Better than Tucano’s Rice and Beans

Here is our ‘Healthy Recipe’ for the week. Both Dr. Jolley and his wife served missions among the Latin people. Rice and Beans are a healthy and delicious addition to any meal as well as a family favorite. We have had many requests for this recipe, so we decided to feature it in this week’s ‘Healthy Recipe.’

RICE

If cooking white rice –

Boil 1 ½ cups of water  for every cup of white rice.

(ie 3cups of water and 2 cups of dry white rice will serve 4 people)

Add ½ Tblsp. butter to the boiling water than add rice.

Place heat on low, cover pan with lid and cook for 20min.

If cooking Brown rice –

Boil 2 ½ cups of water for every cup of Brown rice.

(this will also serve 4 people)

Add 1 tblsp of butter to boiling water than add rice.

Place heat on low, cover pan with lid and cook for 45min.

You can serve rice plain with beans or you can jazz it up. Add a bouillon cube (chicken or beef) to the boiling water just before adding rice. Sometimes I also like to add a dash of ‘Mrs. Dash’ to the rice for flavor. You can also add basil, oregano or any spice you like to the rice after it is cooked to give it a little more flavor and add a splash of color. 
Optional – You can saute and add ½ cup green and/or red pepper chopped.

BEANS

You can use this recipe for Black or Pinto Beans

I learned from my Brazilian neighbor that using a Crockpot is faster and easier than a pressure cooker. A Crockpot is cheaper to buy and will give you many more uses. It takes the ‘pain’ out of cooking dry beans, which are much healthier and more delicious than canned.

This recipe is so easy! Just requires a little planning to start it on time.

8 cups of water

2 ½ cups of beans (pinto or black) = 16oz bag of beans.

1cup of chopped onion or rehydrate 2 Tblsp of dry onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup of oil (olive or canola) –for sautéing onions and garlic

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp salt

¼ cup Cider vinegar

¼ tsp ground pepper

¼ tsp of dry mint leaves (Brazilian secret)


Place Crockpot on High

Add 8 cups of water

2 ½ cups of beans (pinto or black)

For Pinto beans cook on high for 4-6 hours (the longer you cook, the less gas they will create)

For Black beans cook on high for 12-18 hours ( you’ll know either black or pinto beans are done cooking when they are swollen and very soft.)

When beans are soft and done. Place Crockpot on low.

Saute onions and garlic in oil. Then add to beans

Add remaining ingredients and enjoy!

Why RICE and BEANS as our Healthy recipe? Here are the benefits of eating this combination.

Benefits of rice
Rice is a source of complex carbohydrates, which are our primary source of energy. It also has all the amino acids your body needs to maintain and produce muscle tissue, antibodies, enzymes and hormones. It contributes to healthier skin, hair, eyesight, nervous system and blood vessels. Although many of the nutrients are washed out of white rice, brown rice retains all its vitamins. In the U.S., the vitamins are added back to white rice; this is sold as Enriched Rice. (Abuela’s tip: if you are cooking enriched rice, do not wash it before cooking you will take away the vitamins again). If you want to know the benefits different kinds of rice have click here ~different benefits for your body.

Benefits of beans
Beans are a great source of antioxidants, the darker the beans the higher the antioxidant level (go black beans!). They are also valued for their high protein content. Beans help our digestive system by keeping our colon functioning. They can reduce the risk of some cancers and heart problems. How you cook the beans makes a huge difference, given that canned beans contain preservatives and lots of salt. There’s an easy solution: get dry beans and make them in a pressure cooker or Crockpot.  Dry beans tend to be cheaper, and even though it takes a lot longer to make them, the over-cooking can help reduce the amount of gas beans produce in the intestines.

Benefits of combining rice and beans
Even though beans are considered an important source of protein, most vegetarian proteins are considered incomplete because they only contain some of the amino acids our body needs. Nevertheless, combining grains and legumes forms a complete protein that is also high in fiber. In that way, rice and beans can serve as a tasty meat replacement. There are other non-health benefits to eating rice and beans like cost, availability and variety.

Rice and beans are also a nice compliment to chicken or roast beef or pork, for those of you who still like to have your meat.

Also add a nice green salad or vegetable dish and you will have an amazing meal!

ENJOY!

Article 'Benefits of Rice and Beans' Source www.beinglatino.us/lifestyle/food-2