Green Rice (Arroz Verde)

For our Mexican feast this Saturday, I made some tasty and tangy green poblano rice, called arroz verde in Spanish, to accompany the pork chops. This is a simple dish that combines lots of fresh healthy veggies and herbs with spicy poblano pepper and rice. It makes a lovely accompaniment for grilled meats.

Poblanos are large, mild peppers, somewhere between a bell pepper and a jalepeno on the spicy scale. They add an intensity and heat to the dish without too much spice. Combined with cooling herbs, in this case cilantro and mint, it adds a lot of flavor to this simple dish.

There are many ways to make this dish, and you can use a number of different herbs, types of rice, or veggies to make it your own. I used the various things I had just grabbed at the farmers market: spinach, spring onions, baby leeks, cilantro and mint. But parsley and basil can also add some fabulous flavors. I made a big batch of this planning for some leftovers and I have not been disappointed. I brought some cold for lunch today and it was fantastic. I think next time I may add some nuts for crunch.

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Mexican Rice Salad

Now that the weather is nice, we are grilling more and more. It's so nice to kick back after a long week with a beer outside in our backyard. If bribed with peanut butter, Archer will even sit quietly out there with us. I wanted to create a low maintenance side dish that would pair well with all sorts of grilled goodies. I adore wild rice and decided to dress it up with some healthy Mexican flavors. Black beans, corn, pepper and carrots all combine for a filling and tasty salad. Packed with filling protein and fiber, this can easily be a great main dish or a side.

This recipe is extremely versitile. It can be served warm or cold and will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. I made a big batch and enjoyed it for lunch with some mixed greens.

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Bok Choy Fried Rice

I love coming up with new versions of takeout-style dishes. One of my favorites is throwing together some random ingredients to make fried rice. In the early days of this blog, I featured one of my favorite quick dinner recipes, bok choy fried rice. You can see the original post here. I decided to make it again, with some updates and modifications.

I love this recipe for many reasons, but mostly because it is really quick. This recipe took me a total of 20  minutes to make, start to finish. It's packed with a ton of veggies, lean protein and fiber.

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Pomegranate Wild Rice Pilaf

I don't need to tell you pomegranates are incredibly healthy and filled with all kinds of amazing vitamins and minerals. One of my favorite things about winter is the abundance of pomegranates at the store. After dinner, Craig and I usually split one while watching TV. I love picking out the sweet and tart seeds and how stained my fingers get. After picking up a few at the store, I decided to use them to perk up some high fiber wild rice. This dish is super simple. Just toss wild rice with pomegranate seeds, chopped pistachios and a bit of red onion and you have a tangy and flavorful side dish that is filled with cholesterol lowering fiber and cancer fighting antioxidants. Tossing the toppings with the hot rice slightly 'cooks' the onion. But if you are not a fan of raw onion you can omit it.


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Lentil and Wild Rice Stew

So I decided to post twice tonight since the next few days are going to be CRAZY busy with work and holiday parties. It has gotten REALLY cold here in Boston. The past few weeks have been so nice and now I'm leaving the house with a hat and gloves every day! The one great thing about cold weather is that you crave soup. This weekend, I wanted lentil soup so badly I decided to come up with a new version!

This stew (or soup or stewp, whatever you want to call it) is super simple and very tasty. Lentils, wild rice, and some veggies combine for a filling meal that is light and healthy. The holidays can overwhelm you with indulgences, sometimes its nice to just enjoy a simple meal that isn't filled with calories, fat and/or salt. I also love this recipe because it makes ample leftovers that heat up nicely in the microwave.

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Cuban Style Rice and Beans

Rice and beans is an ultimate comfort dish. In Cuba, this dish is referred to as Moros y Cristianos, which translates to Moors and Christians. The traditional preparation requires cooking with a ham hock and white rice. I decided to make a healthier, vegetarian version, that uses dried black beans and brown rice. The complex flavors come from the addition of a jalepeno, tomato paste and red wine vinegar. This version is low in fat and sodium, and bursting with healthy protein and fiber. It makes a great dinner and leaves plenty of leftovers for lunch!

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Mexican Chicken Soup

So, apparently it is already fall, which is sort of crazy, since last week it was still 80 degrees outside. Anyway, I have decided to celebrate the sudden chill with some hearty and filling soup. It is sort of a soup/stew hybrid really. This is a simple recipe that can be put together in 45 minutes. Shredded chicken, corn, black beans and brown rice create a filling soup that is packed with protein and fiber. Lime juice, chili peppers and cumin create some bold flavors without added calories. I found this to be such a satisfying, warming meal and as a bonus, I got a few days of lunch out of the leftovers.
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Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao is a classic dish in Sichuan cuisine, originating in the Sichuan province of Western China. This is a protein packed dish that has a robust, spicy flavor. At any western restaurant, this is a calorie bomb, but this version is very lean, packing only 276 calories per serving. Adjust the level of spice to your liking by using less sriracha sauce and chili oil. Ideally, you should use dried chilies for this recipe, but I have no clue where to buy those, so I made do with fresh. Serve over brown rice for a complete, 30 minute meal.

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Bok Choy Fried Rice

Bok Choy, also known as Chinese cabbage, is an antioxidant packed powerfood that you should add to your shopping list immediately. It is high in phytonutrieints, vitamins A, C, and K. It's also a great source of potassium and folic acid, and, like all cruciferous veggies, is a known cancer fighter due to high levels of glucosinates. Having purchased some bok choy this week, I decided to whip up a simple fried rice with chicken, carrots and bean sprouts. This recipe makes a quick and easy dinner that is low in calories and sodium. Feel free to substitute your protein source of choice for the chicken, I think this dish would be divine with tofu or shrimp. The sauce is a simple combination of things you probably have lying around. The key is to use light sauce, too much will overpower the mild bok choy.

Full recipe and photos after the jump.
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