Mind Over Matter

This was a really cool recipe I had the pleasure of making, eating and sharing. I have always enjoyed Spanish cuisine and never really attempted to ever make it until now. It came out so good!! You HAVE to try this recipe! It’s going to leave you with a full stomach and plenty of left overs. You know, the more years I spend on this Earth, the more I understand how some of the things my family taught me was pretty true. One of them being, eating at home is best. With personal experience in the food industry, I can assure you not all restaurant businesses who have an “A” displayed on their window is true… Yes there are really filthy things being hidden from the public. You don’t know because you are not being informed. Food safety and other issues are a concern. With that being said, think twice about where you’re eating out, who is handling your food/drinks and more… Let’s get into this recipe without further ado.

Ingredients you will need are: rice, onion, sofrito, pigeon peas, green pitted olives, tomato sauce, sazon, salt, pepper, adobo, cumin, olive oil, and water. OPTIONAL: Chicken breast.

Step one: Prep the onions. In a heavy bottom pot, on medium-low heat add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Cook the onions for 3 minutes. Stir gently and let them sweat. Sprinkle a teeny bit of salt.

Step two: Add the pigeon peas, tomato sauce, olives and all of the seasonings. Cook for about another 3 minutes. Give it a good stir as well.

Step three: Add the water and bring to a boil. You can turn up the heat from medium-low to medium now. Once it’s boiling, go ahead and add the rice. Stir everything well! Cook for 25 minutes. Now the trick is to keep the pot covered with a lid for only the first half. Halfway through remove the lid, lower the heat to low (lol) and finish cooking. At the halfway mark stir ONLY ONCE!*

I served my Puerto Rican rice & beans with grilled chicken. You can choose whichever meat/fish you prefer. I really enjoyed this recipe and now I can whip it up anytime I desire. And so can you! Before I conclude this post, I also want to touch base upon the fact that home-based cooking had lost its appeal due to advancements in technology, advertisements targeting women who were home-makers to become modern-day workers, today’s fast-paced lifestyle and the loss of value in upbringing a family. No, not everyone needs to or wants to raise a family and that is fine. One of my favorite memories is when I co-taught cooking/baking classes in the Upper East and Upper West side to private school kids. Instilling the value of learning to prepare your own meals to kids at such a young age was an honor. Something that was passed down to me as a child and I was able to continue keeping that spark alive. Home-based cooking is something that just can’t be beat. The LOVE that goes into preparing a meal for your friends and family is what keeps them alive and strong. You won’t find that elsewhere. Happy cooking and enjoy!

Prep: 5 mins Cook: 30 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 can or 1 cup of pigeon peas
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup green olives
• 2 & 1/2 cups of water
• 2 cups white rice
• 1/3 cup sofrito
• 1 tsp adobo
• 1/2 packet sazon
• 1 & 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin