Puerto Rican-Style Green Rice with Tomatillos (& Shrimp!)

I love the tangy taste of tomatillos and found this recipe for Puerto Rican-Style Green Rice with Tomatillos in one of my newer cookbooks, The Tropical Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein. Tomatillos are low in calories and a very good source of potassium, vitamin C, and fiber.  

Klein says: "If you like tomatillos, you'll love this unusual rice dish. To turn it into a main course for three or four, add about 1 1/2 cups of cooked black beans when you stir in the salsa."  

Puerto Rican-Style Green Rice with Tomatillos

The Tropical Vegan Kitchen, Donna Klein

(Makes 6 servings)

6 large tomatillos (about 3/4 pound), husked, stemmed, and rinsed under warm water to remove stickiness

About 1 cup water

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp finely chopped jalapeno chili (optional)

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt, plus additional, to taste

1 1/4 cups long-grain white rice

1/4 cup mild or medium tomato salsa, preferably chunky style

In a medium stockpot or large saucepan filled with boiling water, add the tomatillos and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain. Transfer the tomatillos to a food processor fitted with the knife blade, or to a blender; process until smooth and pureed. Add enough water to the tomatillos to measure 2 1/2 cups total.

In a medium deep-sided skillet with a lid, combine the tomatillo mixture, cilantro, chili (if using), oil, garlic, and salt; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the rice, cover, and reduce heat to low; simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the salsa and additional salt, if necessary. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes; fluff with a fork and serve.

Per serving: Calories 183, Protein 4g, Total Fat 3g, Sat.Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Carbs 35g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sodium 208mg.

Notes/Results: Good and tangy with a nice kick from the jalapeno and salsa. I subbed brown long-grain rice for the white rice which is why I think the end result was not so green. This dish is great as a side on its own or a main dish with the black beans but I have been craving shrimp lately so I made some garlic-lime shrimp to eat with it. I marinated the shrimp for about 20 minutes in garlic, parsley flakes, paprika. black pepper and a no-salt herbal blend and then sauteed them in a touch of olive oil until pink and cooked through and then squeezed the juice of a lime over them. A delicious, filling and healthy dinner.

Although it is by no means cold here, the weather the past couple of days has been cool by Hawaii's standards, which means wearing socks and a having a light blanket on the couch. Since we don't often have a lot of blankets sitting around the house, Max has decided that it is his new toy and thinks it is pretty fun to play hide and seek.