Wednesday, January 28, 2009

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.


11 comments:

  1. The flavors in rice and bean combos really appeal to me...I love Mexican seasonings. I think I really need to get my hands on that cookbook...this may call for a trip to the library. Two thumbs up for a delicious and nutritious dinner.

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  2. This looks very good. I am saving this recipe although I am not sure I can get tomaillas around here.

    Love the cat.

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  3. This looks delicious with those big shrimp sitting pretty on top!! Your cat is cute!

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  4. Deb,
    My parents live on the Kona side of the big island. They've said it's been cold too...68 one evening, that is cold for Hawaii standards!

    I need some blogger help. I tried to add your Souper Sunday badge to my blog last night, but couldn't figure out how to do it. I added the gadget and clicked on add a picture from the web but it didn't recognize that. Am I not doing it correctly? I want to add you badge because I love your event! Making a soup every week is helping me with my diet considerably as I can have a bowl of soup for lunch instead of my usual sandwich. Any info you have on how to add the badge would be helpful!

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  5. Look at the size of those shrimp!
    I have yet to try a tomatillo, but they sound like my kind of food. I love tart and tangy.
    A great, well balanced dinner - did you save me some? I promise not to send you any snow.

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  6. Sounds like an amazing dish! Love all the flavours there. Yummy!

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  7. The shrimp look huge! Sounds like the combination was a success.

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  8. mmm these flavors sound really good! stay warm :)

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  9. Perfect timing! I was just looking through my cookbooks for a good rice and bean type side dish to go with some salmon!

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  10. Joanne--thanks! it was healthy and tasted good too.

    Pierce--hope you can find them were you are! If not maybe you could get some tomatillo salsa in a jar and use it for a similar taste.

    Reeni--Max says thanks! I think Moon is adorable too!

    Joie de vivre--so glad it worked for you finally--thanks for adding the logo!

    Natashya--of course but I am not sure how it will survive the trip!

    pigpigscorner--thanks!

    Duo Dishes--thanks! they were great shrimp!

    Kat--thanks! You too! ;-)

    Pam--I hope you like this one!

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