Arroz con Gandules y Ensalada Rusa
Traditional dishes ready in half the average cook time using Anyday's microwave cookware.
By: Franchesca Livraghi | @breakthrukitchen
We all love preparing our favorite dishes for our friends and family during holidays, special occasions, and weekends. But who says we can’t enjoy these special dishes on a regular weeknight, and without turning the kitchen upside down and using every pot, pan, and utensil in the house?
Well, the good news is, you can! For this recipe, I’ve used Anyday’s glass microwave cookware to put together Arroz con Gandules y Ensalada Rusa for a weeknight dinner that is quick, easy, and mess-free! Anyday is an all-in-one microwave cookware designed to save you time in the kitchen. They created specially designed glass cookware with vented lids that make it possible to cook just about anything you can think of in the microwave.
They are made with liftable knobs that allow for steam to release and ventilation while cooking in the microwave, and these knobs can also be pushed all the way down to create an airtight seal so you can even prep meals and store them in the fridge or freezer for later.
If you don’t have regular access to a stovetop or hot plate, Anyday's cookware is a great option for you to be able to enjoy homemade meals that are delicious and ready in no time!
And when you pair these microwavable dishes with recipes using Loisa’s organic seasonings and sofritos, you can really make some magic in the microwave. You’re going to feel so proud to say you cooked this in the microwave!
How to Make Arroz con Gandules in the Microwave
Making arroz con gandules the traditional way can be very time consuming, from soaking the beans to cooking them for several hours until tender, to finally adding the seasonings and rice.
In this recipe using Anyday's cookware, the total cooking time is cut nearly in half! You do have to soak the peas for a few hours if you want to use dry gandules, but you can cook them in the microwave directly in the pot you soak them in, and they become perfectly tender in just an hour's time.
After the beans are fully cooked, you’re just a couple steps and 30 minutes away from perfectly cooked arroz con gandules!
How to Make Ensalada Rusa in the Microwave
Ensalada rusa is a particularly simple and straightforward recipe, but unless you have access to a stovetop or hot plate, you won’t be able to prepare the vegetables to perfect tenderness for the dish.
Luckily, with the Anyday pot, you can have fork-tender potatoes and carrots ready to enjoy in just four minutes! Usually you have to wait around 10 or 15 minutes for the water to boil and another 15-20 minutes for the potatoes and carrots to be fully cooked through.
After four quick minutes, you can dress the potatoes and carrots with onions, mayonnaise, and cilantro before giving it a good mix. Optionally, you can purchase ready made hard boiled eggs to keep the classic components of the dish, but you can also just skip this step entirely.
Tips and Tricks
- If you’re crunched for time, you can use canned pigeon peas instead of dry pigeon peas to prepare this microwave version of arroz con gandules. It cuts your prep time significantly and you’ll have a delicious pot of arroz con gandules in under an hour. Simply skip steps 1-3 of the recipe and begin at step 4 instead!
- Anyday dishes are multi-functional! You can use these dishes as tupperware after you are finished cooking or even for prepping recipes beforehand. These dishes are also safe to store in the freezer, so you could meal prep for weeks in advance for even more convenience. You would just remove the dish from the freezer, let it sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours, place it in the microwave ensuring the steam handle is pulled up for ventilation, and you will have dinner ready in minutes!
- Throughout this recipe, I am utilizing a microwave of 1100 watts. The cooking times illustrated here are an average estimate, if your microwave had significantly less watts, then I urge you to head over to the Anyday recipe web page for more exact instructions on how to prepare rice, beans, and potatoes in the microwave using your exact microwave watts.
- For a tastier potato salad, you can throw in a tbsp of Loisa’s Recaito to the mix and create an herby, tangy ensalada rusa of your dreams! If you’ve tried Loisa’s Recaito Mayo then you know these two ingredients go together perfectly.
Arroz con Gandules y Ensalada Rusa
4
25 minutes
2 hours
Ingredients
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½ cup dried pigeon peas
8 ¼ cups water, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Loisa Sofrito
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp Loisa Organic Adobo
1 tsp Loisa Organic Sazón
¼ tsp Loisa Organic Oregano
1 ½ cup extra long grain rice
1 handful cilantro, chopped
¼ tsp salt
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2 russet potatoes, diced
2 medium sized carrots, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp Loisa Sal Marina
¼ tsp Loisa Organic Ground Black Pepper
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped (optional)
½ red onion, chopped
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 handful cilantro, chopped
Directions
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In the large deep size Anyday pot, add the pigeon peas and 6 cups of water. Cover the pot with the lid and let the peas soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
After 8 hours, place the Anyday pot directly into the microwave, ensuring the steam handle is pulled up for ventilation. Microwave for 60 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the peas are tender.
Using Anyday mitts, remove the pot from the microwave and carefully remove the lid using the mitts for safety.
Drain any liquid from the pot, then add the sofrito, tomato sauce, adobo, sazon, oregano, and 1 cup of water. Place the Anyday pot directly into the microwave, ensuring the steam handle is pulled up for ventilation. Microwave for 30 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated and the peas are soft to the touch.
Using Anyday mitts, remove the pot from the microwave and carefully remove the lid using the mitts for safety.
Add the rice and remaining 1 ¼ cups of water to the pot and place the Anyday pot directly into the microwave, ensuring the steam handle is pulled up for ventilation. Reduce the microwave power to level 4 and microwave for 30 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked through and there is no liquid left in the pot. Let the pot rest covered for 5 minutes before removing from the microwave.
Using Anyday mitts, remove the pot from the microwave and carefully remove the lid using the mitts for safety.
Use a fork to fluff the rice and serve. ¡Buen provecho!
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In a medium size Anyday pot, add the potatoes and carrots. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Give this a good mix and then place the Anyday pot directly into the microwave, ensuring the steam handle is pulled up for ventilation. Microwave for 4 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots and fork tender.
Using Anyday mitts, remove the pot from the microwave and carefully remove the lid using the mitts for safety.
Drain any liquid from the pot, then add the hard boiled eggs, onions, mayonnaise, and cilantro. Mix it well until fully combined then cover with lid and place in the fridge until ready to serve. ¡Buen provecho!
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Arroz con Gandules y Ensalada Rusa
4
25 minutes
2 hours
Ingredients
blank
½ cup dried pigeon peas
8 ¼ cups water, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Loisa Sofrito
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp Loisa Organic Adobo
1 tsp Loisa Organic Sazón
¼ tsp Loisa Organic Oregano
1 ½ cup extra long grain rice
1 handful cilantro, chopped
¼ tsp salt
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2 russet potatoes, diced
2 medium sized carrots, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp Loisa Sal Marina
¼ tsp Loisa Organic Ground Black Pepper
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped (optional)
½ red onion, chopped
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 handful cilantro, chopped
Directions
blank
In the large deep size Anyday pot, add the pigeon peas and 6 cups of water. Cover the pot with the lid and let the peas soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
After 8 hours, place the Anyday pot directly into the microwave, ensuring the steam handle is pulled up for ventilation. Microwave for 60 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the peas are tender.
Using Anyday mitts, remove the pot from the microwave and carefully remove the lid using the mitts for safety.
Drain any liquid from the pot, then add the sofrito, tomato sauce, adobo, sazon, oregano, and 1 cup of water. Place the Anyday pot directly into the microwave, ensuring the steam handle is pulled up for ventilation. Microwave for 30 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated and the peas are soft to the touch.
Using Anyday mitts, remove the pot from the microwave and carefully remove the lid using the mitts for safety.
Add the rice and remaining 1 ¼ cups of water to the pot and place the Anyday pot directly into the microwave, ensuring the steam handle is pulled up for ventilation. Reduce the microwave power to level 4 and microwave for 30 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked through and there is no liquid left in the pot. Let the pot rest covered for 5 minutes before removing from the microwave.
Using Anyday mitts, remove the pot from the microwave and carefully remove the lid using the mitts for safety.
Use a fork to fluff the rice and serve. ¡Buen provecho!
blank
In a medium size Anyday pot, add the potatoes and carrots. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Give this a good mix and then place the Anyday pot directly into the microwave, ensuring the steam handle is pulled up for ventilation. Microwave for 4 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots and fork tender.
Using Anyday mitts, remove the pot from the microwave and carefully remove the lid using the mitts for safety.
Drain any liquid from the pot, then add the hard boiled eggs, onions, mayonnaise, and cilantro. Mix it well until fully combined then cover with lid and place in the fridge until ready to serve. ¡Buen provecho!