Arroz con Gandules Collard Wraps
Shatia Chesson joins our Black History Month celebration of Afro-Latin cuisine with her Arroz con Gandules Collard Wraps– a fresh, plant-based mashup of some of her favorite flavors and ingredients from the African Diaspora.
by Shatia Chesson @shatiachesson
This Black History Month, and all year round, we're celebrating Afro-Latin flavors, ingredients, and cooking traditions. Shatia Chesson joins our celebration with a recipe inspired by both her and her boyfriend's cultural culinary memories – Arroz con Gandules Collard Wraps. This fresh, plant-based mashup highlights multiple cooking elements from the African Diaspora from the ingredients used in this dish to the way the rice is prepared. Gandules, or pigeon peas, were brought to Africa by way of India, and enslaved Africans eventually brought them to the Caribbean. Arroz con gandules is also cooked similarly to jollof, a popular staple in West African cuisine. Combining these elements and inspiration, Shatia presents them in a new way with her Arroz con Gandules Collard Wraps.
I grew up in an African American household with a single mother of 4. I come from a large family with roots through marriage in Black, Jamaican, and Cape Verdean culture. My boyfriend grew up in a similar household, in a large Puerto Rican and Dominican family. Our family cookouts and gatherings were always filled with loud music, vibrant characters, and bold flavorful cuisine. These food moments centered around family remain vivid in both our memories till this day. We met while at a fitness event, where we instantly bonded over food, with our first moments of chemistry being over a seasoning: sazón– how ironic. Something so small and random but a familiar flavor connecting us both through our cultures.
My transition into a plant-based lifestyle took off in college after years of struggling with eczema and failed attempts by doctors. I started focusing more on my lifestyle choices with a strong focus on my eating habits. Through this process, I discovered a new way of living well in all aspects and I transitioned into a fully plant-based lifestyle which led to a passion in not only being more active in my kitchen, creating recipes but also helping others.
I love taking inspiration from different parts of my life and thinking up new ways to create a healthy and flavorful meal. I've been introduced to staple Latin Caribbean dishes, like arroz con gandules, by my boyfriend. Anytime he's shared with me childhood stories about the holidays and family gatherings, arroz con gandules almost always comes up. In mouthwatering detail, he describes the flavor the rice holds from the pork and brags about how amazing his mother's cooking was. I have a similar love for rice, but having grown up in a Muslim household and now following a vegan lifestyle, I can't relate to his love of pork. So, I'm adding my own plant-based spin on this heritage dish – retaining all the original warm and comforting flavors, and serving it alongside sazón-spiced mushrooms in a fresh collard green wrap. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Arroz con Gandules Collard Wraps
Shatia Chesson
3-4
20 minutes
40 minutes
Afro-Carribbean
Lunch
A unique spin on the traditional Caribbean staple arroz con gandules.
Ingredients
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2 cups medium or long grain white rice, rinsed
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 heaping tbsp Loisa Sofrito
1 can (15 ounces) gandules partially drained (keep 1/2 of the juice for rice)
1 tbsp Loisa Organic Sazón
1 tbsp of Loisa Organic Adobo
1/4 tsp Loisa Organic Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Loisa Organic Ground Cumin
1/8 tsp Loisa Organic Oregano
Salt and pepper to taste (start off with 2 tsp of salt)
3 cups hot water/vegetable broth
1/2 red pepper chopped
1 bunch parsley
1/2 cup of Spanish olives
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3-4 collard green leaves (remove center and end stems)
3-4 whole oyster mushroom flowers
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Loisa Organic Sazón
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp season salt and pepper to taste
Directions
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Rinse rice until water runs nearly clear.
In a medium pot, heat oil and sauté Sofrito and sweat until fragrant.
Stir in the gandules (along with 1/2 can of their liquid), olives, red peppers, and all of the spices. Then, add salt and 4 cups of water or vegetable broth. The broth should be salty and flavorful. Taste and readjust for seasoning as needed.
Bring the pot to a rapid boil, then add the rice and stir. The rice should be covered with 1 inch of water, add more if needed.
Reduce heat to a soft boil, stirring occasionally so rice does not turn gummy. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.
With a wooden spoon, carefully push the rice towards the center of the pot, creating a mound. Top the pot with foil, and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, stir the rice, being careful to not disturb the bottom of the pan. Cook for another 20-25 minutes, testing after 20 minutes to see if rice is tender and cooked through.
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In a medium skillet, warm the olive oil. Using your hands, shred the oyster mushrooms into the pan, breaking into uneven pieces to resemble chicken.
Season oyster mushrooms with Sazón and paprika, and sauté on medium/high heat until golden and crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Right before it is time to plate, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Wash and remove the stems carefully from collard greens.
Once the water is boiling, blanch the collard greens for 20 seconds. Remove immediately and place on a plate or cutting board.
To assemble the wraps, lay a collard green leaf flat, then layer in a scoop of rice followed by your crispy oyster mushrooms.
Roll by first folding in the sides and then rolling up, tucking as you roll.
Plate up and enjoy !
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Arroz con Gandules Collard Wraps
Shatia Chesson
3-4
20 minutes
40 minutes
Afro-Carribbean
Lunch
A unique spin on the traditional Caribbean staple arroz con gandules.
Ingredients
blank
2 cups medium or long grain white rice, rinsed
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 heaping tbsp Loisa Sofrito
1 can (15 ounces) gandules partially drained (keep 1/2 of the juice for rice)
1 tbsp Loisa Organic Sazón
1 tbsp of Loisa Organic Adobo
1/4 tsp Loisa Organic Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Loisa Organic Ground Cumin
1/8 tsp Loisa Organic Oregano
Salt and pepper to taste (start off with 2 tsp of salt)
3 cups hot water/vegetable broth
1/2 red pepper chopped
1 bunch parsley
1/2 cup of Spanish olives
blank
3-4 collard green leaves (remove center and end stems)
3-4 whole oyster mushroom flowers
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Loisa Organic Sazón
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp season salt and pepper to taste
Directions
blank
Rinse rice until water runs nearly clear.
In a medium pot, heat oil and sauté Sofrito and sweat until fragrant.
Stir in the gandules (along with 1/2 can of their liquid), olives, red peppers, and all of the spices. Then, add salt and 4 cups of water or vegetable broth. The broth should be salty and flavorful. Taste and readjust for seasoning as needed.
Bring the pot to a rapid boil, then add the rice and stir. The rice should be covered with 1 inch of water, add more if needed.
Reduce heat to a soft boil, stirring occasionally so rice does not turn gummy. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.
With a wooden spoon, carefully push the rice towards the center of the pot, creating a mound. Top the pot with foil, and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, stir the rice, being careful to not disturb the bottom of the pan. Cook for another 20-25 minutes, testing after 20 minutes to see if rice is tender and cooked through.
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In a medium skillet, warm the olive oil. Using your hands, shred the oyster mushrooms into the pan, breaking into uneven pieces to resemble chicken.
Season oyster mushrooms with Sazón and paprika, and sauté on medium/high heat until golden and crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.
blank
Right before it is time to plate, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Wash and remove the stems carefully from collard greens.
Once the water is boiling, blanch the collard greens for 20 seconds. Remove immediately and place on a plate or cutting board.
To assemble the wraps, lay a collard green leaf flat, then layer in a scoop of rice followed by your crispy oyster mushrooms.
Roll by first folding in the sides and then rolling up, tucking as you roll.
Plate up and enjoy !