A vegan arroz verde recipe for a quick, easy and healthy weeknight dish
After being discouraged by various fad diets, certified holistic health coach Karla Salinari found joy in food again after adopting a plant-based diet. In “Abuela’s Plant-Based Kitchen: Vegan Cuisine Inspired by Latin & Caribbean Family Recipes” (Skyhorse Publishing, 2023), Salinari shares 75 recipes inspired by the nostalgic flavors and dishes of her childhood.
Traditional dishes, transformed
Salinari grew up with two kinds of cuisines. Her father adopted a plant-based diet when she was a child in Puerto Rico, and her mother and stepfather cooked both Puerto Rican and Cuban dishes in Miami. Salinari is a self-taught cook who watched the loved ones in her life navigate their own kitchens. Her cookbook is made with home cooks in mind, for those who want to adopt a healthier lifestyle without compromising quality or flavor.
Salinari’s recipes show that Caribbean cuisine can be healthy when you use traditional cooking methods. Traditional Latin dishes, which use lard to cook and pork as their most common protein, might seem more difficult to change while preserving their original flavors. Fortunately, Salinari takes all the guesswork out, and her recipes are easy to follow.
A healthier mindset toward food
Salinari read books on plant-based eating to educate herself and become more comfortable cooking vegan foods. She became certified as a holistic health coach and shared her knowledge with others. Rather than treating veganism as another fad diet, it became a new and healthier way of life, giving her more energy, with weight loss as a byproduct and not the main focus.
What is arroz verde (green rice)?
Arroz verde is a traditional rice dish that’s served as a side in many Latin cuisines. It uses long-grain rice blended with a puree made of green herbs and chicken stock. To keep it plant-based, Salinari doesn’t call for chicken stock. The recipe enables cooks to use up extra herbs or greens, adding more nutrition and flavor to a side dish.
While the green puree is cooked along with the rice, fresh cilantro and parsley are thrown in at the end, giving the dish a burst of brightness.
Salinari encourages the reader to serve this dish however they like — she eats it with a side of black beans for extra protein.
Substitutions of ingredients
If you don’t have some of the ingredients for the green puree, don’t worry. There are many variations of arroz verde, and historically home cooks use up whatever greens they have in the fridge. Use more spinach in place of Swiss chard, or substitute additional cilantro for parsley.
Arroz Verde (Green Rice)
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup Swiss chard, stems removed, chopped
- 1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
- 1 cup parsley, chopped, plus more for serving
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cooked green peas
- ¼ cup green onion, chopped
Instructions
- Add the Swiss chard, spinach leaves, parsley, cilantro, olive oil and garlic into a food processor and process on high until it reaches a pastelike consistency.
- Place a medium pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, transfer the green mixture to the pan and saute until fragrant, for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the rice and mix to combine, coating the rice with the green mixture. Add in the boiling water and combine. Add the salt and let the rice come to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Once done, remove from the heat and use a fork to fluff the rice. Add the cooked green peas and green onion and combine.
- Serve with more cilantro and parsley.
Recipe adapted from “Abuela’s Plant-Based Kitchen,” by Karla Salinari. Reprinted with permission of Skyhorse Publishing.