¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana!

Hola ,

Welcome back to part two of our special Hispanic Heritage Month series! Last week, we kicked thing's off by celebrating the flavors of Adobo, and today we have another Latin/Puerto Rican favorite: Sazón! This spice blend is the secret behind our colorful and appetizing dishes.

Just like all our Healthy Rican products, our Sazón is made with wholesome ingredients that bring you the best of Puerto Rican sabor. Whether you’re making a pot of Arroz con Gandules or spicing up your favorite meats, this seasoning will take your dishes to the next level.

#cooking #the muppets #swedish chef 

A Taste of History: The Story of Sazón

In most Puerto Rican and many Latin kitchens, Sazón holds a special place. The name comes from the Spanish word "sazonar," meaning "to season." Over the years, this spice blend has evolved into a key ingredient in Puerto Rican cooking, offering a burst of color and flavor to our beloved dishes.

While most commercial Sazón is made with artificial ingredients, we wanted to go back to our roots and create a Sazón with all natural ingredients. Healthy Rican Sazón is made with a mix of garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, oregano, and annatto (which gives it that signature orange hue). While still delivering the bold, savory flavors you know and love. It’s the perfect seasoning for everything from rice and beans to meats and stews.

This week's Featured Recipe: “Arroz con Gandules”

It’s not a celebration without Arroz con Gandules! A delicious and Healthy Rican version of the traditional Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas), featuring our Healthy Rican Sazón. This classic dish is a true reflejo of Puerto Rican cuisine and heritage. 

Everyone has their own way to make traditional foods. I personally switch up the recipes here and there depending on mood and availability of ingredients. What matters is that we cook with love and enjoy our freshly made foods. 

Feel free to use this recipe as a guide, or create your own unique recipe.

Don’t forget to post your recipe and tag us on Instagram with #HispanicHeritageWithHealthyRican for a chance to be featured on our website!

Healthy Rican Arroz con Gandules

Ingredientes:

Optional: 1-2 uncured diced ham (best if organic or low-sodium)

1 tbsp avocado oil

1/4 cup onion (finely diced or minced) 

1/4 cup sweet peppers (finely diced or minced) 

1/8 cup culantro or cilantro (finely diced or minced) 

1-2 tsp minced garlic (depends on how much you like garlic)

2 tsp. Healthy Rican Sazón 

1 tbsp. chicken or vegetable bouillon 

15 oz. cooked gandules (green pigeon peas) 

3 cups water 

3 cups jasmine rice

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Banana or Plantain leaves (typically sold frozen in Latino Stores)

Directions:

In a large pot, add the ham with a bit of oil and stir fry on high heat. Cook for 1 minute until the ham releases its aroma. Add the chopped onion, peppers, culantro/cilantro, garlic, bouillon and seasonings and mix well. Add the gandules and water, and allow it to come to a boil. Once the liquid boils, add the rice and mix well. The liquid should be approximately 1/4 inch above the rice. At this point, try the liquid to make sure the flavor is to your liking and add additional seasonings and salt to taste if needed. Once the liquid evaporates a little, mix well from the bottom up, add the banana leaves on top if you have them, cover and reduce the heat to low. Allow to cook for 20-25 minutes without uncovering. The rice should be fluffy and completely cooked through. Give it another mix from the bottom up, and enjoy! 

Note: You may notice that I did not add sofrito. This is because I’ve added the ingredients individually. Feel free to add fresh or dehydrated Sofrito using your discretion. For 3 cups of rice, I typically would add 2 tbsp of fresh sofrito, or Healthy Rican Sofrito (hydrated with water).

Sazón Savings!!

Why choose our Sazón? Facil! It’s all natural, salt-free, it has no artificial ingredients, and tastes delicious. Real ingredients without compromising the flavors we know and love.

To celebrate, start by re-stocking and getting ready for the holidays! 

You can purchase the Sazon 3-pack, on Amazon with a 15% discount when you subscribe and save, or get a 10% off with a coupon today! 

On Other Great HHM News!

Did you hear we finally hit the shelves? Yes!! We are now in both Lexington Coop’s in Buffalo, NY. If you are in the area, please go check it out and support your local small businesses. We will be offering a demo in each store, one on September 28 from 11am-2pm (Elmwood) and October 5 from 11am-2pm (Hertel). Come join us if you are around. I believe this is just the start of an amazing retail journey.

Plus, I had the honor to have been interviewed on Amazon’s Podcast: This is Small Business 🙌

Check out the episode where we discuss Healthy Rican’s beginnings, the growth and impact of Hispanic Businesses, how Hispanic-owned businesses benefit everyone and more…

➡️ How Culture Can Lead to Unique Business Opportunities

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for our featured product NEXT week!! It’s going to be delicious!

As always thank you for your continued support. I truly do appreciate it. For more delicious recipes you can head over to my blog, check out the recipes that are there and don’t forget to drop me a line. I love chatting with you.

I appreciate you! 

Wishing you much love, health, and happiness,

Mayra Luz Colón

Founder of Nutrition Dork LLC & Healthy Rican

Author of Healthy Rican: Put the Latin Spice in your Healthy Life! 

P.S. Thanks for taking the time to connect with me. As always, our promise to you is that we do not spam or send an unnecessary amount of emails. If at any moment, it's not working out for you, no hard feelings! Just unsubscribe below. We'll always be here if you change your mind. :)