Hi ! Hola Familia! The time has finally come to send out my first newsletter. I’m so excited! Thank you all for your support and being patient with me. I know I’ve been promising this newsletter for quite some time but alas here it is!

The purpose of this newsletter is to share with you amazing recipes, healthy tips, and give you the inside scoop of new products, sales and adventures. This is my gift to you. My passion as Nutrition Dork is to teach healthy cooking and living tips to all communities, especially communities of color. I created Healthy Rican to show the world that traditional Puerto Rican cooking can be healthy without losing its essence aka flavor!  

Are you ready?? Great, let’s get cooking! 

Spring is here and Memorial Day is at the end of this month. You know what that means…. Break out the grill, it's time for Pinchos. Pinchos is what Puerto Ricans call good ol’ shish kabobs. They are considered one of the best street foods on the island. Mainly because they are delicious, and pretty affordable when you are on the go. They are typically made with chicken or pork, but chicken is definitely the most popular. Here I will teach you how to make them as they have the potential to be a sensation during your next bbq. Plus, I will also share the SECRET SAUCE that made my best friend's dad a hit during the 90’s when he lost his job and put up a little stand in front of their house. They would sell out every time! That’s how I learned how to make pinchos and the secret sauce… I’d come over to visit my best friend, and was offered to work for a bit in exchange for free food. It was a win win, and I was one a happy teenager with my belly filled with pinchos. 🙂 

What you’ll need: (Makes approx. 24 pinchos) 

• Approximately, 6 lbs of chicken thighs (boneless & skinless)
• Adobo for seasoning (check out our no-junk healthy adobo HERE)
• 3 medium yellow onions
• 3 large green peppers
• Shish kabobs sticks
• 16 oz or 2 cups of BBQ sauce
• 16 oz or 2 cups of Thousand Island dressing (yup! that’s the secret sauce)

Directions: 

• Cut the chicken thighs into square pieces. Between 2-3 inches thick. Cut off the fat (white chunks) if needed. Depending on the size, you can get 4 to 6 pieces from each thigh. Add chunks to a large bowl.
• Season the meat thoroughly with the Adobo seasoning. If Adobo is not available, add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
• Chop the onions and peppers into approximately 1-2 inch squares . (See picture below)
• Prepare the pinchos/shish kabobs by adding a chunk of meat, one slice of each of the onion and pepper, and repeat the process until the stick is full. To avoid the meat from flopping out, you can fold or twist the meat before adding to the stick. (See picture below)
• Cook on a charcoal or gas grill on medium/low heat to avoid burning. Slight burning might occur on the outside, especially when cooking with charcoal. That is why low heat is recommended to allow the meat to cook thoroughly.
• Depending on the thickness of the meat, it will take approximately 45 – 60 mins to cook. The thinner you cut the meat, the faster it cooks.
• For the sauce, add 2 cups of bbq sauce, and 2 cups of thousand island into a large bowl. Divide into 2 bowls. One is for applying onto the raw chicken, and one to apply right before serving.
• Add the sauce mixture onto the raw pinchos immediately after placing them on the grill.
• Close/Cover the grill.
• Half way through, flip the pinchos, and add another layer of sauce. Continue to add sauce, every time you flip the pinchos.
• Be careful and do not use the same utensils used to add the sauce onto the raw meat, onto the cooked meat.
• Add the last layer of sauce right before serving.
• Serve with a slice of Italian style bread (or how we call it “pan de agua”) on top (not shown in pictures).
• Enjoy!

Featured Product: Healthy Rican Sazón 

What makes Healthy Rican Sazón different from the ones sold in stores?

Our sazón is made with all natural clean ingredients. Most brands in grocery stores contain mostly salt, msg (another type of sodium), artificial colors, fillers and preservatives. These allow for the products to be a lower cost, however they wreak havoc on our health and don't add any nutritional value.

Healthy Rican Sazón is Salt-Free but packed with flavor. Now you have control over your salt and sodium intake. The main purpose of sazón is to give our foods the nice orange color we all love. Adding color makes the food look more appetizing, and has been Latin cuisines best kept secret. Our ancestors in the Caribbean and Latin America would use annatto (achiote in Spanish) to give color to their foods. That is why annatto (achiote) is the main ingredient in Healthy Rican's Sazón, along with other spices that help bring out the delicious Latin flavor in our foods.

In addition to my newsletter I also started a new Instagram Live Series; Tasty Thursday’s. This is a series where I team up with someone in the health, wellness and fitness industry. My first episode aired on Thursday April 28 at 7 pm EST. My first guest was Jasyra Santiago-Hines. She’s a RN and healthy living enthusiast. Head on over to my Instagram page to check out the episode. 

Well here it is, my first newsletter ready to lift off. I’m so thankful to you all. Your support means so much to me. For more delicious recipes you can head over to my blog. My latest post features Sofrito and 7 ways to use it. 

Thanks for taking the time out 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. :)

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. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. After all, somos familia.