We're bringing it back to the roots today; going Honduran meets Puerto Rican style.  One reason I'm a super-excited-about-most-things-foodie type of person, is because I'm of half Korean half Irish/Polish mix.  Another is that my husband is half Puerto Rican and half Honduran.  Imagine the palate our kids have. So, what the heck do we eat for dinner?  Easy, lots of rice.  Lots of seasonings, with some non-healthy fried things in there, and more rice, are our favorites.

When I say rice, I mean basmati, jasmine, Japanese, brown,- just a good mix.  Except I don't know anyone who enjoys (they'll eat it, but they ain't gonna like it) just only brown rice.  So I create a mix including jasmine and brown rice, and barley for added heart healthy fiber.  I usually buy barley in bulk, but in a pinch I'll run to the store and grab -this in the bean aisle:

Then I add half brown and half jasmine with the barley, and rinse well.  Usually, the brown rice and the barley need to sit and soak up water, so I let it sit out for 5-10 minutes.

Oh that pot? Well, it's from my handy dandy rice cooker.  I remember when my non-Korean friends would come over and ask, "Is that a crock pot?" to which I'd respond "What's a crock pot?"  My rice cooker is actually from Korea, but it's a Panasonic, so it's a step below Zojirushi which is top notch in the rice cooker world.  Anyways, I rinse, soak, and then pop that sucker into the rice cooker. Plug it in, and press the button down, and just wait for the light to go off, in about 25 minutes-ish.

My mother says I should bust out the pressure cooker for the barley- but I go the easy route and use the quick cooking version. :)  Plus, I'm not sure I know how to use the digital pressure cooker she gave me, so it's collecting dust on the cupboard....

While the rice is cooking up, I work on an easy bean recipe I learned from my MIL (mother-in-law).  I'm not sure it has a name, but when we talk rice and beans- it's the only recipe we mean.  I omit the salt (there's a ton and none of it's good for us or Bambina), and fiddle with some of the seasonings.  Here's the staples:

The Goya Adobo seasoning includes tumeric, and the Goya Sazon has some MSG, so let's avoid that second part (and don't be fooled by the graphic of meats, it's used as a tenderizer seasoning a lot of the time). Chop up some potatoes (skin on for extra vitamins), sprinkle with seasoning, and add two cans of rinse red beans- your choice.  The key is slow cooking (no crock pot here, again) it in an Oya (pronounced Oh-yah).

Fancy, huh?  No Teflon here.  I guess it gets fancier if you top the pot with some aluminum foil before placing the lid on.  Bring it to a boil, then reduce to low, stirring occasionally.  When you're done it looks like this:

Super #nom.  Throw it on top of some rice, pair it with a side salad and you're done.  I set some aside and let it cool, before stuffing it into a fresh food feeder (Munchkin brand) and hand it over to Bambina.

She attacked it with passion, and wouldn't let it go.  Once she got enough from it, I had to fill it back up and hand it over.  Bambina loved her beans.

Beans and rice are a staple around our halfsies household.  What kind of ethnic dishes make it into your daily dinners?  Are they super easy? Do you omit traditional recipe ingredients to make it healthier?