Grace Organic – Jamaican Rice and Peas

I am on a quest in 2015 to find as many recipes as I can that are healthy and taste delicious. This is not an easy task. It has been my experience, that most healthy foods fall flat on the taste spectrum, where as all the really bad-for-you stuff practically explodes with flavour, like bacon. Need I say more?

In cases where I’ve found healthy food that tastes delicious, it’s almost always been in the tropics—namely Jamaica. Everything they cook in Jamaica from Jerk Chicken to their staple Jamaican Rice and Peas practically explodes with flavour. So when I tried this recipe using Grace Organic Coconut Milk, I knew I’d found the first recipe of 2015 that met my criteria—healthy and delicious. I’m not surprised of course, that the recipe comes from a company that was founded in Jamaica in 1922. Grace Foods has been bringing the best of the islands to Canadians for over 25 years now.

Coconuts are one of our planet’s most nutritious foods and it’s found in a wide range of products—like coconut flour, coconut oil and coconut milk. These are all things I’m very familiar with.  What I didn’t know was that there is also a Coconut Vinegar and a Coconut Sugar. These are fun new discoveries from the new Grace Organic, All Natural Coconut Products line. With so many great ways to use it, it’s fair to say that I am now officially hooked on all things coconut.

I’m eager to get up close and personal with this superfood this year as much for it’s taste as for it’s many amazing health benefits. Saturated fat from coconut oil has been endorsed by health and medical experts as a food that can protect us against heart disease. Since my husband had a heart attack two years ago, this is good news for us. Coconut is also loaded with antioxidants to help keep you youthful, it’s great for your hair and skin and it helps promote strong bones and teeth.

Let’s face it though, it all comes down to taste. If tofu did all of the above I still wouldn’t touch it because it doesn’t do a thing for my taste buds. Coconut, however, is easy to fit into our diet because it tastes amazing and can easily be added into old recipes to give them a healthy makeover as well as a flavour punch. Superfood indeed.

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Jamaican Rice and Peas

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cooked Grace red kidney beans liquid reserved
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 1/4 cups Grace Organic Coconut Milk
• Water enough to make 2 1/4 cups combined liquid
• 1 cup rice
• 2 green onions crushed
• 1 or 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt & Pepper to Taste
• 2 tbsps Grace Organic Coconut Oil

Instructions

1. Cook red kidney beans to package directions or use Grace canned.
2. Put cooked beans into a large saucepan or pot. Add chopped garlic.
3. Measure all liquids, including reserved bean liquid, Grace Organic Coconut Milk and water enough to make 2 1/4 cups. Add the 2 1/4 cups of liquid to the beans and garlic in the pot.
4. Add rice, crushed green onion, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and cook for about 20 mintues or until all liquid is absorbed.

Of course, you’re not going to want to eat this rice alone, so try it served alongside my Jerk Chicken or with these Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa and Creamy Coleslaw.

So, tell me, with so many amazing ways to use Grace Organic All Natural Coconut products, how are you going to #loveyourcoconut?