Naihomy’s Dominican Moro de Guandules or Pigeon Peas & Rice, Flipped to Healthy
- September 2020
- By Naihomy Jerez
- Recipe from Dominican Republic
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- (30)
When moro de guandules or rice with pigeon peas was being cooked in her family’s kitchen, Naihomy Jerez of Bronx, New York knew one thing for sure. A celebration was going to be happening in their house, Dominican-style. Here is how she remembers it and the recipe she worked up to flip or healthy up her mother’s family-famous recipe for rice with guandules.
Whether it was a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas, or someone’s birthday. Mami would make moro rojo or negro any day of the week, but moro de guandules was always reserved for a special occasion.
What were you doing during summer breaks from school as a pre-teen? Me? I was learning how to make moro de guandules, of course! Mami spent a whole summer teaching me how to cook, and I enjoyed it. I always loved food—unless you ask her about my toddler years, sorry, Mami!—but cooking did not connect with me until, well … the last few years.
At the same time, I also became acutely aware of how important food is to maintain our health and wellness and launched my own business, a food guidance and wellness program for women. I guide clients through a sustainable, healthy and delicious lifestyle shift so they can make mindful choices about the foods they love. I find this message really connects with my Latina clients. Yes, you can still eat rice and beans: Just make a couple healthy tweaks to your favorite recipes (like I do in this super-saludable lentil soup) — and you’re good to go.
This was exactly my approach when flipping my mother’s moro recipe. I blended tradition with mindful food choices to update her festive dish and make sure it was still tasty and better for our health. For this recipe, I replaced the white rice with a whole-grain option: brown rice. I also removed the packaged seasoning in Mami’s recipe and seasoned the moro with fresh vegetables, spices and dried herbs. It still has all of the familiar flavors and rarely does anyone notice anything has changed.
So, are you going to try it? Buen provecho!
For more of Naihomy’s delicious food flips on traditional Latino dishes, check out her healthy takes on arepitas de yuca, arroz con pollo, vegan coquito, and this lighter margarita.
How to make Dominican Moro de Guandules
Photos: Naihomy Jerez
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