Black (Forbidden) Rice Cereal

Forbidden rice is a whole grain with a dark rich purple color, almost black. It has a slightly sweet chewy texture, good for puddings, desserts, and breakfast concoctions.

Black rice is rich in iron. If you have symptoms like pale skin, fatigue, irritability, dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath, sore tongue, brittle nails, decreased appetite and frontal headaches you might have an iron deficiency, in which case, this breakfast is a good way to begin your day.

Recipe
1 cup cooked black rice
1 cup of rice milk
1 teaspoon of agave syrup or dark molasses
cinnamon if you are not allergic to it

Combine all the ingredients together. Chow down.

How to cook rice:
1) Rinse rice until the water runs clear.
2) cover with water and soak the rice overnight
3) rinse the soaked rice again
4) place in a pan and cover with water -- about 2:1 ratio of water to rice
5) Boil, cover and reduce heat to the lowest setting possible.
6) cook for about 30 minutes.
7) try the rice -- if it's chewy and soft, it's ready

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Breakfast Lab Video Series

What is it like for musicians on the road? Take a peek into the life and tasty breakfast of Angel, a Dominican-born musician.

Recipe featured in this video: Mangu

This is a first installment of the Breakfast Lab Video Series - interviews with people from all walks of life about what makes their breakfast special.

If you would like to be profiled in the Breakfast Lab Video Series, please email breakfastlabnyc@gmail.com with your name, location and what makes your breakfast special.

You can also add comments and response videos to the timeline: just click on the + symbol above the timeline marker to add your thoughts.

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Mangú - Traditional Dominican breakfast

From Rossana Inez Rossi
This recipe feeds 2-3 people

This is what I like to call A Dominican Farmer’s Breakfast. I LOVED IT when my parents made me mangú with eggs on school mornings because I knew that was the day I wouldn’t be hungry at all before lunch.

And not only that -- Plantains are rich in Potassium, Vitamin C and contain compounds that are beneficial for people with ulcers - British Journal of Pharmacology: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1987262

You will need:
A pot
Sharp knife
Butter knife
Potato masher
Bowl
3 Green (unripe) plantains
1 Onion
Cooking oil
Olive oil
Vinegar (the kind you like best)
½ pot of water
Salt

1. Put half a pot of water to boil. Add a teaspoon or two of salt, or to your taste. (Don’t know your taste? Taste the water a minute after you’ve added the salt.)


2. Prepare the plantains by cutting off the ends, then cutting them in half. Cut these halves in half lengthwise. Use the butter knife to peel the skin off.


3. When all the plantains are peeled, put them in the hot/boiling water. Cook them at a low boil (med-high heat) until a knife or fork breaks them easily - about 10-15 minutes.




4. While the plantains are boiling: slice the onion. Put the rounds in a bowl, and cover them with vinegar - about ¼ cup. Now, in a frying pan, heat up the oil. When it’s hot, add the onions and vinegar. Cover the pan to prevent the popping sparks from flying out. Check on them! Saute the onions, stirring every so often, cooking them over medium flame until they are soft or turn light brown. Turn off the heat.
   


5. When the plantains are done, pour about ¾ of the water into a bowl. Mash them up until they are soft –you’ll need to add some of the plantain-water as you’re mashing to make them nice and soft – like mashed potatoes, but stiffer.
   


6. Serve the plantains and drizzle the sautéed onions on top.


7. Yummy!

Dominicans traditionally eat this with:

• Scrambled eggs


• Sliced sausages: Cook them first (do not add oil, they have enough fat on their own), and cook the onions with them

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