RECIPE: Oatmeal Arroz Caldo

OATMEAL ARROZ CALDO

I'm no health expert but when articles from all over and your own experience tell you that oats are good, then oats are, indeed, good.

Oats are the best thing that can ever happen to one's diet. According to Wikipedia, these contain more soluble fiber than any other grain. And what good does fiber do? It essentially makes us feel full thereby effectively curbing any more craving. What's more, certain studies have shown that it may actually help in lowering one's cholesterol. Between my hubby and I, I'm the oatmeal person. My husband's heart belongs to cereal (well, Quaker OATS cereal). He's taller and lighter than me (weight's regular) but it seems that my previously non-stop consumption of oatmeal a few months back has kicked his cholesterol level to the curb. Mine's at a regular level, his' is borderline high!

But okay, this blog post is not about our eating habits and our sad weight comparison. It is about that oatmeal dish that I still have every now and then for either breakfast or dinner.

OATMEAL ARROZ CALDO

"Arroz" means rice in Spanish, while "caldo" means broth. Basically, arroz caldo, a staple popular in former Spanish colony, the Philippines, is a rice broth or otherwise known as the Filipino-style congee.

The Philippines, being geographically close to China, has a lot of Chinese dishes in its cuisine and Arroz Caldo happens to be a Spanish-sounding "Filipinized" congee made of sticky rice, chicken broth, chicken, garlic, pepper and onion.

Now for someone like me who grew up to this but is on a quest to lose the LBs due to health concerns, rice can be a little tricky due to its calorie and sugar level. Thankfully, I discovered (and friends concur) that oatmeal can be of the same sticky consistency as rice as long as the oats are not swimming in water. And since I don't like the traditional breakfast oatmeal with the fruits, nuts, sugar and milk (I don't have a sweet tooth), I thought of making my own Oatmeal Arroz Caldo.

Here's the recipe of what I have been eating for the last two years:

1/2 cup dry of Quaker Oats Quick 1-Minute Oats  -  150 calories

1/2 boiled egg  -  39-40 calories

1/2 link microwaved chicken hamonado sausage (or the tastiest chicken sausage you can find in the deli/grocery)  -  115 calories (I buy Martin Purefoods' Chicken Hamonado Longanisa in the US)

1/2 tsp of powdered ginger (McCormick or any other brand)

generous sprinkles of dried minced onion and granulated garlic (McCormick or any other brand)

a dash of pepper to taste

chili powder (optional)

1. Pour hot water into a soup bowl, add the oats, ginger, onion and garlic

2. Add the sliced boiled egg and sliced chicken hamonado

**Makes 1 serving (304-305 calories/serving)

I know health nuts will surely chastise me for adding sausage in this dish (preservatives!) but hey! It's fast. filling, low in sugar and works for my palate. I am also not preventing anyone from going the extra mile by boiling their own chicken and adding it to this dish.