Hispanic/Latin Peeps...

sinisme

I'm looking for recipies. My family is hispanic and just about everything that my in-law's and parents cook is loaded with unhealthyness!
Do any of you have some awesome mexican recipies to share? Like my hubby loves Enchiladas and Carne Guisada... but I just know how to make it the way my grams taught me... and she never thought healthy... she just looked to fill up our stomachs.. LOL

BxMom

Welcome, you will find that alot of MFP members are hispanic.

I understand your pain, I'm Puerto Rican and growing up my mom cooked the way she was taught with manteca (lard) as a main staple in cooking. I had to learn how to improve my favorite dishes and reduce the salt, remove the lard, etc.

What receipe are you trying to make healthier?

Have you gone to Latina.com and checked there receipes? Sometimes all you have to do is reduce or remove salt, use olive oil, egg whites, etc. It's not as tough as it may seem

PM me if you have any other questions and I will answer them as best I can

MonicaRod

Finally!! some understanding!!

adobo
sazon
amarillos
arroz guisao

i can go on and on....ooooo tembleque...ay dios mio!

i'm Puerto Rican , Boricua! as well and having a hard time adjusting to the different seasonings and types of food to make them healthy!

HELP!! :sad:

BxMom

There are so many ways that we can make our food healthier. Here are some of the things that I have done

Sodium Free Adobo, Sazon, Tomatoe Sauce & Chicken Stock/Broth
Canola & Olive Oil
Cooking Spray
Ground Turkey & Chicken instead of Ground Beef or Pork
Turkey & Chicken Sausage in stead of Pork Sausage
Fresh/Frozen Veggies instead of canned

For Deserts THAT ONE IS REALLY, REALLY HARD
Tres Leche Cake OMG that was hard but reduced fat everything, more egg whites instead of whole eggs and it came out pretty good

Tembleque and Flan I just can't find a healthier way to make it so I only eat a small piece

I understand your pain because sometimes I want the fried pork chops or the burnt/crispy skin from the penile

msarro

adobo
sazon

I CAN'T HEAR YOU! LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA
Hehe, just kidding.

Not Hispanic, however I live in a heavily Hispanic area and have had the pleasure of dating a few Latinas in my time. Not to mention my best friend is Puerto Rican.

If you make enpanadas, try baking instead of frying them. This works especially well with fruit based ones (guava, mango paste, pumpkin, etc). This also makes it a great option for desserts. The discos I always just get prepackaged, namely because I don't have time to make the dough.

Moros y Christianos (rice and black beans) is always a nice healthy option, just try to add more beans than normal and watch the salt.

I think the biggest dangers are salt and oil.

sinisme

I didn't eat anything for breakfast.. and after reading this.. I'm super HUNGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL...
But seriously... I hate ground turkey.. it tastes sooooo weird to me and canola and olive is better than vegetable oil? I'll have to switch that up!!

so how do you make Menudo healthy?? or Tamales!? OMG.. i want some now.... :grumble:

FINALLY4ME

Finally!! some understanding!!

adobo
sazon
amarillos
arroz guisao

i can go on and on....ooooo tembleque...ay dios mio!

i'm Puerto Rican , Boricua! as well and having a hard time adjusting to the different seasonings and types of food to make them healthy!

HELP!! :sad:

mmmmmmmmm!

I'm Italian but my husband is Puerto Rican and my mother inlaw taught me how to cook her dishes...and she lives w/ us too so I'm always thrilled when she makes dinner!!!!!!:bigsmile:

but omg the sodium alone....yikes.....:noway: My hubby is a big fan of Italian cooking too so we get it both ways.....I hate when I make a big gravy (sauce w/ meatballs, pork etc...)on Sundays and try to figure how many calories I'm eating.....:huh:

still I wouldn't have it any other way!!!!! muy e molto delicioso!!!!!!!!

tabbydog

I didn't eat anything for breakfast.. and after reading this.. I'm super HUNGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL...
But seriously... I hate ground turkey.. it tastes sooooo weird to me and canola and olive is better than vegetable oil? I'll have to switch that up!!

so how do you make Menudo healthy?? or Tamales!? OMG.. i want some now.... :grumble:

Try mixing half turkey, with half really lean ground beef. That way you get the flavor of beef without all of the fat and calories. I am not Hispanic, but I make meat loaf this way because I can't stand it with just turkey. It DOES taste funny!

sincereme

Im Puerto Rican. It has been a little hard to adjust but I am working on it.

Instead of arroz blanco I eat brown rice

I use black beans alot

I still cook most of the dishes the same way I normally cooked them just traded the corn oil for Canola oil and EVOO.

Low Sodium Salsa de Tomate for Pollo Guisado, Carne Guisada, etc

Also instead of potatos in the pollo guisado and carne guisada I just use carrots or zucchini.

I use the crock pot alot because it cuts the amount of oil you put in things.

Instead of regular marinades I use a little bit of EVOO, Bitter Orange or Lemon Juice, garlic(minced finely) and onions(grated). I use that to marinade and cook the meats.

If I am craving pork chops I bake them instead of frying them.

I use sofrito base in most of my dishes so I make it myself. It is very good in yellow rice, carne guisada, pollo guisado, beans. It is a mixture of garlic, onions, green peppers, cilantro, cilantrillo and small sweet chillies. Blend it all together. I usually use like a tbls in which ever dish I cook and it gives it so much taste.

I was able to make arroz junto using brown rice. It takes a long time because brown rice takes longer to cook but it was tasty.

Also instead of using salt, I use chicken broth (low sodium) and water to cook the rice. Tasty!

As for the Flan I made this for a friend who is diabetic. Tasty!

Almond Coconut Flan

Ingredients
1/2 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
2 tablespoons water
1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups skim milk
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted


Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine 1/2 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend and water in a small heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture is golden in color (about 4 minutes). Immediately pour mixture evenly into a 9-inch cake pan. Mixture will harden and may crack slightly as it cools.
Combine coconut milk and skim milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
Beat eggs and yolks at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add 1/3 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend, beating until blended. Gradually add hot milks, beating until blended. Add almond extract and coconut; beat at low speed until blended. Pour mixture over caramelized SPLENDA® Sugar Blend. Place cake pan in a roasting pan. Add hot water to a depth of 1-inch in the roasting pan.
Bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cake pan from water and cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes; cover and chill for 8 hours or overnight. Loosen edges with a thin knife. Invert flan onto serving plate; sprinkle with toasted almonds.
Note
Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10 of flan)


To toast almonds, spread on an ungreased baking pan. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned.

Nutrition Info
Servings Per Recipe: 10
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 280
Calories from Fat: 150
Total Fat: 17g
Saturated Fat: 10g
Cholesterol: 130mg
Sodium: 60mg
Total Carbs: 23g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 21g
Protein: 6g


** You can cut out some of the ingredients to make it even healthier. Tweak it to your liking!**

vanimami

Finally!! some understanding!!

adobo
sazon
amarillos
arroz guisao

i can go on and on....ooooo tembleque...ay dios mio!

i'm Puerto Rican , Boricua! as well and having a hard time adjusting to the different seasonings and types of food to make them healthy!

HELP!! :sad:

AVE MARIA PLEASE STOP! :sad: I'm puerto rican, too and that's all I ate..no olvides el bacalao, pernil, carne guisao, etc... :ohwell: