We’re almost a month into the new year, and one of our resolutions is to eat healthier every year. It’s time to start getting serious about this healthy eating goal, not just to lose weight, but to become healthier overall. Part of that might mean no more carne asadas or your mom’s delicious chilaquiles, but instead being creative and putting a healthy twist on traditional Latin American recipes. Healthy Latin American food may sound like an oxymoron, but there are plenty of bloggers and chefs showing us how to do the seemingly impossible. Here’s a roundup of some of the best healthy twists on your favorite Latin American dishes.
Red Quinoa Con Pollo
Photo: Instagram/@healthylatineating
Almost every Latino family has their own version of arroz con pollo. But no matter how you cook it, rice is loaded with carbs. That’s why chef Angelo Sosa and TV personality, Angie Martinez created red quinoa con pollo, delivering that rich flavor. They replaced the heavy carb (rice) with quinoa, a whole grain packed with protein, fiber and iron. For healthy recipes, see the Martinez and Sosa Cookbook, Healthy Latin food.
Get the recipe here. Red Quinoa With chicken
Chicken soup with banana balls
Photo: Instagram/@thecuriouscoconut
Amanda Torres, author Latin American Paleo Cuisine cookbook, puts a healthy spin on sopa de gandules con bolitas, a traditional Puerto Rican dish. She replaces the beans with chicken and omits the rice to make it gluten-free. The dumpling is made from green plantain and the broth is infused with authentic sofrito made with cilantro, garlic, red bell pepper, oregano and onion. This soup is easy to put together and is great for busy weeknights when you want to pack a lot of nutrients into one dish.
Get the recipe here. Chicken soup with banana balls
Rice pudding
Photo: Instagram/@ingridhoffmannofficial
Ingrid Hoffman is a Colombian-American celebrity chef and television personality on Food Network’s Simply Delicious and also hosts her own Spanish-language cooking and lifestyle show, Delicious, on Galavision/Univision. He recently posted Latin Comfort Foods Made Healthy, a cookbook that transforms traditional Latin cuisine into nutritious, diabetes-friendly dishes. In her cookbook, she shares a recipe for a lighter version of arroz con leche. It has brown rice, flaxseed, skim milk or nut milk, stevia and cinnamon. It’s sure to kill those sweet cravings without loading up on sugar.
Get the recipe here. Rice pudding
Old chicken clothes
Photo: Instagram/@leticiamoreinoschwartz
Leticia Moreinos Schwartz is on a mission to prove to us that healthy food can be delicious. He witnessed first-hand the dietary problems that contributed to many lifestyle diseases in the Latino community. So she created the cookbook, Latin Superfoodsto present a new and improved Latin recipes that you can enjoy without compromising on taste. One of the recipes is ropa vieja de pollo, but adapted, reinterpreted and remade with diet in mind. For one thing, this dish is made with chicken instead of the traditional beef ingredient, which is usually higher in fat, and she suggests using brown rice for more fiber.
Get the recipe here. Old chicken clothes
Coconut flan
Photo: Instagram/@johaclavel
Venezuelan chef and life coach Johanna Clavel is all about making Latin American recipes that are healthier alternatives to traditional options. In her cookbook, Light Latin cuisineShe shares meal replacement guidelines, baby feeding ideas, and her top tips for starting a healthy life. She has a recipe for flan de coco, and not only is it low in fat, but it also has whey protein added to it. Desserts for that sweet tooth with protein for those gains. Let’s cook!
Get the recipe here. Coconut flan
Goat Cheese Enchiladas
Photo: Instagram/@thevidawell
Tory Borelli, author Mexican Keto Cookbook, shares low-carb, anti-inflammatory recipes while giving the popular keto diet an international boost. He hits her Mexican heritage for creating keto-friendly staples of Mexican cuisine such as goat cheese enchiladas. Butternut squash, goat cheese, and mushrooms—three extraordinary ingredients—will help you reap the health, weight loss, and other benefits keto has to offer.
Get the recipe here. Goat Cheese Enchiladas
Lentil soup with spiralized turnips
Photo: Instagram/@inspiralized
But Maffucci gets you excited to eat vegetables with creative, delicious and simple recipes from her cookbook Inspired. Whether you’re low-carb, gluten-free, paleo, or raw, Ali shows that you don’t have to give up the foods you love because you want to be healthier. She likes to stay healthy by wrapping her vegetables. His lentil soup with turnip noodles, you might think. “What is the meaning of the turnip?” Well, lentil soup can get a little boring, so adding in some spiralized vegetables will reinvent it as a classic comfort soup.
Get the recipe here. Lentil soup with spiralized turnips
Veggie Fajita Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Photo: Instagram/@howsweeteats
Jessica Merchant is a passionate cook whose cookbooks include The Pretty Dish showcase themed menus, party ideas, killer playlists, as well as healthy recipes. All of her the recipes are very tasty and all take 60 minutes or less to prepare. Her recipe for Veggie Fajita Stuffed Sweet Potatoes is a surefire way to get your daily veggies in! It has tons of bell peppers and mushrooms, but the best part is that sweet potatoes replace the tortillas, so it’s a tastier meal that’s loaded with fiber and great to eat. your gut health.
Get the recipe here. Veggie Fajita Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Jackfruit Carnitas
Photo: Instagram/@todoverde
Jocelyn Ramirez perfectly transforms the traditional dishes she grew up making alongside her abuela aromatic plant foods. With just a few simple and affordable substitutions, you can capture the full flavor of authentic Mexican cooking, using only the plants whose recipes are available in her cookbook. green life. Her jackfruit carnitas are high in fiber and nutrients like potassium, magnesium and vitamin C and are one of her most popular recipes.
Get the recipe here. Jackfruit Carnitas