Healthy Dishes To Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Healthy Hollywood)

Healthy Hollywood is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, which is happening now until October 15.

It’s a good time to appreciate and explore all things Hispanic. And, one of Healthy Hollywood’s favorite things to do is cook and eat!

So, I was super excited when Columbian-born chef and host of “Delicioso” on Univision, Ingrid Hoffmann, offered to share a few of her native dishes.

And, despite some ill-conceived notion that Latin food can be heavy, Ingrid assures me that’s not at all the case.

”The ingredients are not heavy, what tends to make them heavy is the method of cooking, specifically frying. Take anything you want to fry and bake it, roast it or stew it and you will be OK. We come from a culture that is big on homemade cooking and the use of good-for-you beans, grains and fibers is prevalent,” Ingrid told Healthy Hollywood.

To slim down dishes, Ingrid suggests, “Limit your oil consumption by adding chicken stock when moisture is needed. Substitute Greek yogurt for cream, use half turkey-half beef for picadillos, and substitute quinoa for white rice. The small changes will make the biggest difference.”

Below are two recipes from Ingrid’s kitchen.

Enchiladas Suizas

(4 to 6 servings)

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of excess fat, rinsed
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed under a knife and peeled
  • 1 teaspoon Delicioso Adobo Seasoning
  • 6 medium tomatillos (about 12 ounces), husked, rinsed, and quartered
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
  • 2 jalapeños, seeded and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) 2 percent milk reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

Place the chicken, water, 2 of the garlic cloves, and the adobo to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer until the chicken is opaque when pierced in the thickest part with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the cooking liquid into a heatproof bowl and reserve. Let the chicken cool. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.

Puree the tomatillos, onion, cilantro, jalapeños, and the remaining garlic clove with ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the sour cream and Parmesan. Pour into a wide, shallow dish or bowl.

Wrap the tortillas in moistened paper towels. Microwave on high (100%) until the tortillas are pliable, about 15 seconds.

Position the broiler rack 6 inches from the source of heat and preheat the broiler. Spray a 9 × 13-inch flameproof baking dish with cooking spray. Dip each tortilla in the sauce. Transfer to a plate. Place about tablespoons of the chicken on the tortilla and roll it up. Place, seam side down, in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.

Broil until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve immediately.

Yellow Pepper Quinoa

(4 to 6 servings)

  • 1 1/2 cups quinoa
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded, ribbed, and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for serving, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Delicioso Adobo Seasoning (page 8)
  • 3/4 teaspoon Peruvian ají amarillo paste

Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh wire sieve under cold water. Drain and transfer to a medium saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until all of the grains have burst, about 20 minutes. Drain the cooked quinoa in the sieve.

Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, green pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of parsley, adobo, ají amarillo, and salt. Add the quinoa and mix well. Serve hot sprinkled with the remaining chopped parsley.

For more recipes, check out www.ingridhoffmann.com.

— Terri MacLeod

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