Celebrities love to hit up Mexico. Why not? The sun, the blue water, the beaches, the margaritas – all add to the fabulousness factor. Just this past Thanksgiving weekend, Jennifer Aniston, looking hot in a teeny-bikini, was spotted in Cabo, as was the newly re-kindled twosome Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez. Eva Longoria, Heidi Klum, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt… the list goes on – are often photographed at posh resorts. Even Madonna is opening her own fitness center in Mexico City.
My question: How do all these body-conscious celebs feast on traditional high-calorie Mexican cuisine? Doesn’t all that guacamole, cheese, heavy beans and sauces make it a challenge to keep their figures camera-ready?
Healthy Hollywood got a tip on how to eat Mexican without tipping the scale. Riviera Nayarit’s trendy resort, Villa La Estancia Nuevo Vallarta, makes its menu leaner by giving traditional dishes a healthy makeover using local Mexican produce. For instance, instead of a side of rice, the chef substitutes with a quinoa salad and jicama. Forget fried corn chips, here nachos are made from hazelnuts and almonds. Instead of refried beans, the chef uses mashed sprouted black and macadamia “cheese” covered with zucchini blossom.
Can’t afford to jet set off to Mexico? Me neither. But, we can create our own “healthy” Mexican fiesta right at home. Villa La Estancia Nuevo Vallarta’s top chef shares a few of his favorite recipes. Just FYI: You’ll need a food dehydrator to make chips.
GUACAMOLE AND SALSA WITH DEHYDRATED CORN TORTILLA CHIPS
4 servings
Ingredients for Guacamole
6 large avocados, ripe
1 cup red onion, minced
1 cup cilantro, minced
2 Serrano chili peppers, seedless, minced
one-half cup lime juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Celtic salt
Mash avocados with a fork and mix the rest of the ingredients.
Ingredients for Salsa
4 Roma tomatoes, ripe/firm, diced
three-quarter cup red onion, minced
1 cup cilantro, minced
2 Serrano chili peppers, minced
one-third cup lime juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Celtic salt
Mix all ingredients.
Ingredients for Dehydrated Corn Tortilla Chips
500 grams corn masa
one-half cup flax seed
one-third cup flax seed oil
Mix all ingredients, knead dough until smooth. Make small round balls with dough and place it between 2 layers of plastic bags and roll it out with a rolling pin. Spread flat on dehydrator screens and dehydrate for 4 hours. Shape the tortilla chips and then place back in dehydrator overnight.
MANGO GAZPACHO
4 servings
Ingredients
2 cups fresh mangoes
2 cups orange juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 seedless cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
one-half cup red onion
1 tbsp raw honey
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeño
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro leaves
2 tbsp ginger, minced
1 cup coconut milk
Dash Celtic salt
Dash black pepper
Blend all ingredients in a mixer, then refrigerate for 2 hours and serve.
STUFFED POBLANO CHILI PEPPER WITH QUINOA AND MUSHROOM
4 servings
Ingredients for Stuffed Peppers
4 Anaheim peppers
one-third cup quinoa, white
one-third cup quinoa, red
one-half cup bottom mushrooms, sliced
one-quarter of a red bell pepper, chopped
one-quarter of a green bell pepper, chopped
one-quarter of a yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 Italian zucchini
one-half cup red onion, chopped
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp Celtic salt
Soak quinoas for 24 hours in 2 liters of water.
Mix all vegetables (except Anaheim peppers) with yeast and season with Celtic salt.
Clean Anaheim peppers and carefully stuff it with the quinoa mix.
Ingredients for “Mole” Sauce
1 red bell pepper
1 Roma tomato
4 dates
1 tbsp raw cacao
2 tbsp lemon juice
one-half tbsp Celtic salt
one-quarter tsp chili powder
Dash of cayenne
Water for consistency
Process all the ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. Stuff
the Anaheim peppers with the filling and pour the mole sauce over the peppers.
Note: The peppers can be served cold or place them in a dehydrator at 105 degrees for 3 – 4 hours and serve warm.
For more information on Mexican resorts, check out www.villagroupresorts.com.
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