Healthy breakfast

Stuffed plantains and carimanolas

Memories from back home (Panama) remembering my grandmother,  just kick-up a notch. Plantains stuffed with picadillo and open face carimanolas with picadillo, top with dice tomatoes and queso fresco. Very low carb and on the glycimic index. Recommended for diabetic. These recipes I have tried  it for myself because of the condition of diabetes in my life. Ejoy

Picadillo recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

4 cloves garlic

1 medium white onion (chopped fine)

1 small green pepper (chopped)

1/2 cup beef stock

3/4 cup tomato sauce

2 small potatoes (peeled and diced)

8 to 10 green olives (pitted)

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil for sautéing

Preparation:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.

2. In a fruing pan, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onions, green pepper, and garlic until soft.

3. Add the ground beef mixture, beef stock, and tomato sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.

4. Add the diced potato. Cover and cook another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.

5. Remove the cover. Add the olives and cook uncovered 15 minutes or until the liquid is fully evaporated, but the meat is still moist.

6. Serve the picadillo warm with rice, farrow, quinoa.or let cool and use as a filling for empanadas and papas rellenas.

FYI - for a healthier serving used farrow or quinoa grain to substitute the rice serving, especially for diabetics.

Carimanolas recipe

Batter

3 pounds yucca
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
oil for deep frying

Peel yucca, cut into pieces and cook in water until tender but not overcooked. Puree in a food processor while warm and knead with oil and salt until the batter is soft but firm. Form balls with the yucca, flatten it, add one tablespoon of the filling and close it, giving it an elongated form. Heat the oil and fry the fritters until brown. Remove from oil and drain excess oil by placing them on a paper towel.

FYI: Glycemic index- indicates how quickly food will raise your blood sugar. Anything above filthy is not good for a diabetic. The lower the index # is better for you.

Glycemic index on:

Green plantain:   39

Yuca root:          46