Mash yuca with red quinoa

Cook yuca like a potato until tender, drain and mash with butter, then add the already cooked quinoa to the yuca and mix well. 

Tip: low on the glycemic index and great for diabetics.

Celebrating and enjoying life

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

Healthy breakfast

Mangu

 

Dominican Breakfast: Mangu with a side of bacon, scramble eggs and cafe con leche ( coffee and cream.) 

Mangu

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

2 green plantains, peeled

3 cups water

1 tablespoon butter

1 tsp Sazon Goya con Azafran ( with saffron)

4'tsp mojo

4 -6 pieces turkey bacon, baked and crumble.

Directions:

1

To peel plantains, cut off ends then cut in the middle or into thirds if very large. Then make a slice through lengthwise, from cut end, to cut end. Make another slice a quarter of the way around and then peel off that piece. I often make 3 -4 cuts equidistant around then peel them off with the side of the knife. They should just pop off.

2

Boil the plantains with butter and Sazon Goya until tender (like potatoes). Drain and reserve the broth. Mash plantains, adding reserved water broth plus,  bacon fat until they look like mashed potatoes.

3

In meantime while boiling plantains, baked  the bacon and drain on paper towels. crumbled up 4 pieces of bacon if desired. Used other pieces of bacon to served on the side.

4

Transfer mangu to plate and top with mojo. Served with a side of bacon and scramble eggs.

Healthy breakfast

 Cuban breakfast. Steam yuca with garlic mojo sauce, slice tomatoes and some calabasitas with a fried egg. Delicious!!!!! Very healthy and low carb. Low on the glycemic index for us diabetics. Always remember to eat in moderation (portions)

FYI: The glycemic index is a rating system that can help diabetics predict how different foods will affect their blood sugar levels. Cassava has a low glycemic index of 46, which means that it is less likely than some foods to cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. If you are diabetic, cassava could be a healthier choice than white potatoes, which have a high glycemic index of 85, according to DietAndFitnessToday.

Healthy Eating

Summer squash stuff with chili and cheese

Take your leftover chili and create a new healthy dish.

One large summer squash cut in half, seed removed, then stuff with your leftover chili and top with your favorite cheese put in a 425 oven and Cooked for about  one hour, or until squash is tender to the touch. Enjoy!!!!

Encouragement