Healthy Mexican Cuisine - Muy nutritivo y delicioso!

May 6, 2013 Sarah Lawson, RD

Although most Americans celebrated the day of Mexican pride and heritage yesterday, there is no reason to stop the party. To spice up your diet, incorporating the regional dishes of Mexico can offer a range of health benefits and variety to your everyday routine. It is possible to enjoy the fresh Mexican flavors without wrecking your waistline!

Mexican cuisine is much more than the high fat, high calorie gigantic platters of food often served in American style restaurants. The land and seas of Mexico provide a plethora of fruits, vegetables, and heart healthy fishes that are important for good nutritional health. 

A fast and easy dish you can prepare ahead of time and actually improves as it sits is ceviche. Traditionally, raw seafood marinates in acidic juices causing a chemical reaction that “cooks” the fish. In my preparation, I used a frozen blend of seafood that is quickly blanched in hot boiling water making it safe to eat for everyone (from young kiddos to pregnant mamas and older folks too). Add diced avocado, mango, onion, and peppers and you have a low calorie, high protein dish loaded with flavor, fiber, and heart healthy fats!

Cinco de Mayo Ceviche

Ingedients:

  • 1 lb frozen mixed seafood (shrimp, bay scallops, calamari)
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • 2T lemon juice
  • 2T olive oil
  • ½ small red onion, diced
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • 1 mango, cubed
  • ½ green bell pepper, diced
  • ½ red bell pepper, diced
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Thaw seafood to room temperature. This can be done by rinsing the seafood in a colander with cool running water.
  2. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot, quickly add thawed seafood and let boil for  about 1 minute, no more than 2. Drain seafood into a colander and run under cold water to stop the fish from over cooking.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the lemon and lime juices with olive oil. Add the cooled seafood, red onion, avocado, mango, and bell peppers and gently mix ingredients together. Just before serving, add cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.
This dish makes for a great appetizer with whole grain corn chips for dipping, or served as a main entr�e on a tortilla. You can also bump up the heat by adding jalape�o pepper if you like it spicy. Buen Provecho!

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