avocado tomatillo sauce

Mexican food is very popular in the U.S., despite the general belief that Mexican cuisine is high in calories. As a matter of fact, authentic Mexican cuisine uses fresh, highly-nutrient ingredients and can provide you with a lot of healthy choices. But, as everything is super-sized in America, so has happened with the Mexican food. Portions have grown larger and recipes have grown fattening, which is what most Mexican restaurants and fast food chains serve in the U.S.
Some great Mexican meals such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and nachos are prepared with fresh produce, corn, fresh tomatoes or tomatillos, avocado, beans, rice, mushrooms, corn tortillas and nutritious spices such as chilies, cinnamon, garlic, cumin and cloves.
If you want to avoid the Americanized versions of Mexican food that are high in fat, calories and sodium, you can prepare healthy Mexican food at home. In some very easy and quick steps you can taste highly nutritional Mexican meals in no time.
Here are some tips for cooking healthy Mexican food at home:
- Tomatoes
Tomatoes are the main ingredient of Mexican salsas. Rich in lycopene, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C, tomatoes reduce the risk of several types of cancer and their protective effect is highly beneficial.
Pico de gallo is the most famous Mexican salsa. All you need is 2 large fresh tomatoes, 1/2 large white onion, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, minced fresh chile, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. It can be prepared in 15 minutes and it contains all the natural ingredients that contribute to your overall wellness.
- Beans
Beans contain high amounts of proteins and fiber and provide antioxidant benefits. The best variety are the pinto or the black beans that are low-fat, low-calorie. Instead, the refried beans that are usually served in the Mexican restaurants are totally unhealthy and should be avoided.
For a bean salsa, you cook pinto or black beans and then you add onion and 1 teaspoon of cumin. After 30 minutes is ready for you to enjoy.
- Corn
Corn has extraordinary health qualities because it is rich in folate, vitamin B, vitamin C and fiber. It contributes to heart prevention, it helps in better digestion and it stabilizes blood sugar levels. Bake 12 6-inch corn tortillas with 1 tablespoon of canola oil in 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes and you can enjoy a really delicious and healthy food that goes with homemade guacamole, pico de gallo or avocado salsa.
- Avocado
Avocados contain high quantities of vitamin K and potassium that lower “bad” cholesterol (LDL).
For a great guacamole sauce all you need is ripe avocados, chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper. For the salsa, add chili peppers, garlic, onions, lime and cilantro to make the taste more intense.
- Chilies
Chili peppers are rich in capsaicin that promotes anti-inflammatory and pain-relief qualities. In addition, chilies reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases because they lower “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and they contain vitamin A. In most of the Americanized Mexican restaurants you will hardly find real chilies, so it’s better to prepare your own homemade Mexican meal.
If, however, you prefer going out to a Mexican restaurant, you still have healthy choices.
- Avoid the chips
Chips that are served before the meal are a dieter's nightmare. Normally, they are full in sodium, which means that, not only they increase the levels of water weight, but they also increase blood pressure. Avoiding the chips may save you an extra 200 calories of fat. Instead, you can eat as mane carrots or celery sticks you want with the salsa dip.
- Avoid sour cream and extra cheese
Sour cream and extra cheese are nothing more than extra fat and calories. Sour cream is a basic topping in Mexican food, used in all meals to add a smooth taste. But if you are on a diet, you should avoid it. If you’re looking for protein sources, you’d better go for black beans, grilled shrimp or grilled chicken and avoid cheese.
- Prefer corn tortillas
Corn tortillas may save you an extra 200 calories of fat that you would gain if you ordered flour tortillas.
- Prefer grilled food
Order grilled chicken or meat rather than fried. For instance, fajitas have a great taste flavor and are lower in calories and fat than enchiladas and tacos that are fried.
- Cut your portion in half
Do not eat all your lunch. Cut it in half and eat it later in the week. Cutting back the portion size automatically means 200 calories less, which consequently means healthy eating in terms of fat.
The main advantage of Mexican food is that most Mexican meals can be adapted to your eating habits. So, either at home, or at a Mexican restaurant, you can add the ingredients you like and enjoy really delicious and healthy dishes. Without a doubt, Mexican food is a great temptation. But if you want to derive the healthy benefits of true Mexican cuisine, offer to yourself something authentic.
About the Author:
I work as a financial and investment advisor but my passion is writing, music and photography. Writing mostly about finance, business and music, being an amateur photographer and a professional dj, I am inspired from life.
Being a strong advocate of simplicity in life, I love my family, my partner and all the people that have stood by me with or without knowing. And I hope that someday, human nature will cease to be greedy and demanding realizing that the more we have the more we want and the more we satisfy our needs the more needs we create. And this is so needless after all.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Tips for eating healthy Mexican food
History of Salsa
The word "salsa" is the Spanish word for sauce. The salsas that many of us think of are salsa frescas or salsa cruda, fresh sauces served as a condiment aside a Mexican meal. These uncooked sauces might be pureed until smooth, semi-chunky, or the uniformly chopped pico de gallo (my favorite).
The Chile – Tomato Combination
The making of of a sauce by combining chiles, tomatoes, spices and other ingredients like squash seeds and even beans has been documented back to the Aztec culture..
We have Spanish-born Bernadino de Sahagun to thank for the detailed culinary history of the Aztec culture. His extensive writings documented every food common to the culture. This is an excerpt from Sahagun's writings about the food vendors in the large Aztec markets:
"He sells foods, sauces, hot sauces, fried [food], olla-cooked, juices, sauces of juices, shredded [food] with chile, with squash seeds, with tomatoes, with smoke chile, with hot chile, with yellow chile, with mild red chile sauce, yellow chile sauce, sauce of smoked chile, heated sauce, he sells toasted beans, cooked beans, mushroom sauce, sauce of small squash, sauce of large tomatoes, sauce of ordinary tomatoes, sauce of various kinds of sour herbs, avocado sauce. (Sahagun, translated 1950 -1982).
Ingredients Then and Now
The paragraph above refers to many of the ingredients in our modern-day salsas.
Large tomatoes - We believe this references is to a large red tomato similar to what we eat to day.
Ordinary tomatoes - most likely this reference is to the tomatillo or tomate verde.
Smoked chiles - The chipotle or smoked jalapeno was a staple in the Aztec diet.
Avocado - cultivated by the Aztecs the avocado was an important source of fat and protein and was used in a sauce similar to what we call guacamole.
Two Delicious Salsa Recipes:
2 c fresh plum tomato, diced
1 c fresh green tomato, diced
1/2 c fresh green bell pepper, diced
1/4 c fresh purple onion, chopped.
1 tbsp jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt.
1/8 tsp coarsely ground pepper.
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil.
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir well. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serve with corn or flour tortilla wedges, poultry, or fish.
Yield: 3 cups (approx 6 calories per tbsp).
Mango Salsa
2 medium ripe mangoes
1 small cucumber, peeled, diced (it says seeded, but I've never bothered)
1 ripe tomato
juice of 1 lime (lemon works, too!)
pinch of salt
1/2 - 1 small fresh chile pepper, minced, or Tobasco or other hot pepper
sauce to taste (I have always used Tobasco)
1 Tablespoon chopped, fresh cilantro (It says optional, but I don't really
think so)
Peel and chop the mangoes. In a large bowl, mix together the mangoes,
cucumber, tomato, lime juice, salt, chile or tabasco, and cilantro. Let
salsa sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend before serving. Mango
salsa keeps refrigerated for 2 or 3 days.
About the Author:
Michael K. Sasaki is the founder of RecipeMatcher ( http://www.recipematcher.com ), where you can find delicious salsa recipes.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - The Real History of Salsa