Talking About Baking

Posted on: 12 May 2016

If you love Mexican food, but are concerned about your heart, you needn't avoid Mexican restaurants. There are plenty of heart healthy items on the menu. As long as you avoid recipes that are overall heavy with cheese, beef, or are fried, then you will be on the right track. Here are 4 suggestions to look for.

Roasted Chicken With Mole Poblano Sauce

Roasted chicken is always a good alternative to beef, pork, or fried chicken. Roasting is a healthier means of cooking food. The special aspect of this dish is its sauce. Instead of a sauce that is made of melted cheese, this sauce is a made with a variety of peppers, spices and nuts. Mole's are incredibly complicated to make, so it's not something you will often have the opportunity to have. This particular mole is made with several different types of peppers (ancho, mulatto, and pasilla). The sauce also has tomatillos, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Finally, raisens, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds and almonds are used to thicken the sauce and give it a complex flavor. Many of the ingredients, such as the almonds, are actually very helpful for heart health.

Huachinango a la Veracruzana

This is a famous dish that originates in the Veracruz area of Mexico. It made with red snapper. The snapper is marinated in lime juice, salt, nutmeg and garlic. It is then placed into a dish and roasted with capers, olives, tomatoes and jalapeno peppers. The fish is slow roasted in an oven until it is tender. The snapper is then served with rice.

This dish is excellent for your heart because of the beneficial fatty acids in the fish. If you are concerned about the white rice, you could see if the chef will serve it with roasted potatoes.

Guacamole

This is a super popular avocado based dip. Many people who are concerned about their heart might think to avoid it because avocados have a lot of fat, however think again. Avocados are actually packed with heart healthy fat that can help your cholesterol levels. So don't deprive yourself.

Horchata

This is a drink that is very popular in Mexico. It is made with rice, and oftentimes almonds. You can think of it as an alternative to an unhealthy milkshake. A horchata is made by blending rice, almonds and spices such as cinnamon and vanilla bean with water. This mixture is then left to sit for several hours and then it is strained. The mixture is often sweetened with either agave syrup or cane sugar. It would make a great dessert. Unlike rich custard desserts like flan, this one is light and doesn't have much fat.

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