Healthy Food Recipes

In the United States, this avocado mixture is usually served as a dip, but in Mexico it has many other uses. Guacamole makes a good topping for tacos or tostadas and can be served as a refreshing salad all by itself. There are many ways to make this popular food, and all of them are delicious.The essential ingredients are avocados and lime or lemon juice. Without the acid from the fruit juice, the avocados quickly turn brown, so be sure to add it.The number of chiles you use depends on how hot you want your guacamole.Taste it before adding too many. Instead of chiles, you can use a dash of chili powder or Tabasco sauce for a little heat.

Ingredients:

1.    2 large (or 4 small) ripe avocados

2.    1 small tomato, chopped

3.    ½  small onion, chopped

4.    1 to 3 jalapeño or serrano chiles, chopped

5.    1 tbsp. lime or lemon juice (fresh-squeezed is best)

6.    ¾  tsp. salt

7.    pepper to taste

How To Make:

1.      Cut avocados in half lengthwise, slicing to and around the center pits. Ask an adult to help you pry out pits with the point of a knife. Scoop the flesh out of the shells with a large spoon.

2.      Mash avocados with a fork or potato masher and stir in other ingredients. For a very smooth mixture, combine ingredients in a blender or food processor.

3.      Serve with tortilla chips or raw vegetables.

Preparation time: 15 minutes Makes About two cups.

Mango canela is a flavorful and refreshing treat. Topping mango with coconut and cinnamon makes for a tropical dessert.

Ingredients:

1.     2 to 3 fresh mangoes or a 1-lb. can of mangoes

2.     1/4 c. shredded coconut

3.     1 tsp. cinnamon

How To Make:

1: If using fresh mangoes, allow 1/2 of mangoes mango per person. To cut up a fresh mango, place the fruit on a cutting board. Slice down each side of the mango, close to the large, flat seed in the center. You will have 2 rounded sections of fruit and 1 flat section with the seed. Place a round section on a cutting board, cut side up. Slicing down to the skin but not through it, make cuts across the mango section about every half inch. Turn the fruit 90 degrees and make another set of cuts. Hold the mango section in both hands. Push on the skin with your fingers and turn the section inside out. The flesh will separate on the cuts you made, and you will be able to pick or slice mango cubes off the skin. Repeat with the other side. Next, peel the middle section. Carefully slice the flesh from the seed.

2: Chill mangoes overnight in the refrigerator.

3: To serve, place mango in a dessert dish or fruit cup. Top with coconut and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

 Preparation time: 15 minutes plus overnight refrigeration Serves 4 to 6

Huachinango is an Aztec name for “red snapper,” an ocean fish caught off the shores of tropical Veracruz, a Mexican state located on the Gulf of Mexico. If you visit the fish market in the busy seaport of Veracruz, you will see stands full of freshly caught snapper with shiny scales in all shades of red, pink, and yellow. This fish is also available fresh or frozen in many parts of the United States. If it is too expensive or unavailable at your grocery store, a different kind of white fish—such as haddock—may be substituted.

There are many popular Mexican recipes using red snapper, but one of the tastiest ways to fix this fish is simply to panfry it and then squeeze on fresh lime juice. Limes are more widely used in Mexican cooking than lemons. Their tangy juice gives a special flavor to fish and to fresh fruits

such as papaya and mango.

Ingredients:

1.     6 red snapper fillets

2.     0.5 c. all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper to taste

3.     4 tbsp. vegetable oil

4.     2 limes, cut into wedges

How To Make:

1.     In a shallow bowl or pie pan, mix flour with a bit of salt and pepper. Place 1 fillet in the flour mixture and turn until both sides are lightly coated. Repeat with the other fillets. Set aside on a plate.

2.     Heat oil in a skillet and sauté fillets, 1 or 2 at a time, for about 5 minutes or until they are golden brown. Turn and sauté on other side.*

3.      Serve with lime wedges.

Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes Serves 6