Healthy Hispanic Foods

Keep your body and mind healthy and strong with one of the most popular cuisines in the world. Hispanic dishes are full of flavors and ingredients sure to be loved by the whole family. Delicious beans, tasty cheeses, fresh vegetables, and seasoned meats make up this favorite culinary genre, and simple dishes that don't require a master's degree to prepare can turn out surprisingly tasty.

The next time you go grocery shopping, stock up on the following for wonderful snacks and meals:

Pinto Beans
There’s nothing like the heavenly aroma of a pot of pinto beans simmering for hours on the stove. Pinto beans are the favored bean of Latin America for more reasons than their low cost. Whether served refried or whole, the pinto bean is one of the most flavorful beans of all.

Both high in fiber and readily available at all groceries, pinto beans can be served alone for a snack or as a nutritious side to any meal. Melt in chunks of cheese or experiment with spices for extra flavor. If you're watching your weight, just add a bit of salt and enjoy as a healthy main course.

Avocados
If you’ve never made your own guacamole before, you're in for a real treat. You don’t have to be a chef or particularly handy in the kitchen to whip up fresh guacamole dip. Just add the following to your chopped avocados:

• Lemon juice, to taste;
• Salt, to taste;
• Chopped red peppers, onions, cilantro, or other vegetables.

Whip these ingredients all together and serve. For a creamier guacamole, add a little sour cream or plain yogurt before mixing.

Tortillas
The trick to creating any dish or snack using either corn or flour tortillas is in the frying pan. There's no substitute for soft tortillas warmed in a pan with a little butter. Fry them a bit longer and you can make your own:

• Tostada crisps;
• Taco shells;
• Tortilla chips;
• Salad shells.
   

Just fry the tortilla for a few minutes in a small amount of crackling-hot oil. Lightly salted, they can be kept for days as a low calorie snack or a side. For healthier crispy tortillas, try baking instead of frying.

Fresh Salsa
Fresh vegetables are a part of every Hispanic meal and diet. Salsa doesn’t have to be eaten just as a dip. In fact, the word salsa just refers to a mixture of well-chopped fresh vegetables, whether used as a topping to any dish or as a dip.

The best salsa includes:

• Chopped tomatoes;
• Cilantro;
• Diced onions;
• Optional veggies: peppers (green, red, or yello), lime, and jalapenos.
   

Salsa can be kept fresh for several days and requires no additional ingredients or other seasonings than those listed above. Salsa can be enjoyed as a dip with your homemade tortilla chips and also served on top of a hamburger or even a salad.

Bring one of the tastiest and healthiest cuisines into your family’s kitchen. Hispanic foods vary between the dozens of countries and cultures that make them, so have fun exploring the unique flavors of Latin cooking like El Salvadoran pupusas and cabbage, Spanish tapas, Cuban ropa vieja and plaintains, just to name a few.