Pupusas

Pupusas is the traditional Salvadoran dish.  

Image from: Serious NY Eats

Ingredients:


1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, coarsely grated (2 cups)
1 cup cooked small red beans or kidney beans, rinsed and drained if canned
1 cup finely chopped chicharrón (fried pork rind)
4 cups corn tortilla flour (masa harina)
3 cups water at room temperature

Procedure: 


Toss together cheese, beans, pork rind, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl with your hands, then press mixture firmly into 16 (1 1/2-inch) balls (for filling).

Combine tortilla flour, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and knead with your hands until a uniform dough forms, about 1 minute. (Dough should be moist but not sticky. If necessary, knead a little more tortilla flour or water into dough.)

Flatten 1/4 cup dough between moistened palms into a 4-inch disk. Wrap disk around a ball of filling, enclosing it, and form into a smooth ball. Reflatten between your palms into a 4-inch disk (1/2 inch thick; filling should remain hidden). Put on a tray lined with plastic wrap and cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Make 15 more pupusas.

Heat a comal or large (2-burner) griddle over medium-low heat until hot, at least 2 minutes. Brush lightly with oil, then cook pupusas in batches, turning and pressing lightly with a metal spatula every 2 to 3 minutes, until crusty and browned in spots (some cheese may ooze out), 10 to 12 minutes total per batch. Serve immediately.

Cooks' notes:

Pupusas can be formed (but not cooked) 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered with plastic wrap.

Pupusas are best eaten right away but can be kept warm in a 250°F oven while cooking remaining batches. Recrisp on comal 1 minute per side before serving.

Recipe From: Epicurious 

Cooking Healthy

* Get into the habit of measuring the oil you use while you cook,
rather than just pouring it out of the bottle. It will be much
easier to moderate the amount you use.

* Use non-stick cookware so that you don't have to use as much,
if any, fat. When sauteing, use a small amount of chicken broth
or wine instead of butter or oil.

* To make fat-free broth, chill your meat or chicken broth. The
fat will rise to the top, and you can remove it before using
the broth.

* Many vegetables and fruits, including potatoes and apples,
retain many of their nutrients in their skin. So when possible,
leave the skin on your fruits and vegetables and cook them whole.

* Romaine lettuce is loaded with vitamins compared to iceberg.
It has three times as much Vitamin C and six times as much
Vitamin A.

* Vitamin C is destroyed quickly in cooking - so cook your
vegetables with Vitamin C in the smallest amount of water
possible and for a short amount of time.

* Stock up on spices. One of the keys to cooking low-fat and not
getting bored is to spice your food well. When you have finished
your recipe, always taste it and adjust the spices to meet your taste.

* Purchase the best (i.e. heaviest) set of non-stick cookware you
can afford.

* When cooking a dish with both vegetables and meat (i.e. in stir frys
and stews), reduce the amount of meat by 1/3 and increase the amount
of vegetables by 1/3. You will hardly notice!

* Thicken gravies with milk or broth blended in the blender with
flour. Be sure to cook long enough to remove the raw flour taste.
You'll never notice the lack of fat.

* Use olive oil for cooking when appropriate. It adds to the taste
of the dish and is better for you


If you wanr more tips you can go to : e-cookbooks

Healthy Balance

A healthy diet is one that helps maintain or improve health. It is important for the prevention of many chronic health risks such as: obesity, heart disease,diabetes, and cancer. A healthy diet involves consuming appropriate amounts of all nutrients, and an adequate amount of water. Nutrients can be obtained from many different foods, so there are a wide variety of diets that may be considered healthy diets. A healthy diet needs to have a balance of macronutrients/energy (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) and micronutrients to meet the needs for human nutrition without inducing toxicity from excessive amounts.

The role of poultry in a healthy diet:

Chicken meat is power packed with proteins it makes one of the favorite food for body builders due to its muscle building potential. skinned chicken meat is very low in fat if we compare it with other meats.

Chicken legs have the ablility to reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.



The role of pasta in a healthy diet:

Pasta meals are efficient “delivery systems” for healthy foods. Pasta is eaten with its plate partners, such as vegetables, fish, olive oil, cheese, tomato sauce, beans, poultry and meat. By pairing pasta with ingredients, the complete pasta meal is nutritious and satisfying.

Carbohydrates like pasta provide glucose, the crucial fuel for your brain and muscles. Pasta is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, which provide a slow release of energy. Unlike simple sugars that offer a quick, yet fleeting boost of energy, pasta helps sustain energy. 

Balance diet chart.

Different types of pasta

Different types of poultry