Tantalize Your Taste buds with Latin American Cuisine

Tantalize Your Taste buds with Latin American Cuisine

When putting together a meal, it’s always a good idea to
“personalize your plate.” This means you should strive to include your favorite foods from a variety of food groups so you can ensure you are getting all the important nutrients your body needs.  Experimenting with new dishes can be both fun and flavorful. Take Latin American dishes for example. Traditionally, a Latin American diet is filled with whole grain corn, fresh fruit and vegetables, beans, rice, herbs and spices and is combined with a strong emphasis on family life that helps to support good health. 

These foods are just a few examples of dishes from Latin American that can be incorporated into a healthy meal plan:   

Breakfast:

  • Scrambled egg with tomato, onion and peppers in a corn tortilla or arepa with cheese
  • Beans and rice, with sliced tomato and cooked egg and plantain

Lunch or Dinner:

  • Tamales filled with cheese and chicken or beans, served with tomatillo salsa and zucchini
  • Pumpkin and quinoa soup with white beans
  • Pupusas (masa corn cake filled with cheese, beans or meat) with salsa and curtido (a type of cabbage slaw)
  • Fish tacos with avocados and salsa, sautéed chard and pineapple
  • Ropa vieja (shredded beef in a spicy tomato sauce) with rice, black beans, collard greens and avocado
  • Soup or stew with hominy topped with shredded cheese, lettuce and radish and served with a side of fresh fruit
  • Bean and cheese empanada (stuffed pastry) with a mango and jicama salad
  • Arroz con Pollo (seasoned chicken and rice) with a side of peppers, tomatoes, and
  • chayote squash
  • A cup of sancocho (meat and root vegetable stew) with green salad and yogurt and berries for dessert

Snacks:

  • Raw vegetables dipped in guacamole
  • Fruit smoothie made with milk