Three Diabetic-Friendly Latino Dishes

Three Diabetic-Friendly Latino Dishes

Three Diabetic-Friendly Latino Dishes

is ceviche healthy for diabetics

Love food but a diabetic? Here are three absolutely mouth-watering Latin dishes that will satisfy your appetite but keep your body fit: chicken empanada, yuca fritters, and ceviche.

Chicken empanada :

George Bernard Shaw once said, “There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” Satisfied is that person who gets to eat whatever and whenever he/she wants.

However, not everyone is lucky enough to do that, for various reasons. People with diabetes cannot have carbohydrates such as rice, sweetened beverages, and cereals, and packaged snack foods because they cause spikes in the blood sugar level.

Does that stop diabetics from craving delicious food? No. The good part is that there are some foods that are healthy but diabetic-friendly at the same time.

Thankfully, there are plenty of such delicious dishes in Latin cuisine. I would like to share three of my favorites.

Baked Chicken Empanada

The first item is baked chicken empanada. For diabetics, protein is a superb option as it does not raise blood sugar. It is filling, so you can eat it instead of bread, rice, and pasta. You can find more about good sources of protein here.

Chicken empanada is a popular Latino item. However, baking instead of frying your empanadas adds a whole new level of nutrition.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz boneless and skinless shredded chicken
  • 4 cups fat-free low sodium chicken broth
  • One medium yellow chopped onion
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 pound wheat pizza dough
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 15 olives

Directions

  1. Combine chicken broth and shredded chicken breast in a pan and cook on high for ten to twenty minutes. After the chicken is cooked, let it cool.
  2. Heat some oil in a frying pan. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, onions, paprika, chili powder, and ground cumin, stirring frequently.
  3. On a low flame, let the mixture cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until onions are tender and lightly browned and the liquid has evaporated. This will make 2 cups of filling.
  4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the baking sheet with oil.
  5. Roll out the pizza dough into 16 balls about 6 inches in diameter.
  6. Flatten one ball and put 2 tablespoons of the filling and 1 olive into the center. Sprinkle water on the bottom edge and firmly press the edges together to seal. Transfer the empanadas to a baking sheet and brush with butter.
  7. Coat the outer surface of each empanada with a mixture of beaten eggs and water.
  8. Bake the empanadas until light golden brown for 30 minutes and. place on a wire rack to cool.

Nutrition facts:

For a serving size of 3.3 ounces:

  • Calories 309
  • Total fat 16g
  • Cholesterol 35g
  • Sodium 600mg
  • Carbohydrates 30g
  • Proteins 11g

Yuca fritters

Of the three Latino healthy dishes, my favorite happens to be the mouth-watering Yuca fritters.

Yuca, also known as cassava in the US, is a root vegetable native to South America. It has the same tuberous features as a potato.

However, having a glycemic index of 46 (potatoes have a glycemic index of 72) makes it a more suitable alternative for diabetics. It will not cause a sharp spike in blood glucose levels.

Ingredients of Yuca fritters :

  • 1 cup canola oil for frying
  • 2 pounds grated yuca
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 1 teaspoon anise seeds
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon of sugar

Directions

  1. To prepare the dough for the fritters, grate the yuca.
  2. Add salt, anise seeds, butter, and an egg to the grated yuca in a bowl and mix it well.
  3. In a skillet, heat canola oil to medium heat.
  4. Take a spoonful of the yuca batter, roll it into a small ball, flatten it, and drop it into the heated oil. Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes until brown. Place the fritters on a tray lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil.
  5. Serve the fritters hot.

Nutrition facts in amount per 100g

Total fat 47.11g

Cholesterol 22.65 mg

Sodium 516.12 mg

Potassium 555.16 mg

Carbohydrates 43.46 g

Protein 1.44g

Iron 0.8g

Calcium 37.2mg

Ceviche

Many may not be aware of this, but there is rivalry among the Latin countries regarding which country makes the best ceviche. It is cooked in both Mexico and Peru.

The presence of omega-3, omega-6, and antioxidants, along with its low glycemic load, makes it perfect for a diabetic diet.

Traditional ceviche generally consists of raw, uncooked seafood marinated in the juice of citrus fruits like lime, lemon, and oranges. The acids in these citrus fruits automatically kill the remaining bacteria and soften the meat.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of raw, deshelled, deveined, diced shrimp (1 pound of fish or a mixture of fish and shrimp can also be used)
  • Juice from two lemons, two limes, and two oranges
  • Chopped onion, tomato, avocado, and cucumber
  • Virgin olive oil
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Salt to taste

Directions

  1. Marinate shrimp/fish in the lime, lemon, and orange juice in a nonreactive bowl and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Using a slotted spoon, separate the shrimp or fish from the liquid and transfer it to another bowl.
  3. Keep the mixture of lime, lemon, and orange juice separate.
  4. Stir chopped onion, tomato, avocado, cucumber, salt, and virgin oil into the shrimp/fish mixture.
  5. Allow it to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.

Nutrition facts

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Per Serving:

Carbohydrates 4.1g

Protein 12.1g

Fat 4g

Dietary fiber 2g

Sodium 143.4mg

Cholesterol 91.3mg

These recipes will be appreciated by diabetics and nondiabetics alike. They are both tasty and very healthy. Buen provecho!

This post was last modified on December 6, 2024 7:10 am