Steven Raichlen's Healthy Latin Cooking: 200 Sizzling Recipes from Mexico, Cuba, Caribbean, Brazil, and Beyond (Paperback)

~ (Author), Hannia Campos Ph.D. (Introduction), Cristina Saralegui (Foreword) "There are 29 million Latinos living in the United States..." (more)
Key Phrases: rocotillo chile peppers, combine the chile peppers, jalapefio chile peppers, Latin American, Cooking Tip, Central America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Steven Raichlen brings the best of his culinary world to Healthy Latin Cooking: he absolutely loves Latin flavors, from Mexico to Argentina, from Cuba to Puerto Rico, and he is dedicated to a healthy diet that's low in fat yet high in flavor. (His High-Flavor, Low-Fat Cooking series is a must, as is his Miami Spice.)

Raichlen doesn't just drop the unwary cook into chapters of recipes that have been altered to reduce fat and salt and all the other nastiness. He begins with all the reasons for doing just that, and the many ways in which the true Latin diet is perfectly suited to a healthy pyramid approach. Nor does he shy away from truth, beauty, and justice, stating categorically that there are some dishes where lard just can't be left out of the flavor profile. He goes on, however, to show the reader how to cut way back on the total amount of lard used while retaining its great flavor.

Chapters are divided by kinds of food--appetizers, soups, salads, beans, and rice--not by place of origin. So it's kind of a Latin adventure to flip through this book, never knowing where you are going to land. There are Little Pots of Red Beans with Sour Cream from Nicaragua (140 calories per serving), Chicken and Vegetable Stew from Colombia (374 calories), Tamales from Mexico and from Cuba (163 versus 120 calories), Seafood Stew from Brazil (345 calories), Stuffed Pot Roast from Puerto Rico (533 calories), and flan from everywhere (423 calories). Steven Raichlen gives the reader a great way to spice up a diet, and a great diet to help life last a long, pleasurable time. --Schuyler Ingle --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In trimming a cuisine notoriously high in fats and cholesterol, James Beard and IACP Award winner Raichlen (Miami Spice) relies on today's popular approaches, increasing the ratio of vegetables and fruits to meat, and creating rich flavors with herbs, spices and chicken and vegetable stock. Nutritional data is provided for each recipe as it's usually prepared and for Raichlen's revision. To lighten his Jalape?o Poppers, Raichlen employs a favorite method he calls bake-frying, whereby food, lightly sprayed with oil, is oven-baked rather than deep-fried (reducing the per-popper fat from 11.3 grams to 1.4). Guacamole contains half the usual fat when lightened with tomatillos. Tostones?plantain slices usually fried twice?are simmered first in chicken stock and then bake-fried. Paella is healthier with reduced oil, skinless chicken breasts and dry-cured country ham instead of pork sausage. Huevos Rancheros are made with egg substitute; Picadillo becomes Turkey Picadillo with ground turkey breast substituting for beef. Grains and vegetables receive their due in dishes like Quinoa Salad and Yuca with Garlic-Lime Sauce. For fans of Latin fare who must cut their fat intake, Raichlen's latest collection offers comfort food. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books; Reprint edition (May 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875964982
• ISBN-13: 978-0875964980
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #151,984 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mouth watering pictures, great flavor and reduced fat!, April 27, 1999

By	[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: Steven Raichlen's Healthy Latin Cooking: 200 Sizzling Recipes from Mexico, Cuba, The Caribbean, Brazil, and Beyond (Hardcover)

This is a gorgeous cookbook with pictures that make you want to run into the kitchen and start chopping! The author's annotations on how he has modified the traditional recipes to bring them more in line with modern dietary guidelines are helpful in themselves and can be applied to other recipes. The first recipe I tried was wonderful (Red Snapper Veracruz), can't wait for more. All in all, a very thorough and healthy approach to an exciting cuisine. Thanks Stephen!

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty to look at but..., August 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Steven Raichlen's Healthy Latin Cooking: 200 Sizzling Recipes from Mexico, Cuba, The Caribbean, Brazil, and Beyond (Hardcover)

I received this book as a present and was delighted at the prospects of cooking from it after reading through it.

Sadly, after trying several recipes, they all lacked any real flavor. The recipes were easy to follow and ingredients easy to come by, they just didn't add up to much.

I'm going to give a few other recipes a try and hope they'll change my mind about this cookbook.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, February 24, 2008

By	JC (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

Although my mom was one of the better cooks I knew, I grew up in a household where dinner was not dinner if there was no meat. I knew first hand of many other cooks who fried foods in lard, or cooked with heavy creams, whole milks, white rice and sugar (brown rice and sugar were unheard of). I loved Latin American cooking and if I ate in my adulthood as I did as a child, I would probably have died of a heart attack by age 40. Stephen Raichlen presents healthy alternatives to traditional ingredients and takes the time to explain why he's made those substitutions. This is a great book if you savor Latin American cooking and want to enjoy it for years to come.