We have this mentality about food. If it's healthy, it has to mean work and sacrifice. I am soooo against that way of thinking! For me, food is art, and it's creative energy, and thinking up ways to make it healtthy is part of the process.
I shop a lot at Fresh and Easy, and they have a sale shelf. It's one of my favorite things to do, see what's cheap and see what I can concoct from unexpected combinations.
Here's an example of what can happen when you decide to have fun with food. At last month's Places, Spaces, and Faces dinner here in Phoenix, the theme was fusion. inCYSTer Ivonne Ward, whose heritage is Cuban, started out with a basic Cuban ingredient, plantain bananas.
She called me from the store asking for some inspiration for a savory dish. I suggested Moroccan couscous.
Ivonne found a pre-mixed version, as well as some chicken curry salad. We decided to make what we ended up calling"Cous-chettas y Brus-curry de Havana"…a bruschetta-like appetizer, using broiled platano rounds instead of bread.
Here's how to replicate it.
Cous-chettas y Brus-curries de Havana
1 bag of plaintain chips
2 plaintain bananas
1 bag Mediterranean dried fruit mix
1 container guava jelly
1 salad container prepared couscous salad
1 salad container prepared chicken curry salad
Mint leaves
Olive oil
1. Separate the plaintain chips, setting aside all of the whole ones. Grind the broken ones into crumbs in a food processor.
2. Chop the dried fruit mix.
3. Slice the mint leaves into thin ribbons.
4. Cut the plantain into 1-1/2 inch slices. Stand them upright and smash them from top to bottom, to make what looks like mini pancakes. Spray them on both sides with olive oil and broil them on both sides until browned.
5. Take a few squares of guava jelly, add a bit of water, and heat over medium heat until it melts into a syrup. Set aside.
6. Spoon a small amount of salad on top of the plantain rounds, then spoon a small bit of chopped dried fruit mix on top of the salad.
7. Sprinkle crushed plantain chips on top of the salad, then drizzle a bit of guava syrup over the salad.
8. Lay a mint strip on top, and insert a whole plaintain chip for decoration.
9. Give yourself a pat on the back for having fun with food!
You can use any topping you have, really. What I liked about this creation is that we used ready-made salads to save some time and took a cultural favorite, fried plantains, and figured out a healthy way to cook them.