Staying slim on Cinco de Mayo

I've done a healthy Cinco de Mayo recipe roundup at the FoodieView blog. So stop on by for some great tips on eating healthy during this food holiday.

Since I wrote the post, I've come across some other terrific, healthy Mexican dishes. The first recipe comes from the April 2008 issue of Sunset magazine.

Crab Tacos
Makes 8 tacos

Ingredients:

• 4 Roma tomatoes, halved, seeded, and sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 large jalapeño chiles, halved, seeded, and sliced, divided (or use canned instead)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces shelled cooked crab (used canned to save time)
• 8 taco shells or tortillas (corn tortillas are the healthiest choice)
• 1 cup Iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced (cabbage is a good alternative)
• 1 cup shredded jack or cheddar cheese (leave out the cheese to cut back on POINTS, fats and calories)
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced (yes, they're high in calories, but oh so good for you)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Put tomatoes, garlic, half of the jalapeño, 1/4 cup cilantro, and the lime juice in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set salsa aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and remaining jalapeño until soft, 4 minutes. Add crab and cook just until crab is warm, about 2 minutes.
3. Put tortillas on a baking pan and warm in oven, about 3 minutes. (I like to use my double burner skillet to do this. My husband puts the tortilla right on a low burner - we have an electric stove - a trick he learned from his hunting buddy, Jose. When I do this, I burn them, so be careful.)
4. Arrange on a platter and fill with crab mixture, dividing evenly. Top crab with lettuce, cheese, and avocado. Sprinkle tacos with green onion and remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Serve immediately, with salsa on the side or on top.

Nutritional information for one taco:
Calories: 200
Fat:  12g
Protein: 11g
Fiber 1.7g

Weight Watchers POINTS = 5

Mojito Fruit Cocktails
Makes 4 servings at only 1 Weight Watchers POINTS each

I love how Women's Day serves these in martini glasses. However, in the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, you may want to use margarita glasses instead.

Ingredients:

• 3⁄4 cup diced fresh strawberries
• 3⁄4 cup diced fresh pineapple
• 2 kiwis, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 oranges, peel and white part (pith) removed, cut in segments and diced
• 2 Tbsp white rum (optional - skip if you want to save some calories)
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 2 Tbsp sugar (you could cut back on calories using a sugar substitute)
• 1⁄2 tsp grated lime peel
• Garnish: sugar, red liquid food color (for pink-tinted sugar on glass rims) and lime slices

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients except garnish. Let stand, tossing occasionally, 10 minutes until juicy and sugar dissolves.
2. To garnish and serve: Spread about 2 Tbsp sugar on a plate. Add 1 or 2 drops food coloring and blend with fingers until sugar is evenly tinted pink. Pour a little water into a shallow bowl. Dip rim of martini or other serving glass in water, then the sugar, to coat rim. Spoon in fruit and juice. Garnish with a lime slice. This is best served freshly made.

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 106
Total Fat 1g
Dietary Fiber 4g
Protein 1g

Weight Watchers POINTS = 1

More Tacos

Finally, the March 2008 issue of Health magazine features shrimp tacos. These are 5 Weight Watchers points per taco, so you may only want to have one and fill up on grilled pepper strips instead.

Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked (use the frozen, tail off, precooked shrimp to save time)
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions
• 1 medium diced peeled avocado
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup bottled salsa verde
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas (use corn instead - healthier, more fiber, and more more authentic)
• 1 1/4 cups red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips (about 1 pepper)
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine shrimp, beans, scallions, and avocado. Season with pepper. In a separate bowl, stir together the salsa, cilantro, and lime juice. Toss shrimp mixture with 1/4 cup salsa mixture.
2. Arrange tortillas on a microwave-safe plate in batches of 2. Place a damp paper towel over the tortillas and microwave at HIGH for 30 seconds.
3. Arrange 3–4 pepper strips in the center of each tortilla. Top with 1/2 cup of the shrimp-and-bean mixture. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the salsa verde mixture over each taco. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro.

Nutritional information for two tacos:
Calories: 453
Fat: 13g
Protein: 30g
Fiber: 13g

Weight Watchers POINTS = 10

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