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Just back from an amazing two week trip to South Africa, I came home with a lot of extra stuff. Thanks in part to the unexpectedly fantastic food and an inability to go on five-mile runs when one is in a game park surrounded by dangerous animals, some of the “stuff” I came back with is an unwanted extra five pounds lingering mostly around my middle.
With swim suit season just around the corner, I have put myself in a sort of decadent food time-out until I feel my weight and exercise program are back on the right track. But although eating healthy can certainly be easy, making it taste good can be the hard part.
Take my recent pet peeve of the inedible restaurant salad. How hard can it be to make a good tasting, good looking, and good for you salad? Very difficult apparently, as evidenced by the multiple times I have left lunch hungry recently after picking through a salad of wilting lettuce, dry chicken, and soggy red peppers.
I find the salad dilemma particularly strange considering that when I make entree salads at home, I have no problem coming up with interesting combinations of fresh ingredients that appeal to both the eye and the palate. One of my favorites is sort of an Italian chop salad where I mix lettuce greens with grated mozzarella, canned chickpeas, sliced pepperoncinis, diced tomatoes, sliced salami (only a little for taste if I am watching my diet), and chopped chicken or turkey. All those ingredients tossed with a nice balsamic vinaigrette results in a plate full of titillating tastes and textures.
With Cinco de Mayo just a couple of days away, I have also been thinking about the difficulty in making healthy Mexican food. For most of us and the Mexican restaurants that we go to, the concept of healthy Mexican food is a bit of an oxymoron. If you order a taco salad, it usually comes in its own fried tortilla bowl, thereby negating any benefits of the lettuce inside. Meats, from the carne asada to the chile verde tend to be on the fattier side. Even the beans, which by themselves are a great low fat source of fiber and protein, are usually “refried” typically meaning the inclusion of extra fat such as lard.
If this was any other time of year I would dig right into that bowl of lard-laden beans and gleefully tear off a piece of fried tortilla bowl, but we all have times where we know cutting back is necessary and now is my time for discretion with my food choices. But that doesn’t mean I will forgo the Cinco de Mayo celebration. I’ll take any excuse for a good party as long as I can do it the slightly healthier way.
Fajitas for instance, are usually one of the healthier menu items at your typical Mexican restaurant. At home, you can make it even better by mixing sliced sauteed chicken breast or shrimp with a load of vegetables such as peppers, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini. Seasoning such as oregano, chili pepper, and cumin will give the saute a distinctly Mexican taste. Serve the fajitas with small corn tortillas and a zesty salsa.
When it comes to the side dishes, swap out the usual refried pinto beans for some dressed up black beans. Saute a small diced onion and a minced garlic clove in a bit of oil. Add a couple of cans of drained and rinsed black beans along with one cup of chicken stock, a bay leaf, and some chili powder. Let the beans simmer, covered, for fifteen minutes to let the flavors marry. The bean make-over is a suitable accompaniment for any Mexican entree.
Even if I am watching my diet, I don’t want to feel deprived. I still want my food, whether at a restaurant or at home, to look great and to taste as good as it looks. Giving some favorites like an entree salad or a favorite Mexican dish a healthy make-over still lets me feel part of the party, so I can really celebrate when I kiss those five pounds good-bye.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/887-healthy-mexican-food/
Mexican Make-Over
Just back from an amazing two week trip to South Africa, I came home with a lot of extra stuff. Thanks in part to the unexpectedly fantastic food and an inability to go on five-mile runs when one is in a game park surrounded by dangerous animals, some of the “stuff” I came back with is an unwanted extra five pounds lingering mostly around my middle.
With swim suit season just around the corner, I have put myself in a sort of decadent food time-out until I feel my weight and exercise program are back on the right track. But although eating healthy can certainly be easy, making it taste good can be the hard part.
Take my recent pet peeve of the inedible restaurant salad. How hard can it be to make a good tasting, good looking, and good for you salad? Very difficult apparently, as evidenced by the multiple times I have left lunch hungry recently after picking through a salad of wilting lettuce, dry chicken, and soggy red peppers.
I find the salad dilemma particularly strange considering that when I make entree salads at home, I have no problem coming up with interesting combinations of fresh ingredients that appeal to both the eye and the palate. One of my favorites is sort of an Italian chop salad where I mix lettuce greens with grated mozzarella, canned chickpeas, sliced pepperoncinis, diced tomatoes, sliced salami (only a little for taste if I am watching my diet), and chopped chicken or turkey. All those ingredients tossed with a nice balsamic vinaigrette results in a plate full of titillating tastes and textures.
With Cinco de Mayo just a couple of days away, I have also been thinking about the difficulty in making healthy Mexican food. For most of us and the Mexican restaurants that we go to, the concept of healthy Mexican food is a bit of an oxymoron. If you order a taco salad, it usually comes in its own fried tortilla bowl, thereby negating any benefits of the lettuce inside. Meats, from the carne asada to the chile verde tend to be on the fattier side. Even the beans, which by themselves are a great low fat source of fiber and protein, are usually “refried” typically meaning the inclusion of extra fat such as lard.
If this was any other time of year I would dig right into that bowl of lard-laden beans and gleefully tear off a piece of fried tortilla bowl, but we all have times where we know cutting back is necessary and now is my time for discretion with my food choices. But that doesn’t mean I will forgo the Cinco de Mayo celebration. I’ll take any excuse for a good party as long as I can do it the slightly healthier way.
Fajitas for instance, are usually one of the healthier menu items at your typical Mexican restaurant. At home, you can make it even better by mixing sliced sauteed chicken breast or shrimp with a load of vegetables such as peppers, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini. Seasoning such as oregano, chili pepper, and cumin will give the saute a distinctly Mexican taste. Serve the fajitas with small corn tortillas and a zesty salsa.
When it comes to the side dishes, swap out the usual refried pinto beans for some dressed up black beans. Saute a small diced onion and a minced garlic clove in a bit of oil. Add a couple of cans of drained and rinsed black beans along with one cup of chicken stock, a bay leaf, and some chili powder. Let the beans simmer, covered, for fifteen minutes to let the flavors marry. The bean make-over is a suitable accompaniment for any Mexican entree.
Even if I am watching my diet, I don’t want to feel deprived. I still want my food, whether at a restaurant or at home, to look great and to taste as good as it looks. Giving some favorites like an entree salad or a favorite Mexican dish a healthy make-over still lets me feel part of the party, so I can really celebrate when I kiss those five pounds good-bye.
Shrimp and Veggie Fajitas
Made with salt and pepper, vegetable oil, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, button mushrooms, zucchini, dried oregano, ground chili pepper, cumin
Made with salt and pepper, vegetable oil, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, button mushrooms, zucchini, dried oregano, ground chili pepper, cumin
Serves/Makes: 8
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 red bell pepper
- 4 ounces button mushrooms
- 1 small zucchini
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground chili pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 corn tortillas
Slice onion thinly. Chop garlic clove. Remove stem and seeds from red pepper, then slice into 1/2-inch wide, long slices. Slice mushrooms 1/2-inch thick.
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms to the pan.
Slice zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds.
Add oregano, chili pepper, and cumin to the vegetables along with some salt and pepper. After 8-10 minutes of sauteing (pepper slices should be tender but slightly crisp) add zucchini and shrimp. Season with a bit more salt and pepper. Toss all ingredients and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
While cooking shrimp and vegetables, heat tortillas in microwave. Serve fajitas immediately with warm tortillas.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/887-healthy-mexican-food/