tweak and nourish

EMPANADA. I wish I can eat all my favorite foods while trying to lower cholesterol and lose weight. One of my favorite foods is the empanada. My all-time favorite is the Filipino empanada recipe from my friend's mom. For a long time now, I have avoided eating empanadas because of its high fat and carbohydrate content. However, it all changed after a recent trip to Santa Barbara, California. My husband and I came across this Argentinian Cafe that served baked empanadas. I was so enthusiastic to try the different fillings I forgot to think about the fat and carb content. I ate three kinds: Hongos (Crimini mushrooms, organic spinach, caramelized red onions, mozzarella), Suiza (Organic green swiss chard, leeks, sage, and brie cheese) and Carne (Sunfed Ranch grass-fed ground beef, onions, bell peppers, green olives, and free-range hard-boiled egg). All delicious!

Two days ago, I asked my husband if he can make a 'healthy' empanada without butter, shortening, and all-purpose flour. And it has to be baked, not fried. He came up with a dough with flaxseed flour, whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour. He made two kinds of fillings: mushroom (with caramelized onions and gruyere cheese) and curried veggies (potato, peas, carrots, and raisins). Baking the empanada made the dough dry and hard so he opted for the last resort---frying! The dough was just the right texture when it was fried.

Although it was not as healthy as we wished it could be, the curried veggie filling brought us back to fond memories of one of our favorite snacks in Switzerland. The beef curry puff pastry at Le Panetier!

What is your favorite food that evokes fond memories?

Curried Veggie Empanada

Mushroom Empanada with Pesto Aioli