This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GrillingWithMazola

We are gradually starting to have very intimate outdoor gatherings and firing up our grill is definitely part of the family plan for Spring/Summer 2021. I choose to use heart healthy Mazola® Corn Oil as a marinade for grilling and as a base for my salsas and ceviche because a clinical study shows it reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. If this claim peaks your interest and you want to learn more, visit MAZOLA.com.

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and it’s advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyMazolaMoment

February is Heart Health Month! Hello February…it’s time to think about our tickers and make some good for the heart adjustments. I’ll kick it off by sharing my Vegan Frijoles De Olla recipe. I use Mazola® Corn Oil in my better for you bean recipe to add a fuller taste to my beans. A clinical study showed Mazola® Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, visit MAZOLA.com.

A challenge many face when trying to diversify the types of cuisine they cook is finding varied ingredients needed for new types of cuisines, or better-for-you ingredients. Another common barrier that keeps people from healthier cooking is a lack of knowledge. Numerous people, including family members have asked me what they could eat that is lighter option. One of the first tips I give, is letting them know having an all-purpose cooking oil on hand like cholesterol free, Heart Healthy* Mazola® Corn Oil​ makes it simple and easy to prepare lighter meals.

Before becoming a vegetarian, I used to use lard in my beans by adding a few slices of bacon to the frijoles while they boiled. Once I decided to go meatless I found I didn’t have to sacrifice flavor. Simply replacing lard/bacon with Mazola® Corn Oil​ in my Vegan Frijoles De La Olla not only made for a lighter recipe, due to the saturated fat content, it still made a full flavor pot of beans that in my opinion taste even better. The chile de arbol, onion, garlic, and bay leaf work together with the Mazola® Corn Oil​ creating a tasty bean broth that will have you sipping till the last drop.

Ingredients for Vegan Frijoles De La Olla:

• 1 pound dried pinto beans
• 11 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 white onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 chiles de arbol
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons Mazola® Corn Oil
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. Clean dried beans, by removing any little rocks or cracked beans. Then rinse beans under water rubbing them with your hands to remove any unwanted particles.
2. Place beans in a large pot with 8 cups of water, onion, garlic, chile de arbol, bay leaves, and Mazola® Corn Oil​ over a medium high flame.
3. Once water is boiling, cover pot with lid and lower flame to a simmer. At the two hour mark add in 3 1/2 more cups of water and continue cooking for an hour.
4. Add in salt. Mix to combine.
5. Serve with corn tortillas, cilantro, and (optional) queso fresco.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Very limited and preliminary scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1 tablespoon (16 grams) of Mazola® Corn Oil daily may reduce the risk of heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in Mazola® Corn Oil. FDA concludes that there is little scientific evidence supporting this claim. To achieve this possible benefit, Mazola® Corn Oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. One serving of this product contains 14 grams of Mazola® Corn Oil. 

Mazola® Corn Oil​ is cholesterol-free food that contain 14g of total fat per serving. See nutrition information on product label or at Mazola.com for fat and saturated fat content.

Once upon a time when I used to eat meat… I loved picadillo. So much so I made a video singing about it (I recorded this in my bathroom). It was one of the things I missed when I decided to go meatless (never a second of regret). With the evolution of plant based ground meats I am now able to enjoy a hearty bowl of vegan picadillo with all the traditional flavors in tact. I hope you’ll try my recipe… it’s song worthy and ready to be your next meal!

Mushroom Onion Vegan Pozole Rojo for those of you who had one to many drinks last night. It’s the perfect plant based cure for the crudo head spins. This lovely vegan pozole rojo is made up of delicious red chile broth and laced with hominy, mushrooms and sauteed onions. I hope you’ll dig in.

There are very few things that make me as happy as a freshly baked homemade Cheddar Caramelized Onion Sourdough Loaf. This bready gem is worth feeding your starter for month after month, year after year. I wrote this recipe down in hopes you will enjoy it this holiday season, as I know my family will be.

Mole Mushroom Tamales: I remember when I first became a vegetarian years ago it’s was the hardest adjustment to make during Christmas time…. because TAMALES. I was taught at a young age to make my own tamales and wanted to continue on with that tradition… but prepared masa 99.9% of the time has lard in it. I was going crazy calling every Mexican market that sold prepared masa and googling vegan tamales to see if I could buy 10 pounds of  lard-less masa. No luck. It was something the city was in desperate need of, and yet no one was doing it. I ended up making my own masa that year.

Picadillo Sopes En Salsa Roja is a plant based fantasy! It’s exactly what every vegan and vegetarian Mexican food aficionado dreams about and I don’t say that lightly. Heck, even meat-eater would lose their yayas over them. So good, I can sing about my picadillo. The perfectly crisp fried sope is dipped in a homemade salsa roja, then filled with refried beans, plant-based picadillo con papas, and topped with queso fresco, and all the other condiments.