Cookbook Shelf: Latin D’Lite

Also being published as a Spanish edition, Latin D'Lite: Deliciosas Recetas Latinas con un Toque Saludable, the book offers Hoffmann’s healthy, and sometimes eclectic, interpretations of 165 Latin American recipes. “I’m a bit of a rebel in the kitchen and I like to dream up new ways to reinvent classic dishes,” she writes in the header for a terrific-looking Shrimp and Mango Adobado Salad with Roasted Corn Avocado Salsa. That’s why she adds the corn-red onion-avocado-pepper salsa as a garnish for the grilled skewers of shrimp and mango as opposed to simple, boring tomato salsa.

 

Revamped plates cross continents, from Spain’s Catalan Noodle Paella to Argentina’s Matahambre; ingredients run the gamut from avocado to hard-boiled eggs and papaya to pepitas (pumpkin seeds). A few Asian influences, stemming from Peru and other countries with significant populations, also creep in with dishes such as Latin-Asian Tuna Ceviche and the Pork Apricot Fried Rice. What’s significant is what’s missing: lard.

 

Instead, Hoffmann relies on canola oil, olive oil and cooking sprays, barely filming non-stick cooking pans, to sauté. It’s just one of the “healthy substitutions” she recommends throughout the book.”This way,” she writes, “you use your oil for flavor and not necessarily to assure your food doesn’t stick.” She also uses citrus juices to marinate; throws in herbs and spices to add savor; and toasts tortillas instead of frying them for dishes like her Drowned Spicy Mexican Eggs. Much of this advice is offered in the personality-driven Chica Tips that accompany most of the recipes.

 

For all of its emphasis on clean ingredients, however, the book also offers up a few nuggets that provide some relief from the pressures of dieting. Hoffmann understands that eliminating foods from your daily intake can be far too restrictive, resulting in failure. “Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t about giving everything up; it’s about finding a balance.”

 

This explains chapter names such as Cocktailicious: Drink Up Your Calories, Chica! and dish appellations such as Chicalicious Lobster Sandwich, one of the "Indulge!" recipes that end every chapter. In fact, it's the “Indulge!” recipes as well as the existence of a drinks chapter that convince us the tome has been written and tested by Ingrid herself, unlike books from many other celebrity chefs. “I’m a firm believer that we should be allowed to eat [and drink] whatever we want in moderation. I’ve learned how to maintain my weight, improve my health, and never feel deprived,” she writes in the introduction. But in the preface to the drinks chapter, she admits, “I’d rather drink my calories than eat them.”

 

Wouldn’t we all? It is this precisely this kind of writing that allows us to see Latin D'Lite as both a cookbook and a reference for life. The tone, in general, is straightforward yet vibrant, a testament to her flat-out love of food that we see on television. And the photos of the simple (but not simplistic) plate designs, as well as Hoffmann herself, are colorful yet casual. Filled with relatable prose, Latin D'Lite is a friendly, almost familial guide that not only allows you to get to know Hoffmann; it makes you feel like that she understands you, too.

 

Pork Apricot Fried Rice 

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into ¼-inch chunks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, sliced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Get the full recipe. 

 

Drowned Spicy Mexican Eggs (Huevos Ahogados) 

• 2 pounds tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
• kosher salt
• 4 large eggs
• 4 corn tortillas, toasted
• 1 ripe Hass avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Get the full recipe. 

 

Shrimp and Mango Adobado Salad with Roasted Corn Avocado Salsa 

• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup fresh grapefruit juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper

Get the full recipe.