Talk of La Arepa, is to talk about Venezuela ...

Talk of La Arepa, is to talk about Venezuela ...

The arepa is gastronomic expression of Venezuelan habits, generally present in our breakfasts, dinners and lunches to chaperone. As we described a food company arepa ... it is the bread of all Venezuelans.Traditionally the arepa is the result of a dough made of cooked and ground corn, however, we must be innovative and creative, so now you can make arepas with other foods, eg cassava, oats, sweet potatoes, zucchini. On this occasion I would like to share with you some recipes. These mixtures vary the caloric contribution of our traditional arepas, incorporating more fiber and reducing the glycemic index of the preparation. These masses can be used for preparation of appetizer and various snacks, balls, dumplings, buns and small arepitas.Batata (ideal for people who have insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia)the tuber is washed well, it gets to boil, when you can easily puncture it with a knife this list, proceed to crush with a fork or pass puree until smooth consistency, you can add a little water, salt and want to have more oatmeal consistency. It is very rich if stuffed with grated cheese by the combination of flavors that contrast with the sweetness of sweet potatoes.
  Yuca (also known as cassava or tapioca), excellent source of energy rich in fiber that gives satiety and therefore helps to reduce appetite. It is widely used by people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.The process consists of making cassava flour, for which we must peel cassava, eliminate internal thread, chop into small pieces and put into blender or food mill to pulverize. Others use the technique mentioned with sweet potato, ie, parboil, puree mixed with water, corn starch (potato starch) add salt, knead and ready to budare.Green bananaIn this case, peel and chop the banana, takes it to a boil for 5 minutes, then place in the oven at low temperature for 20 to 30 minutes (this with the intention of dehydrate), then processed in blender or assistant kitchen and banana flour is obtained, once obtained this powder can be stored or used immediately to amass traditional arepasOats, bran, flaxseed and seeds (sunflower, sesame, nuts such as walnuts or almonds)These foods are mixed to form a dough by adding water are an excellent source of omega-3 rich in fiber and ideal for lowering cholesterol and fight constipationZucchini, spinach or chardThis time we get a green arepas, this is a very good strategy to incorporate vegetables in the diet of children in the house, if zucchini is grated and in the case of spinach or chard, indeed the latter rich calcium, will bring to a boil, drain. Finally add the vegetables mixed with a little salt and can use oatmeal or cornmeal or banana or cassava flour to knead and have the consistency necessaryPumpkin or carrot (rich in vitamin A), it is also an opportunity to incorporate vegetables into the daily dietCooked in the oven or parboiled, then crushed and add cornstarch to thicken a touch of salt and some people to give more consistency add an egg (the latter is optional) and needs fleshing out the dough can incorporate oats.Beets (ideal in case of anemia and lower blood pressure and fight inflammation)Arepas get some nice purple to pink, it is suggested cooking although it can be grated raw, I suggest boil until al dente, then finely grate and mix with cornmeal, oatmeal, almond, coconut or rice.
With these recipes requires a little more time to prepare these versions of traditional arepas, but well worth rehearsing shame as we can to increase the nutritional value to our traditional arepas, is also an excellent idea to introduce as I said before the vegetables in the diet of the smallest of the house.