Skinny Cuban Dinner: Picadillo with Tostones and Rice

Whenever someone finds out that I moved up north from Florida, the first question is usually "are you crazy???" followed by, "I bet you really miss the weather, huh?". To answer those questions, no, and...not really. I have more good hair days without the humid Miami air, and I get to wear fun winter scarves and hats. Not to mention the boots (ohhh...boots). But the one thing I really truly miss is the Cuban food. In my time in Miami, I had some unbelievable Cuban meals. But as delicious as the food was, it was not healthy in the slightest. So now, I just cook Cuban food at home, using all my skinny tricks to make it as tasty as I remember, while still being low in points.

Picadillo is a very simple Latin dish, and you can combine it with any number of sides to make an amazing meal. I've made it with rice, black beans, tostones, yuca...it goes with anything! You can also use leftovers to make empanadas, papa rellenas, or even a Cuban style sloppy joe. I'm also posting a really simple mojo sauce which I love to use as a dipping sauce for tostones or yuca.

Skinny Picadillo

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 4

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tomato, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 lb lean ground beef

4 oz tomato sauce

1 teaspoon cumin

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup alcaparrado (I like to throw in a few extra capers, too)

Directions:

• Season meat with salt and pepper, and brown in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
• While meat is cooking, chop onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato.
• Add chopped vegetables to the meat and cook on low heat. Add alcaparrado along with about a tablespoon of the brine, cumin, and bay leaf. Add tomato sauce and 1/4 cup of water and stir. Reduce heat to low, and simmer covered about 15-20 minutes.
• While meat is simmering, prepare rice to serve wtih the picadillo.

Skinny Tostones

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serving Size: 1/2 recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 3

1 green plantain

2 teaspoons canola oil

Salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and slice plantain into 1" thick slices. Toss with oil and salt, place on a baking sheet, and cook for about 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven. For this next step, you'd ideally want a tostonera to press the plantain slices flat...but if you don't have one (I don't), you can just press them with a heavy can under a couple sheets of parchment paper.

Put pressed plantains back on the baking sheet with the browned side down. Spray with a bit of cooking spray if you like, then bake for another 20 minutes or until crispy. Serve with mojo sauce (recipe follows).

Skinny Mojo Sauce

Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon

WW PointsPlus Value: 1

1/4 cup bitter/sour orange juice (or a 2:1 mixture of orange to lime juices)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large clove garlic, chopped

Salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano to taste

Directions:

• Whisk all ingredients together and serve on the table with tostones. I know it's delicious, but try not to drink it. Not while anyone's looking, at least.