LatinaLista — As any good Latina knows, we are in the midst of the Lenten season. In other words, there are a lot more seafood commercials on TV right now.
At any rate, one traditional dish that is very popular during Lent in Mexican American households is Mexican bread pudding better known as Capirotada.
A little background:
One of the most traditional—and delicious—Lenten dishes in Mexico is this Capirotada recipe for a type of bread pudding with cheese that is both sweet and savory at the same time. Legend says that Capirotada was invented as a way to use up leftovers before beginning the Lenten fast. Now it shows up on the table throughout the season, and especially during Holy Week itself. Since meat was traditionally forbidden during Lent, the pudding may have grown in popularity as a way to get more protein into a meatless diet, in the form of cheese.
During these times, when most everyone is trying to simplify their lives and even get back to their roots (a source of comfort), traditions like making capirotada are making a comeback.
Yet given the prevalence of diabetes in the Latino community, it’s necessary to tweak traditional recipes to make them more healthy.
As one can imagine, a recipe that calls for sugar, cheese and bread isn’t slimming the waistline or especially healthy but healthy substitutions can be made so tradition can live on — without killing us!
The makers of Splenda share the following Capirotada recipe with us.
Let us know what you think!
Mexican Bread Pudding
Serves: 12
Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Cooking Time: 1 Hour
Total Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
What you need:
2 cups water
1 cup SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1 stick cinnamon
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla 1/8 teaspoon salt
12 slices of day-old French bread (1/2 inch thick)
2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup raisins
What you do:
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 Combine the water, SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend, SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, cinnamon stick, cinnamon, vanilla and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Set aside.
3 In a baking dish, arrange a layer of the bread, sprinkle with a layer of cheese, then raisins and pour some of the syrup on top. Continue this process until all of the ingredients have been used.
4 Bake for 1 hour. Eat it hot or cold.
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories 240 | Calories from Fat 60 | Protein 7g | Fat 7g (sat 4g) | Carbohydrate 36g | Fiber 2g | Cholesterol 20mg | Sodium 240mg | Sugar 25g
©2008 Splenda
