HEALTHIER VERSION OF PICADILLO

Mexican Picadillo.  What?

It's a traditional and indeed, nostalgic, Mexican dish.  Normally (and in our "pre-12/8" life), it is made with ground beef and potatoes simmered with tomatoes and onions and bell pepper and beef broth to get all the flavor in.  So good.  Definitely comfort food.

We've mentioned it a couple of times and someone always asks how we do it. Here it is, the way 2nd Man has changed it up.

Of course the first change is that now buy the no salt added versions of ingredients we use. It's amazing how many are out there.  In this case, a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce.  Also, not seen in the is picture, is tomato paste, a TBSP or two.

Instead of potatoes, he usually dices up squash.  Zucchini, yellow squash and butternut squash.  Sometimes it's a couple of sweet potatoes instead of the butternut, whatever you can get and you like.  I like when he adds some sliced mushrooms and then of course garlic, green bell pepper and purple onions.  Lastly, instead of 1 lb of ground beef, we use ground turkey...we buy the extra lean, 99% fat free which is all breast meat and no skin.

First, he adds the ground turkey to the pan with a little olive oil, and cooks it for a few minutes then adds the onions, garlic and peppers.  Once the meat is cooked and those are tender, he adds he adds the mushrooms and sautés those.  Then he adds the rest of the vegetables, the tomato paste and tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.  There should be enough moisture with the undrained tomatoes, you don't want it to have too much liquid but you can adjust as to your desired taste.  

Cook over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender (we cut them into small cubes so they cook faster).  

Dish it up and serve!

It's really good and it's super healthy for us.  We don't miss the added salt or the potatoes.  Now keep in mind, the no salt added tomato products still have a bit and so we aren't avoiding it entirely, the body needs sodium, just not overloads of it.  We don't avoid potatoes now either, but if we're cutting back, we'd rather add more "other" vegetables since they are good for us.  The seasonings he uses are so varied that it is super flavorful.  Really just make it as you like. Enjoy!