Cooking Low Carb: Picadillo

True to my word, I've been trying new recipes. Wouldn't you know it, this is when my Master Cook program decides to hiccup and swallow my new results! I'll reconstruct them; the new meatloaf I tried, in particular, was too good not to pass on. But in the meanwhile, here's one from The Every Calorie Counts Cookbook.

Picadillo

This is my version of a dish that's popular all over Latin America - think of it as South American Sloppy Joes.

1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup green pimiento stuffed olives, sliced
2 teaspoons capers, drained
14 ounces canned tomatoes with green chiles
3 tablespoons dried currants
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Start the ground round browning in your big skillet, over medium-high heat. In the meanwhile, chop your onion, smash your garlic, and slice your olives, if you didn't buy them that way.

When a little fat has cooked out of the meat, throw in the onion and the garlic. Keep frying and crumbling your meat until it's done through, and the onions are translucent. Now stir in everything else but the cilantro, turn the burner to low, and let the whole thing simmer for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, and serve.

5 Servings: 370 Calories; 24g Fat; 27g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 1g Fiber; 10g usable carbs.

(Reprinted by permission from The Every Calorie Counts Cookbook by Dana Carpender, 2006
Fair Winds Press)

Note: I use dried currants to replace raisins in recipes I de-carb. Why? Because they're very similar to raisins in taste and texture, but they're much smaller. Since I always cut back on the quantity quite a lot (because raisins are very carby,) the smaller currants distribute themselves more evenly through the dish. Look for dried currants alongside the raisins in your grocery store.