HEALTH BENEFITS OF PLANTAINS…The FuegoMundo Experience

Grilled Natural Chicken Skewers w/ The Health-Nut Sides:

Baked Plantains, Organic Quinoa & Vegan Black Beans

DID YOU KNOW?…One medium plantain is low in sodium, low in calories, zero fat, high in potassium and has 2 grams of protein.  It also meets 40% of the RDA for vitamin A, 50% RDA for vitamin C  and 15% for magnesium. Plantains are a good source of fiber (4 g).  Plantains resemble bananas but they are longer in length, thicker skinned, and starchier in flavor.  In South America plantains are used more like a vegetable than a fruit, and are eaten with rice at almost every meal. They are not suitable for eating raw unless very ripe, where the color has turned almost completely black.

This versatile fruit has three unique stages of ripeness:  GREEN PLANTAINS…Taste more like a potato with a starchy texture. At this stage, the interior is yellowish or slightly pink. The fruit is firm and is often used as side dishes like Tostones, Patacones, and Plantain Chips.  At FuegoMundo the famous “Fuego Chip” are made from green plantains. YELLOW PLANTAINS…are the middle stage of the fruit. These plantains can have some brownish-black spots. Their role now is both vegetable and fruit and is used in dishes that request for a slightly sweet taste and firm texture, like the Sweet Plantains. BLACK PLANTAINS…are very ripe and are typically found in sweeter recipes. These plantains are all black or spotty black and are soft. Black plantains can be eaten without being cooked.  Plantains are found in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia, and are often called cooking bananas.

At FuegoMundo you can enjoy Plantains in 7 different ways…as Sweet Plantains in The Latin Sides, Baked Plantains in the Health-Nut Sides,  Fuego Plantains Chips & Salsa as a Tapas, also in Tostones, Latin Vegetable Soup (Sancocho),  the Non-dairy Creamy Plantain Soup, and as a Dessert: Sweet Plantain S’mores.  Enjoy guilt-free!

FuegoMundo, meaning a World of Fire, is the first of its kind restaurant in the United States, offering healthy South American cuisine that’s authentic, natural and Kosher, with Fast Casual Service at lunch & Full-Service for Dinners. The restaurant now offers Daily Chef Specials to go along with their extensive Lunch & Dinner menus.  Located at the Prado Center in Sandy Springs, Georgia, a northern suburb of Atlanta.  This weeks Chef’s Specials include:

Daily Specials.050812

We listened to our customer comments and requests and added new lunch specials ($6-$10), new Tapas, Single Skewer Meals,,and new Desserts like Flan & Gluten-Free Carrot Cake!  Come check it out…Starts Sept-1-2010:

TRES TAPAS ~ VEGETARIAN House Ceviche | Baked Veggie Empanada | Grilled Asparagus

Note from Masha

COST: $10

CALORIES: Approx 350-400

This new homemade Veggie Empanada is baked (not fried) with grilled eggplant, black beans and natural herbs & spices: vegan & delicious!  The spicy house Ceviché is prepared Peruvian style with fresh Tilapia and marinated in fresh squeezed lemon & lime juices.  Enjoy the walnut-infused grilled Asparagus to finish off a well balanced, low-fat, low-calorie, and vitamin packed meal.

WEIGHT WATCHERS: 7 Points

Wood-Fire Grilled TURKEY BREAST FILET w/ the #5:

Veggie Lover’s Stir-Fry over a bed of Organic Quinoa, only $10

Calories:   Approx 500-550.

Masha Hershkovitz

Not only is this meal surprisingly delicious, it’s also completely Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Low-Fat, and full of vitamins, fiber & healthy lean proteins…makes for a great summer meal.  A recent FuegoMundo Fanatico wrote… “You haven’t lived until you’ve tried the Turkey at FuegoMundo!”  Claudia H. 4/10/2010

Weight Watcher Points:   7 points if you eat only ½ of the Turkey.

The Turkey in this entrée comes in a very big portion (8 oz) so for Weight Watchers I recommend packing half of the Turkey (4 oz) and the Fuego Chips To-Go up front, and eating half of the Turkey, 4 oz, and ALL the Veggies and Organic Quinoa (filling food) for a satisfying and delicious 7 point meal.

Email me with any questions!