Desserts:

Original ingredient Substitution Use for. Mexican food lower fat replacements: Bake instead of deep-frying, e.g. empanadas. Barbecue or grill instead of pan frying. Braise-deglaze chopped vegetables that are usually cooked in fat as the foundation of many dishes, such as fillings for tamales and empanadas. Broil instead of pan-frying to brown meats, fish and poultry. Broil to char and cook chiles and other vegetables as an alternate to griddle- roasting. Broth-soften instead of frying. Briefly dip corn tortillas into hot broth to make them flexible. Use broth instead of fat for refried beans. Griddle-roasting or toasting is a standard Mexican cooking method that intensifies flavors in foods. Tortillas are dry-toasted on a griddle. Fresh ingredients with a fair amount of moisture such as tomatillos, tomatoes and fresh chiles are places on a griddle over high heat and turned often until surfaces are charred. Steaming is integral to making tamales. It is also a very lean cooking method to use for preparing vegetables, fish and poultry. Water-crisp instead of frying to make crisp tortilla chips.