KetoFLEX 12/3 Kitchen: Celebrating the Flavors of Latin America

While Latin America encompasses a wide swath of countries and territories, that stretches from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego and includes much of the Caribbean, all of the people from these regions share an exuberance for life. They exude warmth and hospitality and use fresh, vibrant food created from seasonal, local ingredients to bring them together. This month, we’re celebrating the flavors of Latin America with Summer Sangria ( full recipe below), and the KetoFLEX 12/3-friendly recipes for Mango and Black Bean Salad and Seared Scallops with Chimichurri Sauce, which are available to members of our PreCODE and ReCODE programs.

Summer Sangria

August is the perfect time to celebrate the abundance of seasonal fruit and there’s no better way than to use it as the base of a fresh, rich sangria. Sangria, a term that means “bloodletting” in Spanish and Portuguese, references the deep red color of the beverage. While it originated in Europe, versions are widely available throughout Latin America. Sangria is typically comprised of red wine, fruit, and sometimes other alcoholic beverages.

Our version highlights seasonal fruit paired with a dry red wine. Sangria starts out as a beautiful, delicious beverage and finishes up as a wine-infused fruit dessert. You can either serve it from a large glass pitcher or arrange it in individual glasses that can easily accommodate a small spoon for scooping the fruit out.

Dry red wine is an indulgence on our brain food pyramid and not appropriate for those who are experiencing cognitive decline or those with dependency issues. Teetotalers can still enjoy this refreshing dessert beverage by using unsweetened cranberry juice as an alternative. Everyone should limit themselves to one serving to keep the glycemic load low.

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon, juiced (You may use more for garnishing.)
• 28 oz sparkling mineral water (such as S. Pellegrino)
• 1/8 tsp of pure monk fruit (like Pure Monk) with more as needed
• 1 cup strawberries, USDA organic, hulled and halved
• 1 cup of blueberries, stems removed
• 1 cup of tart cherries, USDA organic, pits removed and halved
• 1 cup of raspberries
• 1 750 mL bottle of dry red wine. We like Dry Farm Wines as they specialize in organic, sugar-free, low alcohol, mold-free wine. I used a tempranillo, but you are welcome to use any dry red wine including cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, merlot, or malbec. Unsweetened cranberry juice may be substituted but may require a bit more monk fruit to sweeten.
• Fresh mint as a garnish

Directions:

1. Combine the lemon juice with the mineral water. Dissolve the monk fruit into the mixture, slowly stirring so as not to create extra bubbles. Set aside to allow the foamy bubbles to subside.

2. Layer the fruit (including extra lemon wedges) in the bottom of the pitcher, or in the individual glasses, using 1/4 cup of fruit per glass.

3. Pour the wine into the pitcher or approximately 3 oz into each glass.

4. Pour the lemon flavored mineral water into the pitcher or to top off each glass. Gently stir without disrupting the fruit.

5. Add more monk fruit if needed.

6. Garnish with fruit of your choice and fresh mint.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
• Calories: 91.9
• Total Fat: 0.3g
• Saturated Fat: 0g
• Total Carbohydrates: 10.5g
• Fiber: 2.2g
• Net Carbohydrates: 8.3g
• Total protein: 0.7g
• Animal Protein: 0g