Try these healthy, delicious and colorful arepas

Have you ever heard about red arepas, green arepas… What about very yellow arepas? They are all the rage among health and fitness gurus, that have discovered the nutritional value of this delicious cornmeal cake that Venezuelans and Colombians have been eating for centuries. Take a look at these colorful and delicious recipes!

Photo: Instagram/verdequilibrio

Green arepas, or arepas verdes are an incredible source of vitamin A, Calcium and Iron. They are as easy to make as the original arepas and as delicious as well.

This recipe is from the Instagrammer and blogger, Gaby Pérez Levy.

Ingredients for four arepas:

A fist full of spinach

Parsley or cilantro leaves

1 ¼ cup of water

1 cup of precooked corn flour

3 tablespoons of linseed (optional)

½ teaspoon of sea salt.

Instructions:

-Put the green ingredients in a blender, add the water and salt. Blend until it is all liquid.

-In a big bowl mix the corn flour with the linseed. Add the green mixture slowly and kneel until you have a soft dough.

-Wet your hands with warm water and make small balls of dough. Flatten them until they turn into flat circles. The thickness depends on your personal preference.

-Cook them in a flat pan in medium intensity, until the skin of the arepa looks toasty.

-Put them in the oven for 10 minutes, at 350F degrees.

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Photo: Instagran/arepas_fit

Beet arepas or red arepas, or Arepas Red Moon, are a favorite among the fitness crowd, not only because they are really good for you, but because they are gorgeous and easy to make. This is a great recipe from the blog Arepas Fit.

Ingredients for three arepas:

Half beet raw

1 scallion

1 chard leaf

Cilantro

Kale

Green pepper

10 tablespoons of precooked corn flour

1 cup of water

Coconut oil

Instructions:

-Shred the half beet.

-Slice the white part of the scallion.

-Cut the cilantro leaves, the chard, the kale and the green pepper in very small pieces.

-Mix the beet, two tablespoons of the cilantro, three tablespoons of kale, three tablespoons of chard, three tablespoons of green peppers.

-Mix the veggies with the corn flour and the water in a big bowl. Knead until all the ingredients have blended into a soft but compact dough.

-Make small balls and flatten them to about ¼ of an inch thick.

-Thinly coat a pan with the coconut oil and place the arepas in the pan once it’s warm.

-Turn the arepas often to make sure that both sides are equally cooked. Once the outer part of the arepa is hard, lower the temperature, cover the pan with a lid and let the arepas rest for five minutes. Remove carefully from the pan and eat them warm.

Photo: Instagram/enrilemoine

The yellow arepas or arepas amarillas combine two of the main ingredients of Venezuelan gastronomy: corn and plantains. The fusion of these two flavors, perfectly combined in the recipe of the blog Savoir Faire by Enri Lemoine creates an epic arepa, that tastes so good that it should be a dessert.

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Ingredients for eight arepas:

2 plantains that have yellow skin but don’t feel too soft to the touch

2 teaspoons of butter

3 cups of sliced leek

1 cup of bonnet pepper - without seeds and cut in small pieces

1 cup of shredded white cheese

½ precooked corn flour

½ cup of water

Salt

Instructions:

-Peel the plantains and slice them lengthways. Remove the veins and the seeds. Fill a pan with water and cook them until they feel soft. Strain the water and purée them.

-Melt the water in a pan, fry the bonnet pepper and the leek until they brown and soften.

-In a big bowl, mix the plantain purée, the peppers and leek mix and the rest of the ingredients until the mixture has the consistency of a firm dow.

-Heat a flat pan at mid intensity.

-While it gets warm, make balls with the dough, and flatten them. The arepas should have an average diameter of two inches.

-Put the arepas in the warm pan. Let them cook for three minutes each side. 

Venezuelans and Colombians eat their arepas cut through the middle, making a pocket of sorts, which they fill with all kinds of food. From cheeses, to avocado, chicken, you name it. The sky is the limit! Start experimenting and enjoy a guilt free and really yummy meal.