By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

As a little girl growing up in Colombia, my days were spent cooking with my Nana. I was a very active kid so the best way for my grandma to keep me entertained was to have me help her in the kitchen.

Looking back, I've noticed something about the meals I helped my grandmother prepare:
the children ate what everyone else in the family ate. As long as I can remember, there was never a separate children's menu. In fact, I was 15 when I learned that mac and cheese, a favorite of American kids, even existed.

Now, I have two beautiful nieces who are growing up in this country and are well-exposed to the usual kid-friendly options like macaroni and cheese or chicken tenders. Concerned about their eating habits, my sister Angie and I spent a day in the kitchen trying to figure out a better way to feed them similar foods with healthier ingredients. We tried mac & cheese, but the first problem was to make it look like the original version,

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Surprise your tailgating buddies by swapping the usual football fare with some Latin-inspired dishes. And, don't worry; we're bringing along suggestions for cerveza and music before the big game, too. Go team!

Sporting events bring people together to support favorite athletes, cheer local teams, and especially, indulge in sports snacks. Whether it be enjoying a tailgate in the park or on the back of a pickup truck at the football stadium, check out these fun, Latin-influenced recipes to give your sports menu a twist. We've matched the regions of football teams with the Latin countries that most heavily influence (or relate to) their culture. Here's everything you'll need for the party: a menu, a beer selection and a music playlist to match. Game on.

Northern US & the Andean Region (Chile, Argentina and Peru)

Both these regions boast the marked influence of German immigrants in food culture and communities. This tailgate features spicy sausages cooled by an avocado soup with

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By Ariel Nagi

We Latinos love our cuisine, but you have to admit pupusas and arroz dulce are not the healthiest options. Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services dished out what ingredients and methods to use to turn a fat-packed recipe into a low-cal one (less than 500 calories each to be exact). We picked six of our faves.

Oven-Fried Yucca

Ingredients
1 pound fresh yucca (cassava), cut into 3-inch sections and peeled (or 1 pound peeled frozen yucca)
Nonstick cooking oil spray

1. In a kettle, combine the yucca with enough cold water to cover it by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil, and slowly simmer the yucca for 20 to 30 minutes or until it is tender.
2. Preheat oven to 350° F.
3. Transfer the yucca with a slotted spoon to a cutting board, let it cool and cut it lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges, discarding the thin woody core.
4. Spray cookie sheet with the nonstick cooking oil spray. Spread yucca wedges on cookie sheet, and spr

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By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Quinoa is a popular grain grown in the South American Andes that has gained popularity in the US over the past few years. It looks like couscous, and its preparation is very similar to that of the Middle Eastern grain. Besides being totally delicious, quinoa is high in fiber- great for keeping the digestive system balanced and healthy. These days it can be easily found at most supermarkets.

Mi tío Rafa, who's a practicing surgeon in Colombia and is always looking for ways to stay healthy, introduced me to this product about a year ago. My uncle even started incorporating the grain, mixed with the staple rice, into his patients' diets when he discovered its benefits. Last year he came to visit my family and bragged about the product so much that I ended up giving it a try.

First, I used it in a salad, and then eventually I learned how to use it in juices and with rice. I was delighted with the salad and the juices, but the rice mix didn't

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By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

My family is big on gatherings, and appetizers are always served to entertain our guests before dinner. When we get together we usually sit around the kitchen counter to drink wine, talk about life, and make scrumptious meals. My sister Angie and her husband, David, have kept with the family tradition of greeting guests with unique starters that leave you hungry for more.

Ten years ago, when Angie introduced David to the family, he was met with our numerous weekly reunions and the different kinds of food we ate (like fish with its head still on!), which left him quite baffled. Being from North Carolina, he'd had little exposure to Latin food and a lot of what we ate was far from his culinary considerations. It took him some time to develop his Latin gastronomic skills. Now, more than a decade later, he travels to Latin America a couple of times a year, has learned to dance salsa like a native and has become an accomplished Latin cook him

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