Flavor, family and heritage: Chef Edwin Cabrera shares the healing power of Hispanic cuisine

Flavor, family and heritage: chef Edwin Cabrera shares the healing power of Hispanic cuisine

ORLANDO, Fla. — At AdventHealth’s Diabetes Institute Kitchen, Executive Chef Edwin Cabrera doesn’t just cook; he tells a story about culture, memory and health — one dish at a time.

“We always cook with such passion, and it doesn’t really matter the ingredient that we cook with,” Cabrera said. “It is just the love that we love to share throughout food.”

For Cabrera, food connects people to their roots:

“Hispanic food reminds us of where we come from.” -- Chef Edwin Cabrera

“Hispanic food reminds us of where we come from,” he said. “Even when we feel far from home, these dishes nourish more than our bodies — they nourish our sense of belonging. They help us embrace our culture and become stronger together as a community.”

Cooking with meaning

Cabrera’s menu for Hispanic Heritage Month is equal parts celebration and education. In the video accompanying this story, he builds a plate around four staples: a lemon-herb spring chicken, stewed beans, mamposteao rice (leftover rice folded with beans) and Spanish-style green beans, with playful mofongo cups filled with fresh tomato-avocado salsa.

What ties all his dishes together is a love for traditional cooking made in a healthier way. Demonstrating sofrito — the aromatic base for many Puerto Rican and Latin dishes — Cabrera emphasized making it at home.

“This is actually a condiment that we use pretty much as a base for everything that we do,” he said. “But it’s really important that we actually have it and make it at home so it is not high in sodium.”

On the chicken, he keeps it simple and bright.

“The purpose of this marinade is to really just keep it overnight if you can,” Cabrera said. “It’s necessary so we can actually get all those flavors impregnated into the chicken.”

And because the flavors cross languages and borders, Cabrera is comfortable moving between both.

“Para mí, la comida hispana … significa mantenernos al presente de quiénes somos con nuestra cultura y la traemos a diferentes países también,” he said.
For me, Hispanic food means staying present to who we are with our culture — and we carry it to different countries, too.

Recipes from Chef Edwin Cabrera
Copyright © AdventHealth

1) Container Garden Spring Chicken

Yield: 8 (4 oz.) servings | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 20–25 min | Total: 35 min

Ingredients

• 8 (4 oz.) chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ¾ cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1½ tsp fresh thyme, minced
• 1 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
• 1½ tsp lemon zest
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ tsp red crushed pepper
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• ¾ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a sheet pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except chicken; pulse to a chunky consistency.
3. Marinate chicken at least 3 hours (overnight preferred).
4. Place chicken on prepared pan with all marinade. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165°F.

Nutrition (per serving): 145 cal; 3.9g fat (1.3g sat); 76mg chol; 138mg sodium; 1.8g carbs (0.7g fiber; 0.6g sugars); 26.7g protein.
Category tags: diabetes-friendly, good source of protein, gluten-free, low carbohydrate/low sugar, low sodium, peanut-free, tree nut-free.

2) Mofongo Cups with Fresh Avocado Salsa

Serves: 5 (2 cups each)

Ingredients

• 2 large green plantains, peeled and sliced into 5 portions each
• 1 jalapeño, small dice
• 3 Tbsp red onion, small dice
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1½ cups avocado, diced

Instructions

1. Air-fry plantains: Pan-spray pieces and air fry at 400°F for 8-10 minutes (depending on ripeness).
2. Form cups: Using a handheld lemon squeezer, press each piece into a cup. Pan-spray again and air fry at 400°F for 4-6 minutes to crisp.
3. Salsa: Mix all salsa ingredients, fold in avocado and spoon into cups.

Nutrition (per serving): 84 cal; 3.45g fat (0.48g sat); 14.32g carbs (2g fiber; 7g sugars; 0g added sugars); 1.11g protein; 28mg sodium.

3) Spanish Green Beans

Servings: 6 (~83 g per serving)

Ingredients

• 8 oz fresh green beans (steamed al dente)
• ⅔ cup yellow onion, chopped
• ⅓ cup green bell pepper, sliced
• 1½ tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Sauté onions and peppers in olive oil until soft.
2. Add tomatoes and herbs.
3. Fold in steamed green beans; sauté to heat through and combine flavors.

Nutrition (per 83 g serving): 35 cal.

4) Stewed Kidney Beans

Servings: 8 (~155 g per serving)**

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½ Tbsp tomato paste
• 4 oz sofrito condiment
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano leaves
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 28 oz canned kidney beans (50% less sodium), drained and rinsed
• 8 oz water
• 1 1/2 cup pumpkin (calabaza), diced

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil; sauté sofrito with tomato paste and seasonings until fragrant.
2. Add beans, pumpkin and water.
3. Simmer 10-15 minutes until pumpkin is tender.

Nutrition (per 154.8 g serving): 116.6 cal; 2.01g fat (0.29g sat); 0mg chol; 154.55mg sodium; 19.69g carbs (7.49g fiber; 2.19g sugars; 0g added sugars); 6g protein.

On the plate

Cabrera’s final spread brings it all together: “We’re just going make a very special Hispanic dish for you,” he said, plating arroz mamposteao alongside the marinated chicken, stewed beans, Spanish green beans and the mofongo cups with fresh salsa.

And if you cook at home, he hopes you’ll taste more than ingredients:

“The more we share and talk about food, the more we realize how much we have in common — and what makes each of us unique,” Cabrera said. “Through cooking, we lift each other up and celebrate the healthy traditions that connect us all.”