Flavorful Guatemalan Vegan Mixtas on New Day New Chef Lite [Watch Now!]

I’ve finally done it. I’ve chased away all my co-hosts. Hello, I’m Jane Velez-Mitchell. I’m flying solo today in our new season of New Day, New Chef. And it may be called light, but we’re definitely not light on flavor. We have the same delicious plant-based recipes and bite-sized episodes. Perfect either watch during lunch or indeed make for your lunch. Today’s guest is a well-known Los Angeles chef. Offering her unique and delicious take on some traditional Guatemalan dishes. Let’s welcome SuSucely Montoya. Well, come on over here. I am so excited to have you. I’m so happy to. Everybody uses their tradition, right, to say, well, I have to eat this way because of my tradition. What you’re saying is no, we can take whatever traditional dish and make it plant-based. So what are you making for us? Today we’re doing one of my favorite Guatemalan dishes, which is mixed us. Mixed us? I’ve never heard of it. What is mixed us? Well, mixed us is a creation of a Guatemalan entrepreneur who was studying in New York. And when he went back to Guatemala, he wanted to start his own business. His own restaurant. And his idea was to start selling hot dogs over there because he was probably he loved the hot dogs in New York. But his mother surprised him with a twist of the recipe. So instead of the bread, they started using tortillas and yeah, corn tortillas. Corn tortillas. So that’s called mixed us. And apparently this happened way back in like 1930s. Wow. So mixed us is a very traditional dish now in Guatemala. Yes. Since then, I mean, I was born eating them and they opened the restaurant. And after that, other people started opening other restaurants using the same dish and it’s a hit. Speaking of restaurants, you are part of Crepe de Jardin. Yes. And your husband is the famous French chef, Jonathan Ohayon. And you guys work together. Yes. I’m the co-founder and sous chef, I would say. I help with all the creations he’s working on. And he’s the one who turned you vegan. Yes, he’s the one. I met him and the catch was, give me your phone. I’m going to send you a vegan video. So I gave him my phone and the next is a story. We’re still together. Since then, it’s going to be a year. I think that’s called vegan flirting. Yes. When you send a video to somebody, watch this so you go vegan. All right. Let’s talk about the ingredients because you said hot dogs were the key. Now, these hot dogs are 100% plant-based. There’s no animals in them. And that makes them zero cholesterol. Tell us about that. So these are the live hot dogs. They are pretty good. Vegan, of course. I like the ingredients because there’s not a lot of weird fillers in it. So they’re my favorites. So that’s what we’re using today. And also we’re going to be doing a pickle cabbage recipe. I’m going to show you the recipe my mom teach me at home. It’s kind of like a fast way to pickle the cabbage. Wow. It’s pretty good. So for that, we’re going to use some vinegar, some bay leaves, a little bit of oregano, salt to your taste, some vegan mayonnaise. We’re going to be making as well a guacamole for the recipe. We need delicious tortillas. These are organic as well. Of course, everything we love using organic ingredients with my husband because that’s where you have the best flavors. You don’t need to add so many things to it. You need simplicity, good quality of products, and you have the best dish you can imagine. All right. Well, let’s get cooking, good looking. Sure. So we’re going to start with the pickle cabbage. So this is a fast way to make it if you don’t have a lot of time at home to do it in like 10 minutes you can have it ready. So we’ll need one cup of water. We’ll add it here. Thank you very much. So you will need the water to be boiling. While you have that, you’re going to add some oregano to your taste. We need one bay leaf. We need a quarter of a cup of vinegar. We’re going to put it there. And once it’s boiling, you’re going to add your cabbage. Since we know we’re live and the magic of TV, we’re going to pretend the water is boiling already. You can turn it off and let it sit for five minutes, and it will be ready. So it will look like this. And cabbage is so good for you. Oh, yeah. It’s amazing for your stomach. It helps you digesting. It has a lot of fiber, so it’s the best. So this kind of reminded me of Sarah Crowder on a hot dog. Yeah, sure. If you don’t have time to make it, you can go to the store, get your sauerkraut, and use it. Oh, wow. So you’re actually kind of showing us how to make homemade sauerkraut. And you will stay a long time in the fridge, like I would say even a month. Oh, a month? Yeah. Oh, wow. That’s amazing. So the next step, we’re going to make our guacamole. And for this, we need a perfectly ripe avocado. Do you know how to know when it’s ready? No, I don’t, because I always buy them if they’re either not ripe at all or too ripe. I like to ask them. Hey, avocado, are you ready to eat? Let’s see. And you can even pinch it a little bit. If you’re able to press and it is not hard, it’s ready, too. Okay, let me see. Because, yeah, this one’s definitely ripe. Right? Yeah, you can tell it’s ripe. So it’s perfect to use. Great. Okay, perfect. We are going to cut it in half. Just make sure to not hurt yourself. So I like to use a spoon to take the pulp out of it. My secret to make perfect avocado is to use a fork to mash it after. So you mash it. And then, to make it even more creamy, we’re going to add half of a spoon of vegan mayo in it. So you’re going to mix it pretty good. This also will help the avocado to not oxidize. So it will last a little longer without getting dark. Oh, that’s good. Now we have our avocado ready. We are going to prepare our franks. For this, we’re going to need a little bit of oil. Just a little bit. Just a little? Yes. Well, you’re in very good shape. You don’t overuse oil, I bet. You know, if it’s good quality oil, it’s not bad for you. Of course, always in moderation. Yes, moderation. And a good quality, olive oil or avocado oil. I mean, my third year of natural medicine. Wow. Yes. And I will say the best you can do to stay healthy for many, many years is make your food your medicine. That bears repeating. Make your food your medicine. Yes. And I think we’ve forgotten that in our society. And the least processed you can. Yes, of course. The more raw, natural ingredients you can use is the best. So now, once your oil is hot, we’re going to place some of the franks there. So they can get a little brown. Oh, we forgot to dance. Well, we don’t have a blender going. Yes, but we can’t mix it any way. You want to dance anyway? Okay. You’re talking my language. Okay. So, they’re getting almost ready. So, we’re going to flip them. It takes around, I would say, a minute each side. Uh-huh. You can also boil them if you don’t want to use oil. You can boil them, and it’s perfectly fine as well. I like them. I like them fried. And these are cholesterol-free. Of course. What brand do we have in here? Yeah, this is the light life franks. Mm. Okay, so they’re ready. That’s easy. You can help me lower it a little bit. Okay. Because now we are going to do our tortillas. Oh, wow. Please don’t warm your tortillas in the microwave. That’s not the best way to do it. It’s made on the ichrome, why? So, now we’re going to heat our tortillas. Okay. We need a little bit of oil. Or if you avoid oil, you can use water as well. We want them to be moist, so… Wonderful. So, the trick is to stay there. And you know they say, Latinas, we have this superpower that we don’t need any utensil to flip the tortillas. It’s kind of true, you know? Oh, wow. You’re spinning it certainly very well. You have to leave a couple of seconds, I would say. Oh, there you go. You flipped it. 30 seconds per side. Wow, this is so simple, but it’s fun. I really feel like I could make this at home. Yes, and it’s perfect for parties. Yes, really perfect. The kids will love it. Run-ups will love it. It’s perfect for everybody. How hard is it to recreate these dishes while keeping to the authentic flavors? It’s not hard at all. The spices and the different ingredients that you’re using are the same, so you have the exact same taste. So, we’re going to assemble it, and for that, we have our tortilla first. And make sure to add your franks first, because if you add the avocado or the cabbage first, your tortilla might start getting cold, so we want to prevent that. Oh, it keeps the heat there, yes. Yes. Yes, wow. So, you add two or three, as many as you prefer. Then, we need a little dollop of your special vegan secret guacamole. Yes, secret guacamole. And then, we’re going to add our pickled cabbage. You put that on top. Now, this is interesting. Ketchup, I always associate ketchup with America, you know, as an American traditional dish, but you’re saying they use this in guacamole? Yeah, because, like I told you, these entrepreneurs took the idea from the hot dogs in New York. Yes, okay. So, he wanted to make his… Make it very Americanized. This is a special ketchup doll. I infused it with mustard. Ooh. So, for that, you need a cup of ketchup and then a tablespoon of mustard, and then you mix it all, and you have it. You know, I think I might like that, because I’ve always found ketchup to be just too sweet, and it doesn’t really have a kick, so if I mix it with mustard, I like it. I’m gonna do that. Okay, let’s see what we got here. And then we’re going to drizzle a little top. Ooh, look how beautiful this is. And voila. Oh my gosh. We’re mixed up. I think we need… I’m a mixed up. They said… They told me I’m mixed up, but now I’m a mixed up. Okay, this looks so gorgeous. Look at that. Let me know what you think. Yes. So easy to mix so quick. And cheap, too. Like, the ingredients are pretty, pretty affordable. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. This is delicious. And it’s lighter than a hot dog, because, you know, the bread tends to be a little, like, heavy. And also, it’s so much healthier than a hot dog. This is absolutely delicious. It’s also easy to make. Anybody could make it fantastic. Now, you can also substitute something like a vegetable for the actual veggie dog. Tell us about that. You can use carrots. And it’s pretty easy. The only thing you need to do is to boil the carrots and to add the seasonings that you like and let them marinate for at least a day, so they will have all the flavors. Oh, wow. And one last thing. What are some of the other Guatemalan dishes you veganized? Everything, basically. There’s this traditional breakfast with beans and plantains, and we use francs, so I use the light life francs and tortillas and the vegan sour cream, and you don’t tell the difference. There’s also tamales. You just leave out the animal protein. No sacrifice. No sacrifice at all. Oh, I love it. Thank you so much. Thank you. You are an inspiration. This was an amazing, simple lunch. If you want to copy this recipe, check out UNCHAINEDTV’s website on the screen below. You can also watch this episode again and all of your favorite New Day, New Chef episodes, as well as the best in plant-based documentaries, TV shows, breaking news, so much more on the UNCHAINEDTV app on your TV phone or tablet. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. You are an absolute inspiration. If you want to try this at home, show us on your socials. Just hashtag NDNC. Plant-based. It’s good for you. It’s good for the environment, and yes, it’s good for the animals, too. It’s a new day, and you, too, can be a new chef. Let’s dance it out, . Sucely, thank you.