CIELO The Mandala Girl A journey through the delicious world of food By Mariana Rueda
Once upon a time, there was a mandala girl named CIELO. Mandala girls changed colors depending on what they ate. She was blue because she only had blueberries her favorite fruit. Blueberries were sweet and delicious, and they were full of vitamins that helped her heart, bones, and skin. If you were in the world of CIELO, what color would you be?
One day one of her friends, Prisma, a rainbow mandala girl, suggested that if she ate other types of food, she could turn into a multi-colored mandala girl and feel stronger. Prisma liked to try different dishes in each place she visited. Her mandala always looked like a rainbow. Have you tried a dish from another country?
CIELO,
curious to know a little more about other types of food, bought a Mandalatario of fruits, vegetables, meats, seeds and seafood. A Mandalatario was a book full of mandalas with representations of food. When she opened the book, she found a great variety of things to eat that were unknown to her. Can you name everything you see in the Madalatario and help CIELO identify new ingredients?
On the fruit page, she enjoyed looking at the colors and shapes, She loved the color of the grapes, but was also interested in knowing a little more about the watermelon, pears, pineapples and oranges. The book also explained that fruits are part of the world of carbohydrates, rich in vitamins, and a great source of energy. Many mandala girls had fruit for dessert. Which fruit would be your favorite dessert?
One page showed a pizza made only from fruit! She came to understand that fruits can be cut into many different shapes. The watermelon was the base and the fruits were the toppings. She found apples sliced like flowers, tangerines that looked like a mini sausage, and starfruits.
How many fruits can you count on this page? Ingredients -1 orange -½ cup of blueberries -½ cup of blackberries -½ cup of cherries -1 slice of watermelon -1 Kiwi -1 Banana -1 apple -1 starfruit
Preparation -Slice the watermelon one inch thick. -Slice one apple, one starfruit, a banana, blueberries and cherries. -Put the fruits on top of the watermelon and enjoy the pizza!
On the next page, she found a new world of food: from fruits like avocado and peppers, to vegetables like broccoli, radishes, carrots, and asparagus. Avocado was a fruit rich in healthy fats, potassium, and vitamins. Many people enjoy it with their friends by preparing guacamole and chips.
Do you know any recipe that has avocado?
Next, she found a recipe for guacamole that included vegetables like tomatoes and scallions. Ingredients -One avocado -3 small Scallions -1 Tomato -Lime juice from one lime -15 leaves of Cilantro -1 pinch of Salt Preparation -Choose an avocado that is a little soft in the skin. -Take out the pit and with a spoon, separate the avocado from the peel. -With a fork, mash the avocado until smooth. - Chop a tomato into small squares. -Cut three small scallions into small rings. -Squeeze the juice of a lime -Chop 15 cilantro leaves -Add a pinch of salt -Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl and enjoy guacamole with chips
The next chapter showed animal and vegetable proteins. Protein is a great source of energy that contributes to the growth of muscles. Many different foods contain protein, such as chicken, fish, beef, pork, nuts, beans, and peanut butter! What’s your favorite source of protein?
On the next page, CIELO read about the famous Asado. Asado is a common dish in Latin America and with several meats, traditionally cooked on the grill with different marinades. In this recipe, the marinade is Chimichurri, a famous herbal condiment from South America. Do you think you can make chimichurri to accompany your meals? Information on the right side of the page: Chimichurri: -1/2 cup of olive oil -¼ cup of red wine vinegar -¼ cup of water -2 cloves of garlic, chopped -1 pinch, red pepper flakes -2 tbsp oregano -4 tbsp parsley -Salt and pepper to taste -Combine all the ingredients and let sit a few hours or overnight. You can use it as a marinade or a sauce to put on the meats after they are cooked.
The Chop Suey recipe was a combination of noodles, vegetables, and meats. Cielo understood that the flavors of food can be combined and food can have different colors and textures. The Chop Suey contains protein from meat and carbohydrates derived from vegetables and noodles.
What vegetables would you add to this famous dish?
Inspired by so many options, CIELO decided to throw a party and cook some of her new recipes for her friends. She wanted to include fruits, vegetables, meats, cheese, and refreshing drinks on her sunny afternoon picnic in the woods.
CIELO invited Prisma and her friends Estrella y Sol, with whom she enjoyed taking walks in the forest. Estrella and Sol were also Mandala girls.
CIELO'S plate contained grapes, avocado, chicken, rice, and radishes. Prisma's plate included asparagus and shrimp. Sol had fish with broccoli and finally, Estrella chose pork ribs with green plantains and beans.
Can you recognize the owner of each plate?
After dinner, all the mandala girls were very proud of CIELO as they watched her learn to cook and to expand her palette with many different flavors and textures . It was fun trying new dishes, cooking new recipes, and seeing different colors in the world of mandalas.
All her friends felt healthy and harmonious.
Sol, Estrella, Prisma and CIELO enjoyed doing lots of wonderful things, like running, climbing, swimming, and practicing yoga. The mandala girls were strong and full of color. CIELO, by tasting different foods, transformed into a multicolored mandala. Now she felt strong enough to do her walks, cook daily, spend time with her Mandala friends, and enjoy her new eating habits.