This weeks’ column on Latina.com was my editor’s best request to date. La La Vasquez, the celebrity VJ from NY, recently talked to Latina about how she’s watching her figure and has let some things go. The one thing she omitted from  scratching off her list are Cuban pasteles de carne.

I’m with her on that! Unfortunately, I can’t say they are problem for me because I can’t find them in Atlanta or DC. We are tragically short of Cuban pasteleria’s like this one I visited in NJ during Christmas last year.

The semi-challenge was to make a healthier version of the popular flaky, sweet & savory pastry for those of us trying to stay slim and fit this season.  That was simple enough. The real challenge was making time to squeeze this and 3 other recipes in one day (not to mention writing assignment deadlines)

AHA!  I altered my traditional picadillo recipe and completely cheated by using already-made puff pastry shells. I promise myself (and you) to personally make the dough next time and to do a re-post with an all-out, step-by-step recipe on making la masa, which we all know makes these little bites so incredibly irrisistable and qualifies them as must-haves.

Maybe that post will be on guava and cheese pastelitos!

Read today’s column and snatch the recipe, here!