Imagine, today is the day of your much-anticipated dinner party for several of your close friends.  You just moved into a new house a couple of months ago, and you intend to celebrate with a feast. You spent days researching recipes and gathering ingredients. As you start to prepare the vegetables, you notice that the tomatillos stored in the freezer for the past couple of weeks are covered in frost and appear to be no good. Frantically, you grab your shoes and wallet because you must race to the store to get more. Afterall, you cannot make your famous pollo dish without mole verde! You fleetingly think that there must be an easier and more efficient way to make the sauce you love. 

Spoiled, rotten, freezer burned, and moldy food is a problem in households across the country. A potential solution is the use of the dehydration method.  Dehydrated foods are typically used to preserve food longer than refrigeration. This can be achieved by simply allowing foods to dry in the sun, in the oven, or by using a processor. In other words, the water is extracted from the food item. There are several benefits to dehydration. They include:

• Retention of nutrients – According to research, “Fresh produce loses its vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant content within a few days of refrigeration — with reductions as high as 50% for some.” This means the dehydration method locks in the elements our bodies need. 

• Protects against germs – Bacteria, mold, and yeast development all occurs in the presence of moisture. Extracting the water slows the growth of germs.

• Circumvent preservatives – Dehydration also means reducing the need to use potentially carcinogenic preservatives such as nitrates, sweeteners, emulsifiers, texturizers, and a number of other chemical additives. Reduce waste by extending the life of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and spices.

Halietza Dehydrated Mole

Let’s turn our attention back towards the debacle with the tomatillos for the mole verde. Spoiled, freezer burned ingredients will certainly affect the quality of any dish. However, this is an issue that can be easily mitigated by using dehydrated mole from Halietza instead of gathering the ingredients and making it from scratch. 

Why Halietza?

• Add instant, authentic flavor. The Halietza brand carries five of the seven mole varieties including: Mole Rojo (aka mole poblano), Mole Negro, Mole Verde, Mole Amarillo, and Mole Coloradito. Our authentic, dehydrated mole makes cooking easier on customers. Why? Because they can have the taste of traditional Oaxacan meals without shopping around for native Pasilla chiles used to make authentic mole. 

• Minimize waste. Mole stored in the refrigerator lasts for just a few days. While, the freezer can last longer, one runs the risk of compromised flavor.  Dehydrated mole can last for months when stored properly while maintaining its robust taste.

• Its easy! When you are ready to cook, simply measure out your favorite dehydrated mole and add liquid (typically water or broth) to rehydrate. Halietza saves time and takes the guesswork out of creating traditional homemade recipes. Visit the Halietza shop to learn more about our products. 

^[i] https://www.webmd.com/diet/dehydrating-food-good-for-you#1

^[ii] https://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20180214/highly-processed-foods-tied-to-higher-cancer-risk