"SABOR" is a food & wine and lifestyle series that savors Latinos' zest for life and passion for home and family. 

When it comes to lifestyle, food, crafts, interior design or even creating "Egg-cellent" Easter do-it-yourself craft tips with the Easter Bunny by her side on "TODAY," Evette Ríos is your lady.

The chef, who is the current host of the Emmy nominated CBS cooking series "Recipe Rehab," is a creative chameleon who has been dubbed a "Mobile Martha Stewart" by Latina Magazine.

Ríos, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is thrilled to be a part of the cooking series on CBS. It's "a show that finds a fun way to participate in the effort to curb the rise of obesity in America with a competition that promotes the use of healthy, wholesome ingredients, and demonstrates the positive effects of healthy food choices."

"What I love about our show is that we take recipes that most of the time have been in families for generations that are packed with flavor -- because we love flavorful things, but are often packed with a lot of things that you don't need -- lots of sodium, lots of sugar, lots of empty calories, lots of fat," Ríos told Latin Post in an exclusive interview. "And so we take those recipes and we try to figure out what is it about this recipe that the family loves... Is it the flavor? Is it the convenience? Is it the ingredients? Then we try to make healthy versions of those flavors ... then the families cook them and make them themselves and they decide which one becomes the winner."

The friendly competition that gives one family's high-calorie recipe a new low-calorie twist doesn't have to take away from its cultural component.

"To me, culture is so important and growing up in a family with a good amount of culture, I really appreciate that in everybody. Every family, whether they are blood line Americans, every family has a culture and they always have traditions and traditional recipes ... kind of the physical embodiment of culture," she added.

Latinos can improve their recipes with various spices or fresh chilies, Adobo sauce, Cumin, "which is not your typical Latin spice, but it adds a smokiness," where you get the flavor without adding the fat.

She especially loves the "farm-to-table approach" and pointed out that the Latino community in the U.S most embodies that farm-to-table approach. She recalled her Grandmother's garden where she would gather ginger or cilantro for a meal.

"That to me was a powerful association... that freshness and all of those natural flavors that you get from having those things in your garden," she said.  "To understand the culture more and feel more connection.

Prior to her work on CBS, Evette starred on ABC's "The Chew" as a "field correspondent and roving reporter." Her role on "The Chew" made her the only Latina on a national daytime talk show. Evette is also a regular contributor in fluent Spanish to Univision's "Despierta América," "Tu Desayuno Alegre," "Al Despertar," and Telemundo's "Buenos Días Nueva York."

Ríos also blogs weekly on her own website, Evetterios.com, and she is a contributor to rachelray.com, xoJane.com, and Parade.com.  She is also known as host of the popular "Better Homes & Gardens 100-Days of Holidays" online video series. Most recently, she became Director of Development for Latina Media Ventures for Latina Magazine, the Latin Kitchen and Latina.com 

Ríos spent years as contributing design expert "buddy" on Rachel Ray's show, where she became known for fabulous advice, innovative crafts and dramatic room revisions. 

As a "Latina Martha Stewart," Ríos admires the comparison, yet brings a whole new dimension to the crafty mix. She's also hoping to help change the identity of the modern woman while embracing the past. 

"Honestly, I hope to be one-third of the person that she has become. She really is such an inspiration and she has elevated all sorts of things that were deemed to be women's work and all sorts of crafts that were totally outdated and she's refreshed them and made them relevant. She has really elevated the homemaker to be something that is a beautiful thing. It's respectable and it's something that we should kind of incorporate as modern women in our lives. I love that."

She also commends the impact of Julia Child, but pointed out that Stewart is business savvy and the fact that she's made her mark in the food, craft and interior design world, which isn't always easy.

As a matter of fact, it's been the "hardest hurdle" in Ríos' career, for she too is a creative chameleon with as a lifestyle expert with expertise in food, crafts and interior design, etc. but has encountered many who try to pigeonhole her.

Regardless of any industry constraints, Ríos is forging ahead and is thrilled with the Stewart comparison.

"I hope to have the kind of influence that she (Stewart) has been able to have," she said. "She is amazing."

Check out Ríos' healthy and delicious "rehabbed" "rice" pudding recipe:

Chia "Rice" Pudding

Servings 2-4

A dairy-free, gluten-free coconut pudding with familiar Caribbean spice flavors. This dessert is a nod to the popular Puerto Rican-style arroz con coco (coconut rice,) traditionally cooked with short-grain rice, condensed milk, raisins, cinnamon and star anise. This pudding is prepared with chia seeds en lieu of rice. Chia is an ancient seed dating back to the Aztec culture, and today it is considered a superfood. Chia means "strength." Chia seeds are an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, magnesium, protein, and calcium. Enjoy this lightly sweetened pudding with the added perk of an energy-boost.

Organic Light (60% less fat than regular) Unsweetened Coconut Milk, 1 can (13.5 oz.)

Sweetened Coconut Milk, ¾ cup

Cinnamon sticks, 3 sticks

Star anise, 2 stars

Fresh peeled ginger, 1" knob

Chia seeds, ⅓ cup (packages come in black or white seeds. A matter of aesthetics, either works)

Stevia, 1-2 individual-size packets depending on preferred sweetness

Raisins (or dried blueberries,) ¼ cup

Shredded coconut to garnish

Spiced Coconut Milk

1.     Peel and cut 1" fresh ginger. Add ginger, 2 star anise, and 3 cinnamon sticks to saucepan. Add ¾ cup sweetened coconut milk. Bring to boil. Reduce to a low simmer*. Let seep/simmer for 15-20 min. Milk should go from white to pinkish from the cinnamon and star anise. Liquid should be fragrant and taste like the spices it contains. Let cool completely. Reserve spices for garnish.

*Careful not to boil so liquid doesn't reduce significantly. Need ½ cup simmered liquid.

Chia Pudding Assembly

2.     In a large bowl, gently stir 1 can of coconut milk until evenly distributed. Slowly add ⅓ cup chia seeds, stirring until fully distributed. Add spiced coconut milk, raisins, and stevia. Gently stir to incorporate.

3.     Pour mixture into mason jars and close lids. Shake. Refrigerate for 4 hours. After the first hour, shake again to prevent clumping of chia seeds.

4.     After four hours: pudding should have set. Serve chilled in small glass, garnished with freshly grated cinnamon, coconut flakes, and raisins.