Ropa Vieja (Cuban Shredded Beef)

Years ago, I loved to watch a program called "Donna's Day" and she made Ropa Vieja.  It sounded absolutely delicious.  I thought about it for years, but I never made it.  Then Mandy In the Making shared her Crocktober Video with three recipes.  One was for Ropa Vieja.  She and her family raved over it as they ate.  I was determined to make it.

I made Biria Beef last year and it was good...but it had a long list of ingredients and a lot of steps.  It's my opinion that this recipe is every bit as good and it's much easier to make.  

I did not follow the recipe as Mandy made it.  She followed the original author's recipe which sounds awesome. I just didn't have one ingredient and then I started my roast from frozen in the slow cooker rather than thawing and searing as she suggested.  I can only imagine the added flavor searing the meat would give.  But I'll share how I personally made it because it was so good!

Ropa Vieja

2 pounds Beef Chuck roast

15 ounces tomato sauce

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 diced, seeded jalapeno (the recipe calls for a 4 ounce can of green chilies but I was out)

1 medium onion, sliced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon vinegar (I used apple cider)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Place roast and all ingredients in a slow cooker.  Cook on HIGH for 6-8 hours.  As I said, I started mine from frozen and it cooked up just lovely.  

When fully tender, shred the meat and put back into the juices in the pot.

We made Burrito Bowls with a lovely Cuban Black Beans and Rice.  I made a corn relish to add to the bowls, too.   We topped with shredded cheese and had tortillas on the side.  We had some of the beef in tortillas the next day and that was delicious as well.  I'd love to try a bit as a quesadilla...

If you think this will be very tomato-y, it's not.  I don't know why it's not but it's not.  It is just full of flavor and tender. 

I had a ton of leftovers which I froze.  The recipe said the leftovers would freeze well. 

If you're looking for a different spin for your Taco Tuesday, give this recipe a try.  It's so good!

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Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

 

I found this recipe this week when I was planning meals and thought I'd give it a try.  The truth is, as I said on my Blue House Journal post, I love the look of acorn squash and butternut squash and all the winter squashes... But my enthusiasm wanes the moment I start planning to cook one.  I've tried myriads of recipes and to date none of them have been what I'd call a keeper.  Not one of them made me excited to think, "Winter squash are in season, oh boy!"

Well, this year I got smart and bought the very smallest squash I could find.  I thought I'd get to decorate with them for a little while, but they were not the keeping sort.  It was time to cook or plan to toss in another week.  I opted to cook.  

And then began the search for a 'new' recipe.  

I found a recipe on Paleo Running Momma's site.  I highlighted her recipe in the post.  I didn't have all of the ingredients listed but I took inspiration and ran with it.

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

2 Acorn squash, about 1 pound each

Cut the squash in half, seed and then place on a baking sheet.  Roast at 350F until just tender.  I did this a couple of days ahead.  

1 pound pork sausage 

1 large apple, finely diced

1 onion, diced

1 tsp. dried crumbled sage

1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely minced

1 tbsp. garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the sausage until just brown, crumbling well.  If needed, add 2 tbsps. butter or oil to the pan. Once the sausage is lightly browned, add in the diced apple and onion.  Season with the herbs and garlic.  Once the apple is tender, salt and pepper to taste.

Salt the insides of the acorn squash.  Fill with stuffing, packing it down slightly.    Bake until squash and filling are fully hot at 350F.  Since my squash had been in the fridge it took about 40 minutes to come up to full temperature.

It was at this point I found myself wishing I had some sort of sauce or gravy to in the meat mixture.  In the end, after viewing several more recipes online I thought I'd just put shredded cheese on top.  Most recipes recommended Parmesan.  I was going to use cheddar, which I had, but then I saw the log of Smoked Gouda we'd bought last week at Sam's Club.  I thought the creaminess and smokiness of the Gouda would suit the filling.

This was absolutely delicious.  John ate it all and then told me he'd happily eat it again.  Which was great since we have leftovers, lol.

Chicken with Spinach and Sundried Tomatoes and Gnocchi

 

I saw a recipe recently that reminded me I had spinach and sundried tomatoes in the freezer.  Then I saw another recipe entirely for another chicken dish that I can't find.  But I remembered one ingredient in that dish and happened to have purchased it.  I decided to make up my own recipe for this dish and it turned out soooo good.   John's no fan of spinach but he ate every bite and told me "It isn't bad!"  

By the way, I dislike recipe titles that include the bulk of your ingredients but I am not creative enough today to figure out a better name for this recipe.  

The recipe I'm sharing will feed three.  Just double ingredients to feed more folks.

Chicken With Spinach and Sundried Tomatoes and Gnocchi

1 chicken breast

1/4 cup Italian dressing 

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (NOT in oil)

Cook on low heat in slow cooker until chicken is done.

Add:

5 ounces baby spinach (mine was frozen fresh)

1 tsp. garlic

half of a 7.5-ounce container of cream cheese with chives and onions

1/2 cup of half and half

I cooked this on medium for about an hour since my spinach was frozen, then mixed well.  If you need to thin the sauce add more half and half or some of your pasta cooking water.   Then add:

1/2 of a 1-pound package of Gnocchi, cooked and drained.  

Heat through and serve.  This serves three generous servings.

Chicken Shawarma

 

I've been trying Chicken Shawarma recipes for years and finally created a recipe we absolutely love.  John complimented me on it multiple times tonight as we ate and again after.  I wish I'd followed my inclination and taken a picture of my plate because it came together as a pretty meal once it was plated up.

I had put Chicken Shawarma on our menu plan for the warmer months because it can be grilled or cooked on the stovetop.  Tonight I baked it in the oven which worked very well.  

To arrive at this recipe, I sat down and read several and then combined similar elements.  Then I read through all the recipes and determined what I had on hand and what sounded good to me.  I made up a combination of spices that were well-balanced.  I plan to make this mixture up in bulk and keep it on hand for ease in preparing this dish.

You'll note that ground cloves and ground coriander are included.  I highly recommend you use both ingredients.  The cloves add depth and the coriander is almost floral and balances out the cloves nicely. I no longer had ground coriander on hand, but I did have whole coriander seeds which I crushed and used.

Not all Shawarma recipes include yogurt.  I have tried recipes that do and recipes that don't.  I think the yogurt helps hold moisture in the chicken and keeps the spice mixture on the meat.  

For tonight's meal I cut the chicken into strips but you can leave the pieces whole if you'd like.  I knew I was going to cook mine in the oven this evening.

Do give it a try.  I'll share serving suggestions with the recipe.

Chicken Shawarma

Serves 4.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (you could also use boneless skinless thighs)

1/2 cup thick Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 tbsp. of each:  Turmeric, Garlic, Paprika, ground Coriander, Cumin

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice of half a lemon

1 whole onion cut into thin strips

Olive oil

Warm pitas

Combine the yogurt, spices, seasoning, and lemon juice.  Mix well.  Add chicken and coat well.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

On a foil-lined sheet pan, pour enough olive oil to coat the foil.  Top with the onion slices and then lay chicken over the top of the onions.  I spread any remaining yogurt mixture over the top of this, too.

Bake at 425F for about 15 minutes.  Pour off any accumulated watery juices in the bottom of the pan and return to the oven to cook for another 10 minutes.*remember this was for sliced strips of meat, not whole pieces.  Use a thermometer to ensure meat is at a safe temperature if cooking whole pieces.

Serve meat and cooked onions in a warm pita. 

Serving suggestion: Rice Pilaf, Cucumber, Tomato, and Feta Salad, Pickled Red Onion, Warm Pita.   We topped our meat with pickled onions too.  This was so very good.

Rice Pilaf simply means rice cooked with other ingredients.  I made my own, you can buy boxed mixes.  You could also substitute Couscous.  

Good Dinners Fast: Chicken and Pasta Soup

It was pouring rain Tuesday, and I was chilly.  I had a menu made for the week, but I wanted soup...and yet, it being so near spring, I didn't want an old-fashioned super hearty sort of soup.  I wanted something just a bit lighter and different.

This is the recipe I made up as I went.  It was so good!  John told me repeatedly how much he liked it.  It was the perfect sort of soup for an almost but not quite spring day.

Chicken and Pasta Soup

1 large chicken breast, cut into chunks

1 small to medium onion, chopped

1 large stalk celery, cut into small pieces

1 medium carrot grated (This is the way John prefers it.  You can slice it if you like.)

Olive oil

Garlic (about 1 teaspoon minced)

1/2 teaspoon each: lemon pepper, onion powder, salt and pepper

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups pasta (I used whole wheat rotini)

1 cup whole milk

2-3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tbsps. butter

1 cup white wine

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven to medium high.  Add in chicken and after cooking for 3 or 4 minutes, add in onion, celery and carrot.  Allow to cook for five minutes more.  Add garlic and cook about another minute.

Add broth and seasonings and bring to a gentle rolling boil.  Lower heat, cover and let bubble gently for about 20 minutes.  Uncover and turn up heat to medium high.  Add uncooked pasta and cook until past is tender about 9 minutes.  Add wine and butter.  Mix cornstarch with milk and add to soup, stirring and heating until broth thickens slightly.  

Good Dinners Fast: Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

The original recipe for this dish is at the website Julia's Album.   Like most cooks, I altered the recipe slightly to accommodate what I had on hand.  This was very good and my take on it was not so far off the original that the flavors would have been altered.  If you're looking for 'something different' and chicken is on the menu, I think this recipe is a great one to try.

The recipe as it was written in the original looks complicated and has a long list of ingredients.  Honestly, it's not a hard recipe to make. Even with me cutting up my own chicken breasts and shredding mozzarella, I daresay the meal was on the table in around 30 minutes.  If you use the cut of chicken she lists and pre-shredded mozzarella, I think you can beat my time.

Julia's Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

8-ounces Penne Pasta (I used a whole wheat rotini)

water recommended for pasta

1 teaspoon salt

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 ounces sun dried tomatoes (I sliced mine prior to cooking them)

2 tbsps. Olive oil

1 pound chicken breast tenderloins (I used diced chicken breast)

1/2 tsp. salt (I increased this amount)

1/2 tsp. Paprika (also increased this one)

1 cup Half and Half

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (Do not use fresh mozzarella.  You want the aged mozzarella)

1 tbsp. basil (I used 1/2 tsp of dried basil)

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 cup reserved pasta water

salt to taste

Bring water to boil.  Add pasta, cook until al dente.  If you drain, be sure to reserve some of the pasta water.

Heat olive oil over medium low heat in a large frying pan.  Add garlic and tomatoes and cook gently, stirring often for about 1 minute.  Do not let your garlic burn!  Remove from pan and set aside.

Increase heat to high.  Add 2 tbsps. more oil if needed.  Toss chicken with seasonings.  Add to pan and cook for 1 minute on each side.  Remove from heat. (I cooked mine a little lower heat and a little longer, until the outer pink had turned white).  

Add Sun-Dried tomato and garlic mixture.  Also add the half and half and mozzarella. My alteration here: I added 1/4 cup of the ricotta cheese I made earlier this week.  Bring to a gentle boil.  Immediately reduce heat to simmer. Stir gently until cheese melts.  If sauce seems a little too thick, add pasta water a little at a time until it reaches the consistency you desire.  Add seasonings and pasta and toss well.

Leftover Makeover: Al Pastor Tacos from Pork Chops

 

I baked pork chops last week and we ended up with two whole chops as leftovers since Caleb refused to eat the night, we had them.  I contemplated what I might do: make a stir fry dish, make fried rice...all sounded good, but I wanted something different.  I came up with the idea of trying to recreate a sauce packet I'd bought on clearance a few months ago that was absolutely delicious.  It was a Mexican sauce with a citrus base.  We'd used chicken with the sauce, but the packet had called for chunks of pork.

Here's my take on that sauce packet meal.

Tacos al Pastor

2 cups chopped cooked pork (you can use butt or shoulder meat or tenderloin in place of the chops)

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 tsps. minced garlic

half a packet of taco seasoning mix (about 1tablespoon)

Juice drained from a 20 ounce can of pineapple tidbits (about 3/4 cup)

1 cup pineapple tidbits

olive oil

Heat olive oil in skillet and cook onion over medium heat for 3 minutes or until just soft.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute at most.  Add meat, taco seasoning and the pineapple juice.  Stir until meat is well coated then lower heat to low and allow to simmer for 5 minutes or so.  Add pineapple tidbits and hat through.

I served this meat mixture on tortillas (soft tacos) with finely shredded red and green cabbage, a drizzle of Ranch dressing (using more of the leftovers in the fridge), and shredded cheddar cheese.  My family all exclaimed over how good these tacos were and told me to remember this recipe!  I love when I throw random things in a skillet and the family raves over them.