Cuban Flair

Living in Florida, the food has a lot of Spanish influence.  Once of the biggest influences we see is Cuban.  I LOVE a good Cuban sandwich but I was never brave enough to make one myself.  That is, until I was watching Food Network one day (what else is new) and I saw a recipe I knew I could handle.  So I whipped it up along with a soup I saw on the same episode and it immediately went into the meal rotation.

Cuban Sandwich and Black Bean Soup

Cuban Sandwich with Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 

Four 6-inch-long soft sub loaves, split 

About 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 

About 3 tablespoons yellow mustard 

4 ounces thinly sliced ham 

6 ounces sliced Swiss cheese 

1 cup dill pickle chips 

About 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

Rub the pork all over with the cumin, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place in a slow cooker and drizzle with the orange and lime juices. Cook on high heat until the meat is tender and falling apart, 6 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and coarsely shred.

Spread one side of each loaf with mayonnaise and the other with mustard. Build the sandwiches with the pulled pork, ham, Swiss and pickles (you will have some pulled pork left over).

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place 2 of the sandwiches in the skillet and cover with another skillet, weighing it down with a heavy can or pot. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the sandwiches over, replace the top skillet and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches, adding the remaining butter to the skillet.  

Note:  I used a sandwich press instead of a skillet.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 medium onion, chopped 

1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped 

Kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

Two 15-ounce cans black beans, not drained

Fresh cilantro sprigs, for serving

Sour cream, for serving

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, jalapenos and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and black beans with their liquid. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Transfer about three-quarters of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth (be careful when blending hot liquids). Return the soup to the saucepan and season with salt. Serve topped with cilantro and sour cream.

Note:  I used an immersion blender to puree the soup.  However, if yo DO use a blender, first let the soup cool for five minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender, filling only halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth.

Slow Cooker Red Beans And Rice

I'm sure it's no surprise that I'm a Food Network and Cooking Channel junkie.  One of my favorite shows is "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."  It doesn't matter how many times I have seen an episode, I'll almost always watch it again.  Some of my favorite dishes to see are Louisiana style dishes...Cajun, gumbo...all that stuff.  My husband had asked a couple of times for rice and beans.  He meant Spanish style but I wanted to try a Louisiana style so I set out searching for a recipe, preferably one for the Crockpot and I was thrilled to find on that wasn't too complicated.  I, of course, tweaked it a bit but it was a hit with the family and since it's budget friendly too, it is definitely going into the meal rotation.

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

1 lb. package red kidney beans
6 cups water
2 links smoked sausage, sliced and cut in half (I used turkey)
1 cup, each, chopped onion and red bell pepper
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
2 tsp.  minced garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbs. or more Cajun seasoning (I used a bit more)
Salt to taste
2 bay leaves
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce (how much is up to you!)
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
3 cups hot cooked rice

The first thing you have to do is prep the beans.  Kidney beans contain a toxin that boiling will kill but slow cooking will not.  So, before you start, boil your beans for 10 minutes in enough water to cover them by an inch or 2.  Then drain them and they're ready to use.  No need to soak them.

Combine the first 12 ingredients in electric slow cooker. Cook for 5 hours on high (this is what I did) or for 8 hours on low. Discard bay leaves and mash some of the beans.  Add the green onions and hot sauce, and cook for 15 more minutes. Add a little water, if necessary. Serve over the hot cooked rice.  I made some French bread to serve along with it.  The meat can totally be left out if you would prefer to keep it vegetarian.

Serves 6. 

Adapted from Cajun Delights

A Mish-Mash Of Recipes

Yes, yes, you can all yell at me because of my absence.  I have been lax about updating ALL my blogs and I need to get back into the groove.  I did update my wine blog today so I figured while I was on a roll, I would update this one too.

The weather here in Florida is in the 80s most days now but when it was cooler, I made a deal with myself to use my Crockpot at least once a week.  I've posted a few of favorite recipes in the past but I have a couple more I would like to add. 

The first one is from the Skinnytaste blog.  Man, I LOVE that blog.  I had posted a similar recipe before the Super Bowl but this is the one I ended up making.  It's not a Crockpot recipe PER SE, but I'll add my notes about what I did at the end.

White Bean Turkey Chili

2 small onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves
2 tsp chili powder, to your taste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp oregano
2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
4 16 oz cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups of fat free chicken broth
1/2 cup of fat free sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium flame. When hot, spray oil.  Add onions, garlic, saute about 5 min.
Add meat and cook, breaking it up until white, about 5 minutes.  Add salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes.  Add beans , broth, cook uncovered about 10 minutes.

Lower heat and cover, simmer about 45 minutes mixing occasionally.  Add sour cream and cook 5 more minutes.  Adjust seasoning and salt to taste.

Top with chopped red onion, chopped fresh cilantro, light sour cream, jalapeños and reduced fat cheddar if desired.

My notes:  I pretty much halved this recipe.  I just used one 20 oz. package of regular 93/7 ground turkey and halved the rest of the ingredients.  I also added a pablano pepper, used less chicken broth and omitted the sour cream.  I did saute everything together but right before I got to the part where it says to add the beans, I put everything in the Crockpot and cooked in on Low for about 6 hours.  It was SOOO good...I think I may make it again this week!

I am not sure of the origin of this recipe.  My friend Lana posted in on a message board ages ago and I have made it a few times since.  I did find this one that is similar, but not quite the same.  My family loves it and it's SO easy.

Crockpot Pot Roast

2-3 lb chuck roast
1 can Campbell's tomato soup (I use the low sodium)
1 large white onion, sliced
2 handfuls baby carrots
4-5 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced.
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
1or 2 Bay Leaves

Place the roast at the bottom of the crock pot. Season liberally with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Place the vegetables around the roast, and cover everything with the tomato soup. Season again with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Place the bay leaves on top.

Cook on low 8-10 hours, until veggies are tender and roast falls apart.

My notes:  I skip the second seasoning because to me, it's a bit too much.  It sounds so weird but trust me, it's GOOD.

OK, this is my last Crockpot recipe.  Again, I am sure you can find this around the Internet but I'm posting it as I got it from a message board.

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 envelope Italian Dressing (Good Seasons Zesty works well)
1/4 c water
1 - 8 oz cream cheese (I use low fat)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use low fat, low sodiukm)
1 - 4 oz can mushroom ( I skip these)

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix salad dressing and water together. Put over chicken, cover, and cook on low for 3 hours. Add cream cheese, soup, and mushrooms. Stir well and cook one hour on low.

Serve over rice or noodles.

OK, my next recipe says it's for the oven but I make it on the grill.. Obviously, with the weather the way it is here in Florida, I grill almost year round here and I much prefer it to heating up the oven.  And, as I've said before, I try to be mindful of what we eat.  I'm not a huge pork fan in general but I do love pork tenderloin and it is very low in fat.  My husband finds it kind of blah, though.  Or at least he did until I tried this recipe.  I have the cookbook it's in but I'll link the title to the Food Network Page.  Just one note, while the recipoe calls for 3 pork tenderloins, I have used the same amount of marinade and only made one although I am sure you could cut back on things.

Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin

1 lemon, zest grated
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
Good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (I've skipped these if I don't have them)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown. Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meat registers 137 degrees F at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

I have a nagging feeling there was another recipe I wanted to post but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.  I promise that as soon as I remember it, I'll post it.  And I promise to post more often...it gives me the incentive to try new recipes!