Dinner Is Done!

Wow, it's been quite a long time since my last post!

So sorry to all my readers!  This gal's back finally gave out - literally!  A little surgery, a little recovery, and now I'm back to work!

But while I was "resting", and I use quotation marks because as adults, do we ever really rest?  As I was resting, however, I used that time to search for recipes and for the dietary/culinary needs of my reader friends.

All I can say is, Pinterest.

Ever logged on to Pinterest?  Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board of sorts, using a virtual push pin as a way of creating a bookmark of whatever you find interesting on the 'net.  Since thousands belong to Pinterest, their pins are available for you to enrich - or in some cases, be horrified by - your own Pinterest bulletin boards.  What I've abundantly used Pinterest for is FOOD!

Recipes, recipes, and more recipes.  All those recipes on Pinterest have inspired me to make more meals that are budget-friendly and quick but healthy.  Sometimes the healthy part isn't so easy with Pinterest recipes.  How many cans of Cream of Chicken soup can one family eat per week without turning into pillars of salt??

And, as I'm still recovering, I have to make meals for my family that don't have me on my feet for an hour or more.  Who wants that?  Especially on a week night.

So to all Pinterest recipe fans - I accept the challenge of not only finding easy meals to make, but increasing the health meter while keeping the budget on a lower scale.  Taste?  Of course, darlings, why would I post anything that didn't taste good??

Let's start with tonight's dinner - Sassy BB Stoup.  It's a black bean "stoup" (stew/soup) that takes 10 minutes to prepare and 20 to simmer.  Serve with anything you want - tortilla chips, avocado, cornbread - but make sure those sides you choose don't cost a fortune and won't clog your arteries.  If you can get Jiffy Brand Corn Muffin Mix, that is a very affordable side, the mix itself only costing around $.75. And, if you can't get a ham steak (thick slice of smoked ham), try using some turkey bacon or very lean bacon.  Just don't pig out on the bacon!  PS - I apologize for the blurry photos.  We had a dark storm roll through while I was cooking and I just couldn't get enough light.  Regardless, I hope you enjoy!!

Sassy BB Stoup

1 ham steak, diced
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
3 cans black beans, do not rinse
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
Juice of one lime
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional)
2 handfuls of rinsed and chopped cilantro
DO NOT ADD SALT!

Directions -

Dice the ham steak into small cubes.  Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in stock pot.  Cook ham for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add onion and pepper, cover, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring once.  Add garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook for one additional minute.

Add tomatoes and black beans, combining well.  Then add lime juice and cayenne. I really did measure the cilantro in two handfuls.  Add, stir well, and cover.  Simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with whatever you like, but please try to keep it healthy.  I prefer it as is, with maybe a piece of cornbread or a few whole grain tortilla chips.

I shopped for all the ingredients at a supermarket instead of Walmart, and if I'd shopped at Wally World I know I would have saved a few dollars.  This makes six 1-cup bowls and each bowl cost me $2, rounded up.  That's $12 for this stoup, and you can't buy a fast food dinner for you and your family for that little.  This has veggies, protein, carbs, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.  The veggies are fresh and the flavor is plentiful as well as adjustable.  What will the golden arches give you? Never mind, don't answer, I don't want to know!

Diet Note:   I frequently hear from readers, "I can't eat beans..." for the obvious reason. Try Gas-X Prevention.  It's an enzyme that helps prevent bloating and other gastric upset.  It's better than the other brand.  Of course, this is only a suggestion, and I am not a doctor.  Please consume (or do not consume) responsibly.


Salt Note:   I really do mean not to add salt.  It may seem at first, while the stoup simmers, that it needs salt.  Believe me, in 20 minutes, the lack of those beans being rinsed will come through and it will be salty enough. If you want to reduce the sodium, rinse the beans and add some water from one of the cans.  

Cool Jerk

The first Friday of Lent and I realized I had nothing but chicken to cook.  Correction, I had nothing but chicken and a really nice pork roast.  Oops...the TERROR!!

Thank goodness for the Internet!  Myrecipes.com saved the day!  I revised two of their recipes to make a Caribbean dinner that made me wonder if I wasn't actually in Jamaica. I used their Jerk-Spiced Shrimp and Caribbean Rice and Peas recipes to make a tropical getaway for my taste buds.

If you do not have a grill, cook the shrimp any way you prefer, but I do suggest a cast iron skillet or grill pan.  Serve with Red Stripe Light Beer, Rum Punch, or a tropical lemonade and no matter where you live, you'll suddenly be transported to a place where steel drums ring and ocean breezes soothe.


Reggae Rice
Serves at least 5 hungry folks


2 tsp. coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 small onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups brown texmati rice (or basmati)
2 & 1/2 cups water
8 oz. chicken broth
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (I used lite)
1 can pigeon peas (I used pinto, but field peas are good)
Grated zest of one lemon
1 tsp. salt
Fresh parsley, chopped

Heat oil in Dutch oven, add onions and bell pepper.  Cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for additional 30 seconds.

Add rice, water, broth, and coconut milk.  Simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes or until rice is tender.  Add in peas, lemon zest, salt, and parsley.

Cool Jerk Shrimps (Yes, I Said Shrimps)
Serves 4 Large Helpings


Ingredients:

2 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or 1 tsp. if not using fresh garlic later)
1 tsp. red pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tbsp. melted coconut oil (or olive oil)
Juice of one fresh lime (mandatory - must be fresh!)
1 clove garlic, crushed (nix if you used 1 tsp. garlic powder)
2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
Cooking Spray (either regular or coconut cooking spray)

Combine paprika through garlic in a small bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of seasoning to oil, lime juice, and fresh garlic.

Preheat grill.  If using grill pan or skillet, heat right before you're ready to eat.  These shrimp cook fast!  Place shrimp in a bowl after being rinsed well.  Add seasoning marinade and a pinch or two of dry seasoning.  Combine well.

Take a large piece of nonstick foil and spray with cooking spray.  Once grill has reached around 350, place shrimp on foil and transfer to grill racks.  Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked and plump. If using a grill pan or skillet, cook until heated through and plump.

Serve with Reggae Rice and get to jammin'!!

Cochinita Pibil, Part 2

After being in the slow cooker for 5 hours, I turned the pork down on warm.  It was definitely tender by then, being boneless.  Those banana leaves, I have to say, don't smell all that grand, but they do a wonderful job at keeping the moisture in.  The finished product was beautiful and delicious!

I served the Cochinita Pibil with warm tortillas, shredded cheese, pineapple salsa, tomatillo salsa, cilantro, hot sauce, limes, and grilled corn on the cob.  We have enough pork left over to make burritos, tamales, or enchiladas.  I highly recommend not only this recipe, but the entire book!

Cochinita Pibil, Part 1

I bought a cookbook by the brilliant Rick Bayless not too long ago in the quest to make more Latin-based meals.  This book is gorgeous.  Do not crack it open if your stomach is on empty.  Or even near empty.

For two weeks I wondered what to make from this cookbook until I spied the recipe for Cochinita Pibil.  This is usually a chicken dish, but this recipe called for a pork roast that is cooked in a banana leaf-lined slow cooker.  For years I've wanted to do a pig-in-the-ground party, and this recipe allowed me to do something similar but in my slow cooker.  Genius!!!

I cannot post the recipe as I do not own it or the right to publicly share it.  If you need specifics, shoot me an email.  Cooking experiments can make me pretty nervous. There's so much at stake - cost, time spent prepping and cooking, and then the wonder if the meal will even be any good.  I feel good about it this time.  So far, it's been really simple to make.  The most difficult part was locating banana leaves and the achiote block. I purchased the achiote from Mexgrocer.com.  Later, I found out I could have gotten it for half the price at my local Asian supermarket.  Where I also was able to find banana leaves in abundance.

I lined the slow cooker liner with banana leaves that I had frozen.  Prepping them was simple.  I ran them into a hot water bath for about 10 minutes, then trimmed them up well. Line your slow cooker however best suits the bowl of the cooker.

I made the achiote marinade with lime juice and salt, but since one of my limes had gone bad in the center, I used the juice of one clementine in order to make 1/2 cup juice.  I like the flavor of orange and pork, and the  clementine will bring a slight sweet flavor to the tart limes.  I love limes, and this meal brings about so many flavors I adore in one sitting.

If you've never seen achiote before, it is a paste of annatto seeds, garlic, vinegar, spices, and salt.  You can refrigerate it up to a year, so buy the bigger block.  You'll use it, I promise.  I plan on using mine for more cochinita pibil as well as seafood dishes.

I was supposed to use a bone-in roast but my store had the boneless roasts on sale - buy one get one.  Frugality wins out this time!

This little pork baby has to cook six hours on high, and Part 2 of this post will reveal how it all turned out. I've got my fingers crossed and my taste buds waiting in anticipation!

One More Time...

Another soup recipe.  I know, I know.  You're probably sick of all the soup I've been making.  But this one is fast and flexible.  And, if you're having the same miserable weather I am, this soup will jazz up your day a tad.

I served my soup for lunch with a slice of reduced sodium Ezekiel Bread topped with 1/2 cup sliced avocado.

~ Food Science Time ~

I'm no Sheldon Cooper, so here goes...
People ask me how to keep avocado from turning brown.  I rinse my hulled avocado under running water, then I drizzle lime juice on it.  The water rinses away the component that helps oxidize the avocado flesh and the citric acid in the lime juice helps preserve it.  Our culinary nerd moment is now complete.


Quick Black Bean Soup
Serves 6 


Ingredients:

2 tsp. safflower or olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 Cubanelle pepper, diced
1 Serrano, diced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 (15 oz.) cans of seasoned black beans
1 (14.5 oz) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
A bunch of cilantro, rinsed and chopped
2 tbsp. Hatch roasted green chiles, mild (optional)

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium.  Add onion, Cubanelle, and Serrano.  Saute for about five minutes.  Add garlic, oregano, and cumin.  Saute for one more minute.

Add in beans (entire cans, do not rinse or drain), tomatoes, broth, cilantro, and chiles.  Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.  Blend with an immersion blender until 2/3 of batch is blended.  Cook for 5 more minutes on a full simmer until heated through.  Serve immediately.

Weight Watchers Points+ per bowl: 3 per one cup bowl, the avocado sandwich was another 4+ points

The Perfect Pozole

I've been craving soup quite a bit this winter.  Odd, considering I've never been a fan of soup.  Too much slurping, usually not at all filling, and many times over, it's too salty.

Or, in some cases, reminds you of when you had the flu.  Not at all appetizing.

But tonight's soup was very appetizing.  My youngest daughter loves it and has deemed it in her top two (the other being black bean soup).  It's a bowl full of spicy, sassy, steamy goodness.  I've combined a Yucatan Lime Soup with a Chicken Pozole.  Please feel free to leave out the cloves and the seeds in the Serrano pepper if you do not enjoy either, but please leave the cinnamon stick in as well as the hominy.  Without the cinnamon and hominy, this soup would be a sad mess.  I used canela instead of common cinnamon sticks and I also used Mexican oregano.  Try your Food Lion or Asian market for the canela.  I found mine at the Asian market.  Most supermarkets have the McCormick brand of Mexican oregano, and I like the whole dried leaves so I can crunch them myself.  Invest in both if you can, it does make a difference, a difference your taste buds will appreciate.

Before I  post the recipe, let's talk about one of the more important savory staples - GARLIC.  I am going to rant here.  Do not, whatever you do, buy jarred garlic.  Please.  If you love yourself and those you cook for at all, you'll put that jar you have straight into the garbage.  That is disgusting.  It looks as though someone has chewed up perfectly good cloves of garlic and once made into mush, spit them into a jar full of funky chemicals.  And you're going to dare to put that in your food and serve it???  If you hate peeling cloves, buy them pre-peeled in your produce department.  Heck, even garlic powder is better than jarred garlic.  And do not kid yourself - those in the know will always be able to flag a dish that has been made with the sour, bitter, foul-smelling, half masticated bits of jarred garlic.  Use fresh.  They cost less than a buck a head and they keep rather well in a dark cabinet.

And while you're at it, toss that plastic lemon out.

Thank you.  No - really.  Thank you.

Maggie's Chicken Pozole
Serves 6 Large Bowls


Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Safflower or Olive Oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 Serrano chile, sliced thin (leave seeds out for less heat)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 stick Canela or Cinnamon Stick
8 black peppercorns
6 whole cloves
Cheesecloth
32 oz. carton chicken broth
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
Juice of one lime, use only FRESH LIMES
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, roasted and shredded
1 can corn niblets, drained
1 can hominy, drained

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil and then saute onion and Serrano.  Cover and cook on med-low until soft, about five minutes.  While this is cooking, make a pouch from the cheesecloth for the peppercorns, canela, and cloves.  Tie into a bundle.  

After onion and pepper are soft, add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and oregano.  Combine and toss in the bundle, sauteing for one minute.

Add broth, tomatoes, lime juice, and cilantro.  Stir well. Simmer on medium or med-low for 30 minutes.  Discard bundle.  Use a stick blender (if you do not want a chunkier soup) to make contents smooth.

Add in chicken, hominy, and corn.  Stir well and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.  

Maggie and I enjoyed ours with Quesadillas made from low-carb tortillas and a few thin slices of queso blanco.  This soup, I believe, has the magical ability to turn any frown upside down and gray skies into sunshine.  For you vegetarians out there, skip the chicken broth for veggie and add a can of chickpeas in place of the shredded chicken.  It's the perfect Pozole either way.