Happy Sabrosa Saturday!  Head over to twitter and post your favorite Hispanic recipes using the hashtag #sabrosasaturday.  Share and learn with an amazing community of people who love cooking just like you!

Breakfast: Cereal with Milk

Lunch: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Snack: Fruit and String Cheese

Dinner: Ropa Vieja

Dessert: Flan

Tonight’s Dinner is Ropa Vieja.  Meaning “old clothes” in Spanish, Ropa Vieja is a delicious meal of shredded beef.  Belos is the menu:

Ropa Vieja

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 pounds beef flank steak
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Preparation

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Brown the flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes per side.
3. Transfer beef to a slow cooker.
4. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar.
5. Stir until well blended.
6. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours.
7. When ready to serve, shred meat and serve with tortillas or rice.

Have a wonderful Saturday and enjoy your delicious meals!

Thursday? Thursday! I don’t know about you, but this week flew by!  Here is our Thursday menu!

Breakfast: Yogurt and Granola

Lunch: Five Cheese Mac and Cheese

Snack: Fruit

Dinner: Oxtail Stew

Dessert: Fruit Sorbet

I think I mentioned it before, but I’m Caribbean (Dominican and Bahamian) so oxtail stew was a weekly thing at my house.  We typically had it Sundays, but why not spice up your Thursday with something different?  It’s delicious with yellow rice, beans and rice or just white rice.  A real treat for your family!  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 12 ounces dried lima beans
• 4 pounds oxtails
• 2 large Vidalia onions, chopped
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
• 4 teaspoons hot paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 4 tablespoons gravy master
• 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 4 teaspoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons salt
• Right rice, recipe follows

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, cover lima beans with water, cover with a towel and soak overnight.
2. In a large pot, add oxtails, onions, scallions, garlic, thyme, red pepper, paprika, bay leaf, hot sauce, and gravy master and marinate at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
3. Add enough water to just cover the oxtails and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook 2 hours. Every 30 minutes for 2 hours add 2 cups of water or broth, alternating, as necessary, to keep oxtails covered with liquid.
4. At 2 hours, add the beans, tomato paste, and 2 more cups of beef broth and water, if needed. Bring to a boil then simmer uncovered 2 hours, skimming fat off top and stirring occasionally. In the last 1/2 hour of cook time, season with 2 tablespoons salt. Serve with rice.

Right Rice:

• 2 cups rice

Rinse rice 3 times to remove starch. Put rice in a medium saucepan. Fill saucepan with enough water to cover the rice by 1/2-inch or measure by placing your thumb tip on the rice and filling the pot with water until the water reaches the middle of your thumbnail. Bring rice to a simmer, cover and cook until tender and liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice stand another 5 minutes, covered.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Have a great meal!

Happy Saturday, everyone.  It’s Sabroso Saturday so today we have a delicious Sancocho recipe that is a favorite among many Hispanic families.  It’s always a treat for me and my family.  The preparation seems scary and long, but it’s just a lot of small steps, I promise!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Breakfast: Eggs and Homefries

Lunch: Garlic Broccoli

Snack: Trail Mix

Dinner: Dominican Snacocho

Dessert: Spiced Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream

Dominican Sancocho

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs beef with bones
• 1 lb of goat meat
• 1 lb. pork sausage (longaniza)
• 1 lb pork
• 1 1/2 lb chicken
• 2 lbs of pork ribs
• 1 lb of bones from a smoked ham
• 4 lemons cut in halves
• 1 tablespoon of mashed garlic
• 4 tablespoons of oil
• 1/2 lb of cassava cut into 1-inch thick pieces
• 1/2 lb of yam cut into 1-inch thick pieces
• 2 celery stalks
• 1/2 lb of malanga cut into 1-inch thick pieces
• 1/2 lb of potatoes cut into 1-inch thick pieces
• 3 unripe plantains, 2 cut into 1-inch thick pieces
• 2 cubes of beef stock (optional)
• 2 corn cobs cut into 2-inches long pieces (may be omitted)
• 1/2 teaspoon of powdered oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of coriander/cilantro
• 2 teaspoons of vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of chili pepper sauce or agrio de naranja
• *10 Bollitos de harina (boiled flour rolls) (optional)

Preparation:

1. Place the beef in a pan and add the celery, coriander, oregano, garlic, vinegar, and salt.
2. Marinate for at least half an hour.
3. In an iron pot heat the oil, add the beef and stir (be careful with hot oil splattering).
4. Cover and and simmer for 10 minutes. Add a few spoons of water if the meat sticks to the pot.
5. Add the pork and let simmer for 15 minutes, adjust water when necessary.
6. Add the rest of the meat to the pot (except for the chicken) and simmer for another 15 minutes, adding tablespoons of water as needed to prevent it from burning.
7. Add the chicken and let simmer for another 10 minutes.
8. Add 1/4 gallon of water to the pot and bring to a boil.
9. Add the yam, malanga and the two plantains that you had previously cut.
10. Add the bollitos now.
11. Simmer for 15 minutes.
12. Add all remaining ingredients and adjust water when necessary.
13. Stir regularly to avoid excessive sticking.
14. Simmer until the last ingredients you added are tender.
15. Grate, or scrape with the knife the remaining plantain to make it into a pulp, add to the pot.
16. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
17. Adjust salt to taste.
18. Serve hot with white rice.

Dominican Sancocho

Happy Wednesday!  Halfway into the week, only a few days to the lovely weekend.  Today we will be having Tilapia with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce- yum!  I love Seafood I had it at least three times a week growing up so there will be quite a few fish recipes here.

Breakfast:  Maple cinnamon apple sauce

Lunch:  Meatloaf Burrito

Snack:  Kid Friendly Sushi

Dinner:  Tilapia with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce

Dessert:  Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Tilapia with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs. Chinese black bean garlic sauce or black bean chile sauce
• 1 Tbs. oyster sauce
• 2 tsp. lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 lb. tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup long-grain white rice, preferably jasmine
• 1 Tbs. peanut oil
• 2 small bunches scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 Tbs. Asian chile sauce, such as Sriracha

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, stir the black bean sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.
2. Add the fish and stir gently to coat.
3. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
4. Cook the rice according to package directions and keep warm.Heat the oil in a well-seasoned wok or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and a piece of scallion dropped in the pan sizzles vigorously.
5. Add the fish all at once, distributing it evenly around the pan.
6. Cook without stirring for 3 minutes.
7. Add the scallions and stir gently.
8. Cook, stirring occasionally and gently, until the thickest part of a piece of fish is opaque throughout (cut to check), 2 to 3 minutes more.
9. Serve with the rice, drizzled with chile sauce.

And Voila! This recipe is just mouthwatering.  From the first bite to the last you will experience bursts of flavor.  I prefer my fish served with yellow rice but steamed vegetables are also a good choice.

grilled fish

Ingredients

Serve with fresh veggies, a baked potato, on top of buttered pasta or with a side of white or yellow rice.  It’ll be delicious with any side!

You can also enjoy the leftovers  on a sandwich or in a salad the next day.  Enjoy!

Start the week with a super easy menu. Mondays are hard for everyone. And this week is even harder because we have the kids at home for the holidays. I’ll try to recycle and re-use as many ingredients as possible.

Breakfast: Hand Held Quiche

Snack1: Matcha Shortbread

Lunch: Pear and Walnut Sandwiches

Snack2: Apple Spice Cookie Bar

Dinner: Stuffed Peppers

Dessert: No-Bake Apple Walnut Tart

Stuffed Peppers
Today’s Recipe is super easy. It will take you 20 minutes in the kitchen but then you’ll be done for the day. The best part is that you can use the risotto for your burrito tomorrow for lunch.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• Green peppers (1 per person but you might want to give the little ones half only)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 400 gr ripe tomatoes
• 2 tablespoon Sazon (if you don’t have any left, you can replace with garlic, parsley and onion)
• 1 red pepper shopped
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• For the broth, get 1 bunch of celery, 1 onion and 2 carrots
• 1 cup rice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Wash the peppers, remove the tops and seeds
2. Place the olive oil in a deep pan, add the sazon (or the chopped onion, parsley and garlic)
3. Once hot, add the meat and move it until the meat is brownish.  At that point add the tomatoes
4. Cook the mix for 3 minutes and add the rice and move it
5. Place a smaller pot with water, a whole onion, celery and carrot to boil
6. Add small amounts of the boiling water you have on the pot until the rice is ready
7. Once the rice is ready, fill the peppers with the rice and place it in the oven (375 degrees) for just 10 minutes

Fun Tip: You can get the kids to draw eyes and mouse on the peppers.  Use the tops and make use as Mexican sombreros.  For the nose, attach an olive with a tooth pin.  The kids will love it.

Today’s Menu (Sunday, November 28th 2010) right after the long Thanksgiving weekend, we have to take it easy and try to use as many left overs as possible.  Here is the meal plan for the day:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with Fruit and Nuts

Snack1: Whole Grain Toast with Nutella

Lunch: Go Out Eat (you deserve it) My restaurant reviews coming soon

Snack2: Trail Mix

Dinner: Suppli al Telefono

Dessert: Brazo Gitano

Today’s recipe: Suppli al Telefono

This is nothing but rice balls stuffed with Mozzarella cheese.  It’s super simple and easy to do and the kids love making them and eating them.  Use whatever rice you might have in the fridge.  However I’m starting the recipe from scratch just in case you don’t have any left over rice.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes (if you have rice left over) or 45 minutes if you are starting from scratch.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound rice – (400 gr) – that will make 20 supplies
• 300 gr tomato sauce
• 2 spoons ground beef (already cooked)
• 200 gr  mozzarella
• 33 oz  broth
• 3 large eggs
• 80 gr parmigiano cheese
• 4 large spoons flour (see great coupon)
• 2 oz beer (yes beer)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 50 gr onions
• 30 gr butter
• 2 cup of vegetable oil (see coupon)

Preparation:

1. We’ll be making the typical rissotto.  So first put the broth to boil.  After boiling bring the fire level down.
2. Add the oil, onions and rice in a large pot.  Move it for about 2 minutes.
3. When you can see the onions get some color, add the tomato sauce and the broth with a ladle (one spoon at a time)
4. Add the broth every time the water level goes down.  The water should never cover all the rice.  The ideal risotto has the water and rice always at the same level until it’s finally cooked. Move it every 5 minutes for a total of 4 times.  Every time you add broth, you should move it.
5. Once the rice is cooked (by cooked I mean al dente), let the water dry a little.  Usually until the wooden spoon can stand in the middle without falling to the side.  Add the butter at that point, add an egg, the parmiggiano, move it well and let it cool off.
6. While the rice gets cold, you need to prepare the pastela.  So take a separate bowl and add 3 spoons of flower, the remaining egg, add the beer and some salt.
7. On a flat plate, you need to add the breadcrumb
8. When the rice is cold, take a spoon full of rice, give it the suppli shape, add a square of mozzarella, then deep it in the pastella and then on the breadcrumb.
9. Repeat step #8 for every suppli and heat abundant vegetable oil in a frying pan.

So just remember the two secrets for this recipe. First to cook the risotto al dente.  That way when you fry it there will be less risk to destroy the rice (into a pure). Second to use the pastella with the beer before you pass it by the breadcrumb.  This will give it that nice crispy texture to make your guests feel in a trattoria romana.

Buon Apettito!

October ’10 – Week 2 – Friday Dinner/Entree

This recipe is a take on a recipe from one of my awesome mom friends back in Arizona. She’s shy about most flavors in food, but Italian isn’t one of them. This is a quick slow cooker meal that cooks itself while you’re busy doing mom stuff. The result is tender chicken and rice in a flavorful sauce, and it uses some cheater ingredients, too. The less work you have to put in, the more time you have to spend with your kids.

Ingredients:

4-6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 C Brown Rice
2 Packets Italian Salad Dressing Mix
Frozen Veggies of Choice

Directions:

Put chicken, rice, dressing mix and 1 quart of water in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 6 hours. Add more water if needed. About 1 hour before serving, add a bag of frozen veggies- I usually use peas. Meal should be ready when rice is tender and chicken pulls apart easily.

October ’10 – Week 1 – Sunday Lunch

September ’10 – Week 4 – Saturday Lunch

What could possibly be more ubiquitous to Spanish cuisine than paella? This traditional rice stew is filled with tender meats and shellfish, made brilliantly golden by way of saffron, and is served with a fresh squeeze of lemon on the side. Paella is traditionally cooked in a paella pan, but if you don’t have one, you could easily substitute the use of a super large skillet or a shallow roaster set across two burners.

Ingredients:

2 C Olive Oil
1 Red Pepper, cut in strips
2 Chicken Breasts, cut into pieces
1/2 Rabbit, cut into pieces (if you cannot acquire Rabbit, use 2-4 dark meat Chicken Thighs)
1 lb Shrimp, cleaned
1/2 t Sweet Paprika
1 1/2 lbs Green Beans, chopped
1/2 Tomato, chopped
4 1/2 C Water
2 C Snails, fresh or frozen, cleaned (if you cannot acquire snails, omit)
1 1/4 lbs Rice
Salt and Pepper to taste
A Few Threads of Saffron
Lemons, cut into wedges

Directions:

Heat a significant amount of oil in the pan. Add the red pepper and cook until tender. Remove and set aside.

Fry the chicken and rabbit until golden brown. Add the paprika to add color to meat. Push the meat out to the edges of the pan and add the beans and tomatoes in the center. Add water until the pan is half full. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. Add the red peppers, snails and shrimp and cook for 5 or 10 minutes.

Add the rice, distributing it evenly over the pan, stirring constantly. Add the rest of the water and cook for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add saffron. Once this is done the paella should not be stirred again.

For the last few minutes increase the heat, until the bottom layer of rice starts to caramelize, (what Valencians call the socarrat.) If the rice starts to burn, remove the pan from the heat immediately.