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

If you don’t ever take a recipe away from this website… I beg you to try the Sirloin Steak.  You won’t believe your taste buds!  Always remember, with a good steak you don’t need to use much seasoning.  Serve with mashed potatoes or veggies or jasmine rice with cilantro in it.  It will be quite the treat!

Breakfast: Buttered Rosemary Bread

Lunch: Veggie Fried Rice

Snack: Pears

Dinner: Sirloin Steak with Garlic Butter

Dessert:  Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sirloin Steak With Garlic Butter

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 pounds beef top sirloin steaks
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparations

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat with garlic powder and minced garlic.
3. Set aside.
4. Sprinkle both sides of each steak with salt and pepper.
5. Grill steaks 4 to 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.
6. When done, transfer to warmed plates.
7. Brush tops liberally with garlic butter
8. Allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

Hi Everyone!  Today we will be having Ginger Steak Salad.  It really delicious!  I absolutely love it and it’s a lot easier to make than you would think!  I hope you enjoy it.

Breakfast: Make Ahead Muffins

Lunch: Ginger Steak Salad

Snack: Graham Crackers and Fruit

Dinner: Chicken Crunch

Dessert: Oreo Cheesecake Squares

Ginger Steak Salad

Ingredients

MARINADE INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Sherry
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
• 1 whole Rib-eye, Strip, Or Sirloin Steak
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

FOR SALAD DRESSING:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons White Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• 2 cloves Garlic, Finely Diced
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Minced
• ½ whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Diced

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

• 2 whole Green Onions
• 8 ounces Salad Greens

Preparation

1. Combine steak marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag.
2. Mix and place steak into bag.
3. Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
4. Combine salad dressing ingredients and slice green onion.
5. When steak is finished marinating, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a hot skillet.
6. Cook steak about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until medium rare.
7. Remove from skillet and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly.
8. Toss salad greens in 3/4 of the salad dressing.
9. Place steak on cutting board and slice thinly, then pour juices from the plate over the top.

10.  Mound tossed salad on a platter, then place sliced steak on top of salad.

11.  Pour remaining salad dressing over the top.

12.  Sprinkle green onions over the salad

I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend.  Now that we are back to business here is a lovely menu for Tuesday.  I hope you like it!

Breakfast: Parmesan and Cheddar Cheese Grits

Lunch: Shrimp and Crab Salad

Snack: Grapes and Cheese

Dinner: Fried Round Steak

Dessert: Banana Fritters

I‘m a down south girl (many like to say Miami isn’t down South, but my parents raised me in a down South/ Caribbean home) so I love grits.  It’s like a little piece of home every time!  I love Shrimp and Crab salad.  It’s nice and cold and I can also have it on a sandwich if I wanted to.  Bread really brings out the flavor and gives it an extra texture.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 packages (8 ounces each) imitation crabmeat
• 4 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• Leaf lettuce

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, horseradish and seasoned salt
3. Mix well.
4. Add to the shrimp mixture and stir well.
5. Cover and refrigerate.
6. Serve on a lettuce-lined plate

Shrimp and Crab Salad

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.

October ’10 – Week 2 – Thursday Dinner/Entree

I discovered the secret to a killer cheesy shepherd’s pie, and the answer might surprise you. Save time and calories by using boxed potatoes au gratin instead of using a layer of mashed potatoes. The cheesy sauce cooks down into the meat and veggies, completely changing your perceptions of what a shepherd’s pie is supposed to be.

Ingredients:

1 Package Potatoes Au Gratin
Water
Milk
Olive Oil
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Onion, diced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
Frozen Vegetables of choice (I usually use peas.)
Worchestershire Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Add a touch of olive oil to a med-large skillet and heat to med-high. Cook onions and garlic until translucent and tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

Cook beef in the same skillet until browned WELL. Drain off any fat before reincorporating the onion mixture and adding your veggies, worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Add contents of the skillet to a casserole dish. Prepare “sauce” for potatoes au gratin (cheese packet, water and milk,) omitting the butter component. Arrange potato slices across the top of the beef mixture in the casserole dish, then pour the cheese sauce overtop. Sauce will thicken and potatoes will cook as the casserole bakes.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until the top has browned and potatoes are cooked through.

October ’10 – Week 1 – Friday Dinner/Entree

I have become something of a genius at whipping up mock fast food to sate my husband’s sudden crises for drive-thru fare. These sandwiches are no exception, but instead of a heap of fries, we’re serving them up with BIG SALADS- but don’t let the name fool you.

“Big salads” are something my mother makes and they’re just what the name suggests. She fills a plate with whatever greens we happen to have on hand, and then anything else we happen to have on hand goes right on top. It’s pretty easy to invent interesting, sometimes cafe-quality salads with things you find in your fridge and pantry- from nuts, dried cranberries and shredded cheese to olives, beans, cold cuts and a little onion or tomato. Kids will have a blast designing and adding things to their plates, even making faces with vegetables. Whip up a vinaigrette from anything you happen to have around, the ingredients for my favorite are listed below.

Ingredients:

2 Packages (or 1 lb) Deli Sliced Roast Beef
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
8-12 Slices Cheddar Cheese
4-6 Kaiser Rolls
1/3 C Favorite Steak Sauce

Directions:

Heat a medium nonstick skillet to med-high heat. Put slices of roast beef on the skillet and fry until they curl up and become ruffly and darkened. Push them aside as they finish cooking, and crack fresh black pepper over them. Once finished, you should have a heap of hot, tender beef. Toss with steak sauce and heap on a roll while still hot. Melt 1-2 slices of cheese over the steak before topping with the rest of the bun.

Ingredients for my Favorite Salad Dressing:

1/3 C Rice Wine or Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 C Olive Oil
2-3 T Honey
1 t Chipotle Powder*
Salt to taste

Whisk together and douse salad generously in deliciousness.
*If you don’t like spicy, opt to use brown mustard instead.

October ’10 – Week 1 – Tuesday Dinner

I have been known to spend a lot of money on Italian food, eating out at restaurants. Never again! Since I really learned how to cook, I’ve found it way easier to stay home and spend the same amount of money that I would have paid for my dinner alone, and make dinner enough for five people! These shells are no exception. You can feed an army with this pan of burgeoning, cheesy pasta. This recipe utilizes the leftover meatballs from last night’s dinner. (*Orange text highlights easy steps that kids can do.)

Ingredients:

1 Package Large Pasta Shells
2 Eggs, beaten
1 32 oz tub Ricotta cheese
1 lb Shredded Mozzarella
8 oz Grated Parmesan
1 lb Meatballs, crushed
1 t Dried Oregano
1 t Dried Basil
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 Jar Pasta Sauce of choice (our family’s favorite is Newman’s Own Organic in Traditional Herb.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook until according to package directions, drain.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the parmesan, crushed up meatballs, salt and pepper and herbs until well combined. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and line up in a 9×13 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, stir together pasta sauce and reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Pour over stuffed shells, covering them evenly.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and browned.