Cuban Sandwich

We had a bunch of leftover Pernil (Puerto Rican Pork) so we thought we’d make some yummy Cuban Sandwiches. This was a great quick dinner before heading out to the Hockey Game the other night. You can use a sandwich press, a George Forman grill, or just a regular pan to make this. Enjoy!

Cuban Sandwich


Crispy crust bread loaf
Pernil leftovers
Swiss cheese
ham
yellow mustard
mayonnaise
sweet butter pickles

Heat sandwich press.

Slices bread to desired length, spread with mayonnaise and yellow mustard.    Stack Swiss cheese, pernil, ham and pickles, top with bread.

Brush sandwich press with melted butter, place sandwich on press and brush with butter.  Press for 1 – 2 minutes, until cheese begins to melt, then turn and press for another 1 -2 minutes. 

Enjoy hot off the press.

Slow Cooked Puerto Rican Pork (Pernil)

I’m a big fan crockpots. It’s so nice just to prep something and then forget about it. Your whole house will smell delicious. Even the neighbors might ask what you’re cooking. This recipe will take you almost no time to prepare and after an overnight marinade in the fridge, just drop it in the crockpot & forget about it. **Bonus: You can make a great sandwich with the leftovers.

Slow Cooked Puerto Rican Pork (Pernil)

4 lb Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt
6 Cloves of Garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Oregano
1 1/2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tbs White Vinegar
4 tsp Salt

Combine garlic, pepper, oregano, olive oil, vinegar and salt.  Rub pork with garlic mixture and refrigerate overnight.

When ready drop into the crockpot on low for 8 hrs. You'll know it's done once it's practically falling off of the bone.

Garlic Sautéed Green Beans

In the never ending quest to get my husband to eat more vegetables, I thought I would try something a little different with green beans. The grocery stores around here lately have had fresh green beans. If you don't have access to fresh you can still do the recipe, just skip the steaming process.

Garlic Sautéed Green Beans

1 lb fresh green beans, ends snapped off
5 or 6 cloves of garlic, minced (you can do more or less depending on your tastes. We like garlic so we did closer to 8 cloves)
Olive Oil
Ziploc Steamer Bag

Rinse the green beans after snapping off the ends. Place in the steamer bag and microwave for about 3 minutes.

While they are in the microwave, heat about 1-2 Tbsp of Olive Oil to medium high heat.

Toss green beans in hot pan and add a sprinkle of salt as well as all of the garlic. Toss over medium high heat just until the garlic starts to brown.

Delish!

Coconut Chicken Curry

I was on the website for my grocery store when I saw this recipe. The ingredients looked simple enough, plus I already had most things on hand. It turned out great. It’s a super easy, really tasty curry. Great for a rushed weeknight. We served this with Jasmine Rice & Garlic Saute’d green beans.


Coconut Chicken Curry

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon oil
2 onions, diced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced (1 cup)
1 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup minced fresh mint leaves

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken 8 to 10 minutes per side or until done (when internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees). Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. Dice onions while chicken cooks.

Add onions to skillet; cook onions in pan juices 10 minutes or until very soft. Stir in curry powder and cook 1 more minute. While onions cook, cut cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Dice tomato. Chop mint leaves very finely to mince.

Stir chicken, tomato and milk into skillet with onions. Cook 2 to 3 minutes to thicken slightly and reduce. Combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water; stir into skillet mixture to thicken. Remove skillet from heat.

Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste; stir in mint. Serve while hot.

Maple-Mustard Pork Loin with Roasted Potatoes

I’ve been a bad blogger lately. Not one update yet for December. Ooops... I’ll fix that starting with this recipe. I’ve been cooking/baking and taking pictures, just not getting anything loaded up on this blog. Let’s try a bit more consistency, eh?

So I found this recipe on Rachael Ray’s site. I had a pork loin to use but had no idea what to do with it. The maple/mustard combination sounded pretty interesting. We both really liked this recipe. Definitely do the overnight marinade as the flavor really gets into the meat. The best thing about this recipe is the smell once you get it in the oven. Enjoy!!



Maple-Mustard Pork Loin with Roasted Potatoes

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary plus 6 sprigs
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
One 4-pound boneless pork loin (about 12 inches long)
One 8-ounce package lean sliced bacon
6 small baking potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), quartered
Salt and pepper

In a resealable plastic bag, mix together 2 tablespoons olive oil, the mustard, maple syrup, chopped rosemary and garlic. Add the pork and turn in the mixture to coat; refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Place the rosemary sprigs in the center of a roasting pan. Arrange six 14-inch lengths of kitchen string crosswise, about 2 inches apart, in the pan. Place the marinated pork on top of the strings and rosemary. Lay the bacon slices, on an angle, over the pork loin. Tie each string around the meat to secure the bacon, then trim the loose ends.

Scatter the potatoes around the pork and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil; toss to mix. Season the pork and potatoes with salt and pepper. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 150°, about 1 hour. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the potatoes.

Guacamole Tacos with Tomatillo and Steak Sauce

I’ve had this recipe from Deborah starred in my Google Reader since June. What a perfect combination for Cancy & I. I love avocados & he (like most men) loves meat. This was super easy to put together and tasted wonderful. Please don’t cheat by buying a green sauce from the store. The tomatillo/chile mixture smells great while cooking and is totally worth it. We both really liked this recipe and for sure will be making it again.

Guacamole Tacos with Tomatillo and Steak Sauce



4 Anaheim chiles, seeded

4 dried chiles de arbol

1 pound tomatillos (about 10), husked and rinsed

4 cups water, divided

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 teaspoon aniseed

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound skirt steak, cut into 1/3-inch cubes

3 large avocados, halved, pitted

1/2 cups (packed) finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

12 small flour tortillas, softened



Place all chiles in medium saucepan, then add tomatillos and 3 cups water. Cover and boil until chiles and tomatillos are soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool and drain.



Combine tomatillo mixture, garlic, aniseed, and oregano in processor; blend until smooth. Strain, discarding solids.

Wipe same saucepan clean. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil; heat over medium-high heat. Add strained sauce, simmer 5 minutes, then add 1 cup water. Bring to boil. Add chopped steak; reduce heat to medium-low and cook until sauce lightly coats back of spoon, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if sauce is too thick (consistency is similar to thin Bolognese); about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt.



Using spoon, scoop out avocado flesh and place in medium bowl. Add cilantro, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt; coarsely mash with fork.

 Place 2 tablespoons guacamole in center of each tortilla; roll up. Place on plate, seam side down. Pour warm meat sauce over tacos to cover and serve.

Spicy Tomato Cheese Soup with Inside Out English Muffin Grilled Cheese

I saw this grilled cheese recipe in last month’s Every Day with Rachael Ray, November’09. I’m a huge grilled cheese fan so I thought I’d give it a try. The day I wanted to make them it was a little chilly outside (OK chilly for Texas, anyway). I thought what’s better than just a grilled cheese? So I made a yummy tomato soup to dip the grilled cheese in. Save this when you want a super easy meal on a chilly weeknight.


Spicy Tomato Cheese Soup
1 can condensed tomato soup 

1 can condensed Cheddar cheese soup 

3 cups spicy V8

a splash of hot sauce
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Inside Out English Muffin Grilled Cheese
2 English Muffins
4 slices of Sharp White Cheddar
salt & pepper

Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Lightly Spread the inside of each English Muffin with butter. Arrange the muffins butter side out to build 2 sandwiches, each with a slice of sharp cheddar some salt & pepper, than another slice of white cheddar.

Place them in the pan and cook, turning once or twice, until the cheese is melted and the outsides are a golden brown.

Crockpot Burrito Soup

I usually go to Elly’s site when I’m craving lamb or something else Greek. I stumbled across her Burrito Soup & knew that this was a must-do.This was a really nicely seasoned and easy dish to make. Always on the lookout for crockpot ideas, this would be great for a crowd if you are having people over to watch “the game”. Or if you just want to make a hearty soup and have some tasty leftovers.

Crockpot Burrito Soup

2 tsp. canola oil

1 large onion, diced

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

5 cups beef broth

2 Tbsp. aleppo (or any) chili powder)

1 Tbsp. cumin

2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2/3 cup corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup uncooked rice (or, cook rice separately)

Heat a large  heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat and add oil. Cook the onions for a couple minutes before adding the beef. Brown the beef with the onion and drain if necessary. Put  back on the heat and stir in the garlic, just until fragrant.

Pour the beef mixture into the crockpot and then add the tomato sauce, beef broth, spices, corn and black beans. Cook on low for…however long you’re gone.
Increase temp to high and add the rice, just until cooked. Alternatively you can put the cooked rice in bowls and ladle the soup over it.

Garnish with your favorite toppings.

Banana Pumpkin Bread

You can’t have Fall and not make something with pumpkin. This was first recipe of the season using this Fall Favorite. I can never seem to use bananas up fast enough so this was a great way to use them and get the flavor of Fall.

Banana Pumpkin Bread
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey and sugar. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon, stir into the banana mixture until just combined. Fold in the raisins and walnuts if desired. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Roasted Balsamic Veggies

This really isn't a recipe, but more of a great way to get you vegetable servings covered. You can mix this up using whatever vegetables you prefer. This nigh was sort of a "clean out the vegetable drawer in the fridge" night. Cancy even liked vegetables this way. I've found so far that any vegetable tastes better when roasted. Eat & Enjoy!


Roasted Balsamic Veggies

about 1/2 lb Fresh Green Beans, ends snapped off
1 Medium Yellow Onion, cut into rings
1 Red Pepper, sliced into strips
1 pkg of Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
small handful of Blue of Feta Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place vegetables in a Ziploc bag, add salt & pepper and about a Tbps of Olive Oil. Toss.

Lay veggies out on a sheet pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes until roasted & tender.

Serve into individual dishes and splash a bit of Balsamic over top and sprinkle cheese as well.