I'm back!

So sorry it's been like 6 months since I've posted a recipe on this blog! Crazy, I know.. but I've been super busy with my sewing and quilting stuff.  I'm back and I'm making an effort to try and post as regularly as I can on here.

A friend asked me to post this recipe for Ropa Vieja (literally means "old clothes" in Spanish.  This is a popular dish in Miami (where I grew up) and is cooked in the Canary islands (by Spain) and Latin America, specifically in places like Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, etc. 

Ropa vieja is basically shredded beef in a tomato based sauce and it is delicious!

Every household is going to have their own recipe so I'm only sharing one of my ways of making it with the hopes that this will help some of you make and perfect your own version.

We are eating it for dinner tonight with some moro de trigo (bulgar wheat and red beans.. but you can eat with just about anything!  I've even seen it stuffed in a bun and made into a sandwich. 

Ingredients:
- Oil
- a large onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 lbs of flank steak
- 1/2 a green or red bell pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 chicken or beef bouillon cubes (the big ones)
- A 28 oz. can of crushed or pureed tomatoes


Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat pour about 2 tablespoons of oil (I use canola or extra virgin olive).  As the oil warms up chop your onion, garlic, and pepper.  Add to oil and stir for 3-5 minutes until veggies are soft and translucent.  Add the chicken or beef bouillon cubes and stir until the dissolve in the pot.  Add the entire can of tomatoes and bay leaves.  Now add the entire flank steak and submerge it in the sauce.  Add a few cups of water until the flank steak is covered in the sauce completely.  Bring to a boil.  Then cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours or until the meat can be easily shredded with a fork.  I like to check the pot every 20-30 minutes or so to make sure it hasn't dried out.  If you see the sauce reducing too low, add some more water to help cook and tenderizer the meat for shredding. 

Ropa vieja can also be made in a slow-cooker or crock pot. Just let it go all day and the longer the meat simmers the easier it will shred. 

I like to shred the meat by grabbing two forks and pulling the meat apart between the forks.  Pull out the bay leaves before you serve and enjoy!

Spicy Lemon Shrimp

Burp! Excuse me......

We just finished eating a yummy little meal.  My Spicy Lemon Shrimp with whole wheat pasta and sauteed green beans. 

Super quick & easy to make!  I had it on the table in less than 15 minutes!

Ingredients:

-1 lb of shrimp (I devein and peel mine)

-1 13.25 oz box of whole wheat thin spaghetti pasta (or whatever you have on hand)

-1 lemon

-frozen green beans

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

-salt

-pepper

-garlic powder

-olive oil

-red pepper flakes

-dried italian herbs seasoning

Recipe:

- fill up a big pot with water, drizzle some olive oil in it and put a healthy pinch of salt in, too. Cover with lid and bring to a boil.  Add pasta.  Cook for 6-8 minutes.

- On medium heat, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan for the shrimp.  When oil is warmed through throw in the 2 cloves of garlic you minced.  Stir for 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp.  Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, the zest of 1 lemon and the juice of 1/2 the lemon.  Cook shrimp until they are translucent (3-5 minutes depending on pan and how many shrimp you put in.) but before the curly up into a letter "O" shape.  They should curl only to form a letter "C" shape.  Otherwise, you have over cooked them.

- Drain the cooked pasta and add to the shrimp mixture.  At this point I add a little more olive oil and some dried italian herbs seasoning.  Toss until everything is well coated.

-Green Beans: I always have frozen broccoli and green beans in my freezer and we try to eat one or the other every night with dinner.  You could steam the green beans in the microwave but I prefer to do it in a small pan.  I add about 1/4 cup of water to a pan, put in the frozen green beans, put a lid on it and steam them on high.  Once I see the green beans are just about done I take off the lid so the remaining water can cook out and then I drizzle some olive oil, add salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.  

That's it! Try it.

So easy, so healthy, and oh-so yummy!

Buen provecho!