It doesn’t happen terribly often, but once in awhile this little voice creeps inside my head and shouts, “Must eat meat!”. I typically enjoy eating mostly vegetarian, but in those times the voice is so loud that it not only manages to drown out the other, more regular, voice telling me to buy more shoes, but it literally won’t shut up until I’ve had a delicious cut of filet or a pulled pork sandwich (depending, of course, on just how highbrow it’s feeling that day).
So there I was, about to get in the shower when I stumbled across a recipe for Cuban braised beef and peppers. Immediately I was transported to our trip to South Beach, where we had a couple fabulous Cuban meals so delicious that they left us downright speechless. I’ve modified this one a bit and included an avocado-lime side that was inspired by one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco: Pomelo (if you go, have the ‘Havana’).
Anyway, this recipe will surely satisfy the carnivore in you, whether a regular voice in your head, or one that infrequently hits your like a ton of bricks! Did I also mention this is a slow-cooker one-pot meal, and absurdly easy? That is right, that is right!
Cuban Braised Beef with Lime-Avocado Salad
Adapted from Real Simple
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds (grass fed is extra delicious!)
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 avocados, sliced
1-2 limes
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
Cut the avocado into slices and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle juice of 1-2 limes over the top to taste. Mix well and set aside.
Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid.
Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro. Serves 4 – bon appétit!
I’m not sure what’s better — eating so much cookie dough you feel sick, or eating so many warm cookies straight from the oven that you feel sick. Tough call, but a win-win really.
I always scout out new chocolate chip cookie recipes in the eternal quest for a crisp outside and chewy, soft inside. While I’m not going to be so brazen as to tell you that these are the ‘best chocolate chip cookies ever’ or the ‘most amazing chocolate chip cookie of your life’ or even ‘the last chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever need’ (all cookie titles when doing a recent search!), but I will tell you that they have great depth of flavor with a nice crisp outside and a ’sink your teeth in and exhale slowly in pleasure’ chewy center. Straight from the oven with a glass of cold milk, what else can you ask for?
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from allrecipes.com
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but recommended!)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
With a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, and then mix in the vanilla.
Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to the batter along with the salt.
Switch to a paddle attachment on your mixer (if you have one, otherwise keep the beater attachments intact) and stir in the flour, chocolate chips and nuts until just combined (be careful not to overmix!).
Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans (or use a Silpat).
Bake for about 10 minutes until edges are nicely browned. Serve warm from the oven and bask in your cleverness!
I’m totally into the one-pot meal lately. How delightful to throw a mess of stuff in one big pot, leave it for awhile, and come back to a meal. It’s almost as if I had a personal chef! I don’t know why I looked down on one-pot meals before. Perhaps I’ve always had that “if I didn’t take me three hours to make it’s not worth it” mentality, but let me promise you that grad school has knocked that attitude right out of me! Besides, one-pot meals can be incredibly complex, what with all the marinating and marrying of flavors.
So let’s talk chili. I’ve never been a big chili girl and I think this mostly had to do with being born and raised in San Diego where big pots of steaming food don’t totally fit in. When it’s 75 degrees most of the year, you think salad, not chili. Well folks, here in New England, all I can do it think about chili, soups and slow cooker meals. Dreamy Dish has gone all sensible and what not!
OK, so turkey chili. The Californian in me really wanted something lighter and healthier, with some smokiness, complexity and interest. Voila! This dish delivered. I thoroughly enjoyed it with a glass of cabernet, but drink as you choose!
Turkey Chili with White Beans
Adapted from Bon Appétit
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, medium chop
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ pounds lean ground turkey
¼ cup chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed, drained
Chopped red onion
Chopped fresh cilantro
Light sour cream
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 8 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves.
(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)
Ladle chili into bowls. Pass red onion, cilantro and sour cream separately. ENJOY!
I was so taken by the ‘lime’ and ‘honey’ part of this recipe that I didn’t realize it was a one-pot meal until I got started. What’s that about ‘mis en place’ (everything in its place) and reading a recipe? Although I highly recommend it, who really has the time? These days, I seem to prefer rapid-paced chopping to actual preparedness. Well, the one-pot meal was a pleasant surprise nonetheless and let me just say, I was super impressed with the turnout. You just gotta love a dish that’s easy, quick and delicious. Imagine my surprise when all the components had so much flavor and the salmon was as moist as could be?!
Salmon is one of those foods I’ve had to force myself to like for health benefits. Don’t worry, I try not to do that very often. Here’s the trick: buy Norwegian salmon (Sockeye is way too strong if you’re not a salmon lover), and really evaluate a recipe’s flavors before attempting it. I only prepare salmon that will have big flavor as a result. If I can’t stop eating it, I know the dish is a success, as was the case here! Enjoy with a glass of vino – salut!
Lime and Honey-Glazed Salmon with Basmati and Broccolini
Adapated from Bon Appétit
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus additional for sprinkling
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ cup sliced shallots (about 3 large)
1 ½ cups basmati rice
3 ¼ (or more) low-sodium chicken broth
4 5- to 6-ounce salmon fillets
1 bunch broccolini, bottom inch trimmed
Preheat oven to 450ºF.
Whisk lime juice, lime zest, honey, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and soy sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
Heat oil in a large, deep ovenproof skillet or casserole (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until beginning to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, then 3 ¼ cups broth; bring to a boil. Cover skillet tightly with lid; place in oven and bake 10 minutes (rice will be almost cooked through and most of the broth will be absorbed (mix in broth by ¼-cupfuls if dry).
Remove skillet from oven. Sprinkle rice lightly with salt. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Arrange on rice, pressing the salmon in lightly. Tuck broccolini in around fish, with stems anchored in rice. Spoon 1 tablespoon lime mixture over each salmon fillet. Cover skillet and return to oven.
Bake until salmon is just opaque in center and broccolini is crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Drizzle remaining lime mixture oven fish and rice; sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro and serve from skillet.
