LOW CARB CHILI

Recently, someone asked me if I had any low-carb recipes to post.  I knew that within this library of cookbooks I could find something, and if all else fails, old recipes can always be changed.  I'm going to try to start posting at least one low-carb recipe a week (key word: TRY).  It wouldn't hurt us to eat a little healthier around here, so I welcome the challenge.  While I'm doing this, I'm going to look at going back to a lower fat menu as well.  Low carbs will help us lose weight, and because of my family's coronary history, it would be nice if we slowed down on clogging the ol' arteries. I'm not saying we'll change our entire diet or my entire blog, but even the occasional change will help a bit.  Hopefully this new leaf will last longer than the time I tried vegetarianism.  I think I made it 24 hours. 

I found this recipe in a Weight Watchers cookbook left over from one of my good intentions a few years ago. As usual, I made a few changes.  Some were necessary because of what I had vs. what their recipe called for, and some were just because it suited me.  And I omitted the carrots (yes, I said carrots!) from their recipe because I believe that putting carrots in chili is culinary blasphemy.  If you want the carrots, feel free to put them back in.  Just don't tell me about it.  ;)

The changes I made didn't make a huge difference in the calories/carbs/fat per serving, and I didn't worry about the fiber, protein, sodium, or cholesterol count.  One change at a time.....

LOW CARB CHILI

adapted from "The Weight Watchers Complete Cookbook & Program Basics, 1994

Serves 4

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 c onions, diced

1/4 c green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/4 tsp jalapeno pepper, minced, no seeds

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano, dried

1 tsp Goya® Adobo con pimiento

pinch of salt

black pepper to taste

2 lean cubed steaks, chopped into small chunks

1 - 14 oz. diced tomatoes

1 - 32 oz. pinto beans

1/4 c water

1/4 c cilantro, chopped

In cast iron skillet, heat oil on medium heat.  Add onions, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeno.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes.  Add seasonings and cook additional 5 minutes, continuing to stir.  Add beef, breaking up with wooden spoon while stirring.  Cook until meat is browned.  Add mixture to large saucepan.  Pour in tomatoes, beans, and water.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and allow to simmer 30 minutes.  Stir in cilantro and serve immediately.

 Each serving:  35g Carbohydrates

MUSIC TO COOK BY

Until next time, Happy Cooking!  : )

Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live. – Jim Rohn

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PUERTO RICAN POT ROAST (CARNE MECHADA)

Don't you just love comfort foods?  It's that time of the year when people start setting the table with mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, or soup.  All of those things are good, but oh!  a good pot roast.  At least, that's it for me.  But not some ol' bland, dry pot roast with little or no seasoning.   How about what I consider to be Puerto Rican style pot roast?  There are different versions out there; here is mine.  And BTW, I used the slow cooker.  Did you think I would do anything else?  : )

PUERTO RICAN POT ROAST (CARNE MECHADA)

2-3 lb beef roast

Adobo, to taste

Vegetable oil

1 Tbsp GOYA® Recaito

2 green bell peppers, sliced into strips

1 onion, sliced into strips

1 tomato, chopped

1 packet GOYA® Sazon

1-8 oz. GOYA® Spanish-style tomato sauce

1 c beef broth

4 c cooked white rice


Pouring enough vegetable oil to cover bottom of cast-iron skillet, heat to medium. Add Recaito and stir 1 minute. Season roast liberally with Adobo. Place in skillet and brown evenly on all sides. Remove roast to slow cooker and cook on low setting. Pour packet of Sazon over roast. Add peppers and onion to skillet and cook on low heat 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour contents of skillet over roast, add tomato sauce and beef broth and cook on low for 7 hours. Stir broth mixture and add tomato chunks. Cook on low an additional hour. Remove roast from slow cooker and set on cooking board to cool 1-2 minutes. Slice roast and arrange on white rice. Place vegetables around roast slices. Serve additional broth on side.

MUSIC TO COOK BY

Until next time, Happy Cooking!  : )

Be careful of the words you say. Keep them soft & sweet, Because you never know, from day to day, which ones you'll have to eat. -K.McCarthy 

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CARNE GUISADA de DAISY (ADAPTATION OF DAISY MARTINEZ'S PUERTO RICAN BEEF STEW)

A few months ago, I posted my recipe for Carne Guisada.  This was the one I have used for several years, and we really liked it.  But a few weeks ago, I was looking through “Daisy Cooks! Latin Flavors That Will Rock Your World" by Daisy Martinez (Yay, Daisy! ) and found her recipe.  It was time for a little variety in our diet, so I went right to work on it.  Of course, as always, I can't leave anything alone, so my finished product is a bit different from hers.  But the kudos belong to her.

CARNE GUISADA

adapted from “Daisy Cooks! Latin Flavors That Will Rock Your World" by Daisy Martinez

1 1/2 lb. beef stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces

GOYA® Adobo with Pepper, to taste

1 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/2 cup GOYA® Recaito

1 c alcaparrado

5 chopped stuffed olives

1/2 tsp cumin

1 can (8 oz.) Goya® Spanish-Style Tomato Sauce

4 c College Inn ® Tender Beef Bold Stock

3 bay leaves

3 cloves

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

Season stew meat with Adobo. Place in bowl; sprinkle with flour and toss to coat. Heat oil in cast-iron Dutch oven and add meat. Cook, stirring frequently, until meat is lightly browned. When meat is browned, set aside. If there is not at least 2 Tbsp of oil left in pot, add more. Add recaito, alcapararrado, olives, and cumin and stir. Return meat to to the pot; add tomato sauce, stirring until meat is well coated. Pour in beef stock. Make a bouquet garni, tying cloves and bay leaves in small piece of cheesecloth. Add to pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and potatoes. Cover and let simmer 60 minutes. Remove bouquet garni before serving. Serve with white rice.

 

MUSIC TO COOK BY

I WON SOMETHING!!! YAY ME!!!

I just want to give a big shout out and thank you to Picky Palate. One of my weird little hobbies is entering contests and giveaways. A few weeks ago, I entered a cookbook giveaway on their Facebook page and won! The cookbook is called "Piece of Cake: One-Bowl, No-Fuss, From Scratch Cakes" by Camilla V. Saulsbury (Robert Rose, 2011). It is exactly what it sounds like. An entire book of one-bowl cake recipes. Not too many ingredients, not a lot of mess. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but that's because I'm still reading it. You see, I read cookbooks like a novel. So, I'm not quite finished, but as soon as I am, I intend to start baking. The recipes all sound great, so I'm really looking forward to trying them. Details will follow.....

Until next time, Happy Cooking!  :)

I don't like food that's too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I'd buy a painting.  - Andy Rooney 

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CAJUN SAUSAGE AND CORN SOUP (END OF BLOGGING VACATION - WELCOME AUTUMN!)SOPA DE CHORIZO Y MAIZ

And, I'm back.  You see, several weeks ago, I decided to take a couple of days off from blogging.  From that moment on, if it wasn't one thing, it was another.  Before I knew it, it had been weeks (months, actually) since I had posted anything.  And to top it all off, I had one major case of writer's block.  Lots of great recipes, but nothing to say about them.  And if you know me, you know I'm not usually at a loss for words.  

But today, I looked out the window and thought, "Soup day!"  And my writer's block was cured.  Autumn is finally here, and that means soup weather.  And for whatever reason, soup is my favorite thing to make.  I had intended to make it really great day and use the slow cooker, but I got busy doing other things and before I knew it, there wasn't time to use the slow cooker.  So, this is a stovetop soup day.  Now, let me be perfectly honest.  When I say autumn, I mean for all you nice people north of the Mason-Dixon.  We don't have a real autumn down here in MickeyLand, but it has been overcast today and the wind is blowing, and that, my friends, is the closest we'll probably get to autumn.  Don't even get me started on the subject of winter......

So, I decided to try a new soup recipe.  I had found a great recipe for Spicy Cajun Sausage and Corn Soup at Deep South Dish, so that was the plan for the day.  After it was too late to do something else, I realized I didn't have everything, but no problem, I enjoy improvising.  The only thing is, I made so many changes that, with all due respect to Deep South Dish, this isn't the same soup at all.  Their recipe does sound good, though, and I recommend that you check it out.  I'm still going to try it one of these days.  But, here is what turned up at our table.

CAJUN SAUSAGE AND CORN SOUP
inspired by Deep South Dish



2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lb. Nathan’s Famous Polish beef kielbasa
1 cup of chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1- 14.5 oz can diced chili ready tomates, undrained
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 can sweet corn
1 can hominy
1 can red kidney beans
4 cups of beef stock
1/4 teaspoon of salt
5  - 7 turns of the pepper grinder
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1 tablespoon of dried parsley
1/4 McCormick Perfect Pinch Cajun seasoning
1 bay leaf
1/2 c rice

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Chop sausage into bite-size pieces and add to pot, cooking until slightly browned.  Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook until tender.  Add the tomatoes and sugar and bring to a boil.  Add the corn, hominy, beans, and beef stock, boiling for about 5 minutes.  Add the salt, pepper, basil, parsley, Cajun seasoning, and bay leaf.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.  

Add rice and continue to simmer about 25 minutes.   Remove bay leaf before serving.

MUSIC TO COOK BY

Until next time, Happy Cooking!  : )

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus

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TAGS:  SOUP

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SAFFRON CHICKEN

Well, we have recovered from the flu, and the verdict is in on Casey Anthony (I'm still in shock over that one), so it's time to return to blogging.  During my most-recent "blog break", I continued to try new recipes.  Over the next few days, I hope to share some of them.  In my kitchen, a new chicken recipe is always welcome, especially if it is relatively healthy.  Besides, how often do I get the chance to cook with saffron?

SAFFRON CHICKEN

adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

(Makes 2 servings, recipe from Massoud and The Best Recipes in the World.)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 onion cut in lengthwise slivers 

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 Tbsp butter 

pinch saffron (about 1/4 tsp. or less)

3/4 cup Swanson® Chicken Stock     

1 1/2 Tbsp  lemon juice 

1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Cut chicken in 1/2 strips diagonally.  Using a frying pan which is not too large and has a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil and butter, then brown the chicken quickly over medium-high heat.  (Don't let it cook long enough that the outside starts to get hard.  The chicken does not need to be cooked through.) 

Remove chicken to a plate, add onion, and brown over very low heat until edges of onion pieces are turning golden, about 12-15 minutes.  Remove browned onions. Add chicken back to pan, and cover with onions.  Heat chicken stock, add saffron and stir to dissolve, then pour over chicken and onions. Simmer on very low heat with pan covered 30-45 minutes.

Add chopped cilantro and lemon juice and simmer 15 minutes more. Serve hot over rice.

MUSIC TO COOK BY

Until next time, Happy Cooking!  : )

Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?  ~Author Unknown

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CHULETAS EMPANADAS (BREADED PORK CHOPS)

Well, it finally happened.  My love of reading has combined with my love of cooking to create a Smithsonian-size collection of cookbooks.  Our house is being overrun with cookbooks.  Not that I'm complaining.  Nothing is more fun than searching for a new recipe.  Which brings us to tonight's dinner.  We haven't been eating much Puerto Rican cuisine lately, so we were overdue.  I went through my Puerto Rican cookbooks last night until I found something that sounded good.  I had not tried this one before, but it was really good.  Unfortunately, no pictures.  Next time I try this one, I'll try to remember to take pictures and post them on here.

CHULETAS EMPANADAS (BREADED PORK CHOPS)
adapted from "Puerto Rican Cuisine in America - Nuyorican and Bodega Recipes" by Oswald Rivera


 4 pork chops
10 whole black peppercorns
 4 cloves garlic, peeled
 1 Tbsp oregano
 1 tsp salt
 1/8 tsp GOYA® Adobo con Pimiento (with Pepper)

1/2 packet GOYA® Sazón with Coriander and Annatto 

2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp white vinegar

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 c. plain bread crumbs

Vegetable oil for frying  

In a mortar, crush peppercorns, garlic, oregano, salt, Adobo, and Sazon together.  Add olive oil and vinegar; mix.  Fill deep frying pan (I use my cast iron chicken fryer, which is a deep skillet with a lid) halfway with vegetable oil.  Heat oil to medium high heat.  Rub seasoning into each side of chop.  Dip chop into beaten egg.  Coat each side of chop thoroughly with bread crumbs.  Add to frying pan and cook until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes each side) .  

MUSIC TO COOK BY

Until next time, Happy Cooking!  : )

"You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality." - Ayn Rand 

Very Good Recipes - Kingdom of Puerto Rican Recipes

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