Slow-Cooker Cuban-Style Black Beans

I really miss the Caribbean. I have been thinking that I needed to cook some dishes with Cuban black beans - so I thought I would start with a basic recipe that I have wanted to try for some time. This recipe was adapted from EatingWell's Slow-Cooker Cuban-Style Black Beans.  I thought I would try this and loved the way that it turned out.  I served with with grilled chicken.  Soon, I will mix it with rice (brown or white) and think it should be wonderful.  This was easy to make and it tastes fantastic.  It might not be 100% authentic Cuban cooking - but it will work for me!  It will be a regular dish as I try to mix up dishes that give me a sense of the Caribbean!

Ingredients (makes 10-12 servings)

1 lbs Dried black beans (about 2 1/3 cups)

3 1/2 cups Chicken or vegetable stock (low-sodium or unsalted)

2 cups Water

1 White onion (large), peeled and quartered through root

1 Green bell pepper, diced coarsely (1/2" pieces")

2 Bay leaves

2 tsp Oregano, dried

1 tsp, Black pepper

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 Red bell pepper, finely chopped

4 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)

1 tbsp Cumin, ground

2 tbsp Tomato paste

½ cup Cilantro, chopped (around one bunch)

Directions

1. Sort and wash the beans. 

2. Stir together the beans, chicken stock, water, onion, green bell pepper, bay leaves, oregano and black pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until the beans are tender, 9 to 11 hours. Discard the onion and bay leaves.

3. When the beans are mostly done, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the red bell pepper and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring often for around 8-10 minutes.  

4. Add the cumin to the skillet and stir until well blended (just under a minute).  Add the tomato paste to the skillet and stir until well blended (1-2 minutes).

5. Add contents from the skillet and the cilantro to the black beans.  Blend until full mixed.

Enjoy!

Shrimp and Vegetable Fried Rice

 

Every so often you need a dish like this.  It has it all, protein, grains, vegetables, and it is a bit better that you are going to get in a restaurant.  I love brown rice and this is a great way to work that into the diet.  This was adapted from Simply Scratch's recipe for Easy Vegetable Fried Brown Rice with Egg and came out very good.  It also reheated very nicely, so you can enjoy this down the road as leftovers.  I have been thinking that I wanted to make this soon, so I dug through my notes and wanted to get this posted.  I could have used a better picture.  Oh well - at least it tasted good!

Ingredients (3-4 servings)

2 tbsp Canola oil, divided (or light vegetable oil)
1 tsp Sesame oil
1 lbs Shrimp (any size - peeled and deveined)

2 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)

1/2 cup Onion, chopped

8 oz can Water chestnuts, sliced

3 cups Peas and carrots (frozen) - adjust to taste

2 large Eggs

3 cups Rice, cooked (any type will work here)

4 tbsp Soy sauce (low sodium works well here)

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp canola oil and sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and garlic.  Saute for 3-5 minutes, stirring continually.  Remove when cooked (pink through), remove to a bowl (with any liquids that accumulated).

2. Add remaining 1 tbsp canola oil to the wok.  Add onions and water chestnuts.  Saute for 2 minutes.

3. Add peas and carrots.  Saute for 3-4 minutes.

4. Push the contents of the wok to the side.  Add two eggs and scramble them into the vegetable mixture.  Saute for 2 minutes.

5. Add rice and soy sauce to the wok.  Mix thoroughly and saute for 1-2 minutes.

6. Add shrimp and any collected liquid.  Saute for 1-2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon Kabobs

We wanted to try something different and I think we really hit the jackpot! We have tried cooking Salmon and it is never quite as good as we get when we are out. Since that is not happening that much these days, I wanted to find a recipe that gave us a great restaurant quality way to cook Salmon. This is it! The recipe is from UmmBinat's Soy Glazed Salmon Kabobs that I saw on Food.com. I tweaked the glaze a bit and cooked it with two thick salmon fillets. We will definitely be doing this again and will try with some other firm fish (maybe tuna or swordfish). Adjust the cooking time if the fillets are thin. Ours were around 1" thick at the biggest.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Two Salmon fillets (with skin), around 3/4 pounds
3 tbsp Brown sugar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tsp Rice vinegar

Directions

1. Cut salmon into one inch cubes, trying to keep them as consistent as possible.

2. Thread the salmon onto two metal or wood skewers and place on a plate.

3. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce and rice vinegar to make the glaze.  Wisk until well blended.  

4. Brush the glaze over the fish, reserving a small amount.

5. Grill or broil over high heat for 7-9 minutes, turning them at the mid-way point.  Use the reserved glaze to brush the fish after it is turned.  Fish should flake easily with a fork when done.

Enjoy!