Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans

I have been on a decades long quest to find an easy, but authentic Cuban Black Bean recipe. I can find them in lots of local restaurants, but haven't been able to recreate them at home. In fact for the last 15 years I have resorted to buying them canned in the Ethnic Foods section of my grocery store. Finally, I have figured it out. I combined the How to Cook Any Dried Beans in Your Slow Cooker recipe I just pinned on Pinterest with my own version of the Cuban Black Bean recipe from Three Guys from Miami. Easy and delicious! I made these last night with rice and Slow Cooker Mojo Pork. Two slow-cookers...I know!!!! It was a perfect meal, but if you don't have two slow cookers you can make either the beans or the pork the day before. Puppy Daddy says they both taste better the next day!

The first step is to cook your black beans. So easy! Put 1 lb of dry black beans in your slow cooker with 6 cups of water. Do NOT add salt yet. It will keep your beans from getting nice and soft. Cook on high for 4 hours.  Done!

If you like a thicker consistency to your beans you can either take our some and put them in a blender, or use my technique that doesn't require dirtying another large piece of equipment. Just mash some of the beans right in the slow cooker with your potato masher. Next add the seasoning ingredients, onion, green pepper, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, white wine, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook on low for at least another hour. If you're not ready to serve yet you can go a little longer on low, or turn the slow cooker to warm. The longer the beans simmer in the seasonings, the better they taste! Serve over rice and top with more onion if you like!

 

Ingredients

1 lb dry black beans

6 cups water

1 medium- large onion - diced

1 green pepper - diced

3 cloves of garlic - crushed

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 TB vinegar

1/4 cup  dry white wine

1 TB olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

Put dry beans and water in slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or until beans are soft. If you want to thicken the consistency of the beans, mash some up in the slow cooker with a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for one hour. Serve alone or over rice. Garnish with onion.

 

Whadya think?



Oven Crusted Chicken

Last night's dinner was a request from Puppy Daddy. It is so easy that it's one of my go to recipes when I need something quick and simple. It's also very versatile. You can change up what you use for the crust for lots of different tastes. Last night I used up what was left of the massive crouton overage left from a salad bar party that I hosted.

All you need is chicken breast, mustard, mayonnaise, and something crunchy. Usually I use regular boneless, skinless breast. I pound it out so it's thin and  cut it in half to make two portions because they are so big. This time I used thin cutlets from the store because they were on sale and were cheaper than the regular breasts. For the crunchy I used garlic croutons, but I've also used flavored crackers, potato chips, Doritos, etc. You can also use something less flavored like plain crackers, corn flakes or panko and add in flavor such as dry onion soup mix or any other seasoning blend you like.

To get the right consistency for the crunchy coating just chop you topping in the food processor. If you don't have one you can put it in a plastic storage bag and smash it up.






Now it's time to coat the chicken. Mix your mayo and mustard and put it in one container. Put your crunchy coating in another. First dip your chicken in the mayo and mustard, covering both sides. Then it goes in the crunchy coating. Be sure you get full coverage.

The secret to getting both sides crunchy is cooking on a rack over your baking sheet. This way the heat can get all the way around the chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, I like to whip up a dipping sauce. Last night it was honey mustard. Just combine mayo, mustard, a little apple cider vinegar and Splenda. You could also use sugar, but I'm diabetic so I avoid it whenever possible. Ranch dressing also makes a good dipping sauce.

Just 20 minutes in the oven and here's what you get. Yummy and oh so easy!

Ingredients
2 chicken breast cutlets, or one chicken breast pounded thin and cut in two pieces
1 1/2 cup garlic salad croutons
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup dijon mustard

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup dijon mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tb Splenda
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind up croutons in food processor. Combine mayonnaise and mustard. Coat chicken first in mayo/mustard and with ground croutons. Place on a rack on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is not pink in the center.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Mix first four ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

Easy Chicken Verde Tostados

Yep, I'm still using up the left over Chicken Valerie! My family loves Mexican food. My dad introduced it to us when I was in my early teens and he frequently traveled to Texas and New Mexico for business. That was way before Taco Bell, and there were not many Mexican ingredients in grocery stores. In my house there always seemed to be fresh, very spicey salsa for an after school snack. My dad says if it doesn't make your nose run and your cheeks turn red, it's not hot enough! Well this recipe is not spicey, because Puppy Daddy is not into super spicey food, so I always add the spice at the end to just my portion. It does however have salsa, green tomatilla salsa, which is my favorite. You can make it yourself and sometimes I do, but I was looking for something quick and easy, so I used premade salsa verde.

For this recipe you will need corn tortillas, refried beans, cooked shredded or chopped chicken, salsa verde (tomatilla salsa) monterey jack cheese, lettuce tomato, green onions and sour cream. I always add pickeled jalapenos to mine, too! The first step is to heat the chicken up with the salsa verde. Just heat them together in a sauce pan so that the the salsa thickens up a bit.




Next, crisp up your corn tortillas.
This is easy. Just put a little olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot lay the tortillas in and cook each side for about 3-4 minutes until they just start to turn brown. Then let them drain on a rack over some paper towels. I like to sprinkle them with a little salt while they are still hot.




While the tortillas are cooling you can prep your other ingredients. Shred the cheese and chop the veggies.  Heat the refried beans up in the microwave.








Now get your tortillas ready to go into the oven. Just spread some of the warm refried beans on your tortillas. Top with the chicken - salsa mixture and cheese. Put them in a 350 oven until the cheese melts.

Finally top with veggies and sour cream. Yum!

Ingredients

1 cup cooked shredded or chopped chicken

2/3 cup salsa verde (tomatilla salsa)

4 corn tortillas

1 Tb olive oil

salt

1 cup refried beans

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup chopped lettuce

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup sour cream

pickled jalapenos (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chicken and salsa verde in a sauce pan. Heat on medium for about 10 minutes or until salsa thickens. Heat olive oil in non-stick skillet on medium high. Cook tortillas for 3-4 minutes on each side until the begin to brown. Remove and place on a rack over paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Heat refried beans until just warm in microwave oven. Spread 1/4 cup of refried beans on each tortilla. Put 1/4 of the chicken, salsa mixture on each tortilla and top with cheese. Cook in oven until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Top each tostado with the rest of the ingredient.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

Greek Burgers with Feta, Olive Tzatziki

I have loved Greek food for as long as I can remember and I am blessed to have always lived in an area that has wonderful Greek food. When I was young (a long, long time ago) families only went out to dinner for special occasions, so when it was my birthday and I got to choose the restaraunt, I always chose Louise Pappas, a legendary Greek restaraunt in Tarpon Springs. Though I never had a burger there, but it was the start of my love for Greek food. Now I don't claim to be a great Greek chef like my Greek friends Marianna and Kiki, but I think you'll find this simple recipe will satisfy your Mediteranean cravings. And maybe if we all beg, they will share some their secret recipes with us!

To make the burgers combine ground chuck, Greek seasoning, red wine, red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.Sprinkle both sides of the burgers with salt and pepper. These are also delicious with ground lamb or a combination of lamb and beef. Cook the burgers in your favorite method. I love them cooked on a charcoal grill, but tonight I didn't have time for that so I used the gas grill instead.



While the burgers are cooking, make this yummy spread for them. First make the tzatziki sauce by combining Greek Yogurt (I used 2% fat yogurt), lemon juice, grated cucumber, garlic and salt. You will have more tzaziki than you need for the spread, so save it. It makes a fantastic dip for pita chips! To make the spread just add in chopped olives and feta cheese. I love to use a variety of olives that I get at my local grocery store olive bar.

OK, this is important, when making the tzatziki, be sure to remove the seeds from the cucumber. Otherwise it will be too watery. You can do this easily by cutting the cucumber into quarters like a dill pickle. Then just slice out the seed section.





To grate the cucumber I use a Micorplane hand grater, but you could use a box grater as well.

When the burgers are cooked, put them on the bun with the Feta, Olive Tzatziki spread and a couple of slices of cucumber. I served this with a scoop of potato salad and a Greek Peasant salad.

This recipe is for two burgers.

Ingredients
2/3 lb ground chuck
1 Tb red wine
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tb extra virgin olive oil
1 Tb Greek seasoning
7 oz plain Greek yogurt
1 Tb lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed, finely chopped or grated
1/4 cup grated, de-seeded cucumber
1/2 cup chopped olives, what ever type you like
1/2 cup chopped feta cheese
2 hamburger buns
4 thin slice of cucumber 
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine first 5 ingredients, being careful not to break down ground meat to much. Form into two patties. Sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper. Cook in personally desired method. Top burgers with Olive, Feta Tzatziki Spread and thinly sliced cucumber.

Feta, Olive Tzatziki Spread
Combine Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt, grated cucumber, olives and feta.

Try this recipe out and let me know what you think!

Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole

The reason for this post is Puppy Daddy. Last night I had not really prepared for making a meal, so I did what I usually do on these occasions and made a casserole with what I had in the fridge and pantry. I wasn't sure I would post it, but Puppy Daddy loved it so much that he insisted. In fact, he must have been so excited to take the left overs to work for lunch today that he left the pantry door open when he got out his lunch bag, which by the way, is where we keep the dog treats. I realized this when I heard some mischief going on in the kitchen. When I walked in Hilton was ripping open the bag of Biljac snacks. I made a feeble attempt to get them, but if you know Whippets, you will realize that if a Whippet has something he doesn't want you to have, you will never catch him. In fact the only way I ever get something really tasty (especially a squirrel) away from my dogs is with dog treats, so I knew I should just give up. Now Hilton has eaten more dog treats in five minutes than he normally gets in six months! Oh well!!!

As I said this casserole was made with things I happened to have in my kitchen. Along with the broccoli, water chestnuts, rice, onion and celery, I also used left over chicken (from yesterday's Chicken Valerie), mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and chicken bouillon powder. You can switch out most of the ingredients for other things you have in your kitchen.

While the rice was cooking I sauteed the onion and celery in butter, and cooked the broccoli. Then I mixed the everything but the topping together in the pan with the rice. (I don't like Puppy Daddy to have to wash extra dishes.) 

Next this mixture went into a baking dish. Now for the topping. A few weeks ago I hosted a pool party. for lunch we had a salad bar and everyone brought a salad topper to share. Well, I think half the guests brought croutons. Of course all the extra bags were left at my house, so I am now trying to think of creative ways to use them. For this dish I just smashed some croutons up, sprinkled them over the top and poured a little melted butter over the top.


I baked the casserole in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Quick, easy and yummy way to use up what's in your pantry and fridge.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice (follow package directions)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 Tb butter, divided
1/2 cup diced water chestnuts
1 cup cooked broccoli (I steamed it in the microwave for 3 minutes)
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 sour cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
3/4 cup crushed salad croutons

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice according to package directions. Saute onions and celery in one Tb spoon of butter over medium high heat. Mix together shredded cheese, mayo, sour cream, cream cheese and chicken bouillon powder. Combine this mixture with with the rice, onion, celery, water chestnuts, broccoli and chicken. Put in baking dish. Top with crushed salad croutons and the other Tb of butter, melted. Bake for 20 minutes.

Chicken Valerie

I started this blog today so I could share this recipe with my friend Valerie. She recently started cooking by using a slow-cooker and I wanted to share this delicious and easy chicken recipe with her. The beauty of this recipe is not only is it easy and delicious, you have great, simple roast chicken left over for lots of other recipes, which makes it a great way to stretch a buck. I got this recipe from another friend, Maxine, when I walked into her office as she was eating lunch. Her chicken smelled delicious. She then told me it was the easiest and best chicken recipe in the world. She just took a whole chicken, stuck it in the slow-cooker, sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and left it on low all day. I couldn't believe it! I've used a slow-cooker for as long as I can remember but I'd never heard of a chicken recipe with-out any liquid. Well, she was right. It is the easiest, juiciest, tastiest chicken ever. I have taken Maxine's recipe and blended it with my favorite roast chicken recipe. So here we go Valerie...

Start with a whole chicken. I always buy whole chickens on sale and keep them in my freezer. The hardest part of this recipe for me is remembering to thaw the chicken out the night before. Dry the chicken off with paper towels and be sure to pull out the bag of "innards"! Now, prepare to stuff. 

I used lemon, rosemary and garlic. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper, squeeze in the lemons and stuff everything inside. You could use an endless combination of other ingredients for stuffing. Let your imagination run wild. I'm thinking next of trying orange, lemon, lime, garlic and onion for a Mojo chicken.

Now just sprinkle the outside with a Greek seasoning blend and more salt/pepper. Again, you can use any type of seasoning you like, or just salt/pepper.

Now all that's left to do is wait. Eight to ten hours on low, or three to four hours on high. I've never tried to get a crispy skin on this before, but I saw a recent Pinterest post that recommended taking the chicken out of the slow-cooker whole and putting it in the oven to crisp up the skin. I tried it tonight and it worked great, but if you're not going to eat the skin then don't bother. You will have lots of juice in your slow cooker when the chicken is done. It makes a great gravy! (Recipe to come)

I served this chicken tonight with  Chicken Gravy, Parmesan Cheese Grits, and Sauteed Bacon, Onion Brussels Sprouts. Puppy Daddy gave it a thumbs up!

Ingredients
1 lemon cut in half
2-3 sprigs rosemary
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 whole chicken
Greek seasoning blend
salt, pepper

Directions
Dry chicken off with paper towels. Sprinkle inside of chicken with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemons inside chicken. Stuff lemons, rosemary and garlic in chicken. Sprinkle outside of chicken with Greek seasoning blend. Cook in slow cooker for 8-10 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high.

If you want crispy skin, carefully lift the chicken out of the slow-cooker onto a rack over a baking sheet. Put in a 425 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes.