Black Bean Chili

For recipe, click here

ChocaNana Bread

I should market the word ChocaNana. I think it could be the new big thing; last year it was cupcakes, this year it's ChocaNana! Actually I think this is the year blondies are big. Seriously. Look for my Blondie Madness Week coming soon.

But back to the topic at hand...I'm convinced one of the loveliest aromas in the world is the smell of my Chocolate Chip Walnut Banana Bread. Something about it just makes everything in the world seems okay. It's thick, dense, not too chewy, not too melty, and has a rich taste of bananas, just like a good nana bread should.


Too bad the loaf I baked today is gone already. Sigh. I should have made several loaves.

You can mash the bananas with a fork (my preferred method) or process very lightly in the food processor. I think you'll find the fork method much better though. I like leaving a few chunks but you're welcome to mash into more of a pudding texture. Also feel free to add more chocolate chips and nuts if you wish. Just remember this is a very thick, heavy bread.

You'll need a loaf pan (9x5), lightly greased, and a few bowls.

ChocoNana Bread

6-7 overripe bananas, mashed (you want about 2 cups)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 brown sugar
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, add in flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In another bowl, add the brown sugar and butter and mix together until just incorporated. Add in the eggs and whisk together until they are beaten and everything is creamy. Add in the mashed bananas, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Stir a few times.

Add the banana mixture to the flour and stir until everything is well moistened; you want to make sure there are no "pockets" of flour.

Add the mix into the loaf pan and bake for one hour. let the loaf cool in pan for fifteen minutes, then turn out into cooling rack. Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy.

Tuna Salad (Sandwich)

I don't normally like tuna salad: Most times I taste it, it's made with bad tuna, too much mayonnaise, and not much else. I made some today, on a whim, to have on a sandwich. Paired with romaine lettuce, fresh tomato, and lightly toasted whole-grain bread, this makes a great lunch.

Feel free to add in more mayonnaise and a tablespoon of sweet relish if you want. You can also add in grape tomatoes and chopped lettuce to make it more of a salad.

Tuna Salad (makes four sandwiches or 2 servings of salad)

12 oz water packed solid white albacore

2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp onion, minced
1/4 cup celery, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/4 tsp brown mustard
1 tbsp parsley, minced

In a colander, drain the can of tuna. (I know you're all tempted to use the lid, but this makes for mushy salad). Lightly break up the mass of tuna, and put it in a medium bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until incorporated. Season to taste.

Notes: This kept overnight fine in an airtight container. You may wish to leave the mayonnaise out until the next day if you make it ahead of time.

Fried Rice for Two

My family wanted fried pork chop and I didn't so I whipped this up for myself. Here's a recipe. Essentially most of my fried rices are made by throwing meat, veggies, rice, an egg, and soy sauce in a skillet. Follow that basic pattern and you're bound to come up with something tasty.

In my version I fried a center cut pork chop separately and then pulled the meat off the bone. The version below is easier (and made in one pot).

I'm also doing the low-carb thing; you can add in more rice and pork to make it family sized. Just adjust the seasonings (soy sauce, hoisin sauce, etc) to taste.

Fried Rice for Two

6oz pork chop, boneless and cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 shelled edamame
1 clove of garlic, minced

1 cup cold rice (white or brown)
1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste.

1 tbsp oil

In large skillet or wok, heat oil. Add in the pork and cook until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Add in celery, carrots, onions, garlic and edamame. Saute until onions become translucent.

Add in rice and stir to mix thoroughly. While stirring, pour in egg. The constant mixing ensures it coats the rice and pork; you want it to hold everything together, not become scrambled eggs with rice.

Add in soy sauce, hoisin, ginger, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot.

PS: This tastes really good with Sriracha too (is there anything that doesn't??)

Chorizo, Pepperjack, and Spinach Omelet

1/2 cup ground chorizo
1 cup baby spinach
1oz pepper jack cheese
2 eggs, beaten

In large skillet brown chorizo. Add in cup of spinach and saute until wilted. Put spinach/chorizo aside.

In small frying/omelet pan, pour in beaten eggs. Turn over when bottom side is fully cooked (about one minute). Place pepper jack cheese and chorizo/spinach mixture onto half of egg. Fold over and serve while hot.

Empanadas de Pollo (Con Huevo)

Quite some time ago a friend told me about these empanadas she had been craving. They were made by a Chilean woman and were filled with chicken, hard-boiled eggs, raisins, and olives. The combination sounded intriguing and I went about finding and altering empanadas to come close to what my friend used to have. I am not sure if these are The Ones, but they sure are tasty!

These take quite a bit of work so I recommend that you break the job into two days. Make the filling on the first, then make the dough, assemble, and cook the empanadas on the second day. The secret in this empanada is to stew chicken thighs and drumsticks whole and then strip the meat off the bone. The filling is made in one pot (convenience!). I also took pictures of many steps: Click on the links throughout the recipe to see what the steps looked like.

Chicken Empanadas
Makes 12-18

Filling:

3 chicken quarters, thighs and drumsticks
1 tablespoon of oil
2 large onions, cut in half lengthwise then cut in strips
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup olives, chopped
1/2 cup water
4 hardboiled eggs
1/4 cup of raisins

Dough:
4 cups of All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 cup of butter, or two sticks, chopped. (You may substitute margarine, just divide into two portions to ease mixing)
3/4 cup of ice water

Eggwash: Not to be made until empanadas are sealed.
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp water

To make the filling:

Heat tablespoon of oil in large pot. Pat chicken dry, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then brown in oil about 3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add onions and garlic to pot and saute until translucent. Add salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, bay leaves, chopped olives, and water. Stir then bring to a boil. Add chicken back into pot and cover. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Turn chicken over. Simmer another 15 minutes or until tender.

Once tender, transfer chicken onto plate and let cool. Using hands or fork, discard skin and bones. Chop or shred the meat. Add back into pot. Add in chopped egg and raisins. Carefully stir. Discard bay leaves and season filling with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let filling cool for about 30 minutes (or overnight if you are doing this in parts). The filling is done.

Dough:

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Using your hands, begin to mix the butter in. You should have a coarse, crumbly mix with little pea-sized bumps of butter. Add in the water and begin to knead in bowl until it comes together. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for about three minutes. The dough should resemble pie crust dough.

Form dough into log and chill in plastic wrap, in the fridge, for about an hour. This give the dough time to cool and you time to clean up a little bit.

Assembling the empanadas:

Preheat oven to 400F. Make sure you have a rack set in the middle of the oven.

Lightly grease a baking sheet or cover with parchment.

Bring dough out from refrigerator and unwrap. Cut log into 18 equal pieces (12 if you want them to be a bit larger) and form into balls. After lightly flour your rolling pin, roll each ball into a circle about 1/8 of an inch thick. (It's okay if they're not perfect circles).

Place about two tablespoons of filling into center and fold dough over. Lightly flour a fork and press it down along the edge to seal the empanada.

Repeat above steps until you have finished your all filling and dough. You should have about 18 medium empanadas or 12 large ones. Place finished empanadas in baking pan.

Make an eggwash (one large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water) and lightly brush onto empanadas.

Place empanadas into oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until empanadas are golden. Let cool for five minutes.

Serve alone or with rice and beans.

Variation Station:


If you don't want to use such a complicated cooking method for the chicken, here's a tip: Any cut of chicken will work fine. Use boneless chicken breast instead of thighs and drumsticks; it'll be easier to shred.

If you want even more ease, buy already cooked chicken from your market's deli. Shred it, add it to the filling ingredients (minus the eggs and raisins), and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the eggs and raisins at the last minute. Continue with recipe as written.

You can easily omit the raisins, hard-boiled eggs, or olives.

If you have any filling leftover, add it to a dish of rice and beans. The filling is fully cooked before being added into the empanada!

If you have any dough left over, freeze it for your next empanada adventure. You can also bake or fry rounds of dough without any filling. It makes a tasty bread!

Until next time,
<3 Jess

Mofongo

Mofongo is a fried plantain dish that is usually served with fried chicharron (pork crackling) or any other fried pieces of meat.

Yes, the ingredients alone make most people clutch their chests. I admit it's not for the calorie-conscious but it is one of Puerto Rico's most treasured meals and deserves a try. (Actually, there's been a debate for years whether it originates from the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. I'm both Dominican and Puerto Rican so I can claim it either way. :) )

There are so many variations of the meal I'm going to link to one of my favourites: This recipe from Dominican cooking is wonderful. At some point I'll probably add my own recipe to the site but for now, definitely try this one.

Buen provecho! <3

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I made my first of a new slew of cheap meals tonight. I don't know if a lot of people consider spaghetti and meatballs to be cheap but it's not a budget breaker. I spent $5 for all the ingredients which makes this meal just under a dollar per serving. It was really delicious. Meatballs are also really good to make a ton of and freeze. I think I'll be doing this tomorrow morning after everyone leaves for the day. I'm adding my meatball recipe which I adapted from a whole bunch and have been using for quite some time. It's a good "base" recipe, I think.

Easy Peasy Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup diced onions
1/4 c diced green bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

In large bowl, use your hands to mix all the ingredients well. Form meatballs about the size of a golf ball and place in a shallow baking dish.

Bake for fifteen minutes, turn over, then bake for another fifteen.

Somewhat Stuffed Shells

Somewhat Stuffed Shells: Say that three times fast! This was something I had a sudden craving for a few days ago and happened to have the ingredients for. It is high in calories, although the recipe below should feed about six or seven people and you can substitute part skim cheese for the ricotta.

The stuffing is quite similar to what I put in my lasagna so if you have a favourite ricotta filling, you can use it here just fine. If you try this recipe though, leave me some feedback. It's always nice to hear from you.

You will need:

1 12oz box of jumbo shells

32oz ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese + 1/2 cup reserved
5 oz Parmesan-reggiano cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt

2 cups marinara sauce (jarred or homemade; either is fine).

Preheat oven to 350F.

In large pot bring 4 quarts of water to boil with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook shells for 10 minutes. Remove from water and set aside to drain.

In large bowl mix eggs and ricotta. Add Parmesan-reggiano, mozzarella, salt, and parsley.

Place shells in baking dish with open side up. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into each shell.

Or

Place drained shells in baking dish open side up and pour over cheese mixture until the entire dish is covered. Don't worry about filling each individual shell; when you spoon out the dish, each serving will get an equal amount of cheese and sauce anyway.

Pour two cups of marinara sauce over entire dish and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Until next time,
<3 Jess

Wannabe Shrimp Fried Rice

Wannabe Shrimp Fried Rice

2 cups cooked white rice
1/2 cup small to medium shrimp, cooked, cleaned, peeled, with tail cut off
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp plum sauce (optional)
1 egg, beaten (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large frying pan heat oil. Add in peppers, onions, shrimp, and spices and saute until translucent. Add in the rice, egg, plum sauce, and soy sauce. Stir constantly for five minutes or until rice and egg are heated through. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Notes: I usually use low sodium soy sauce that's why I ask people to adjust to taste. I have a slow tolerance of salt, some people love the stuff. This is a really simple meal that almost doesn't require a recipe; throw some rice in a frying pan and add things to your hearts content.

Until next time,
<3 Jess

Hot Cocoa? No, it's...

Hot Co-Co-Cocoa

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups of 2% milk

Optional:

Pinch of chili powder
marshmallows

In a medium sauce pan, pour in cocoa, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks, and water. Mix well and bring to a boil. After the mixture has boiled for at least two minutes (it should thicken a bit), add four cups of milk and let simmer for ten minutes or until heated through. Stir in the vanilla and pinch of chili powder, if using.

Serve in mugs topped with marshmallows. Excellent with warm oatmeal cookies.

Or, if you feel so inclined, drop in a square of Green and Black organic dark chocolate (or any good chocolate).

Until next time,
<3 Jess

Bistec Encebollado

Beef and Marinade:

1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced top round
1/2 cup white vinegar
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons adobo
1 teaspoon pepper

Onions:
2 large onions, thinly sliced into rings and separated
1 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons vinegar

In a large bowl mix all the marinade ingredients minus the beef. Whisk until thoroughly mixed.

Add in the beef and stir until the beef is coated. Note: This is not a runny marinade. Place in refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Heat a large skillet to medium. Add in the olive oil, vinegar, and onions. Sautee until onions become translucent, about 10 minutes. Add in the beef and cook until browned. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Serve with onions and sauce drizzled on top, accompanied with rice and beans, a baked potato, or other vegetable.

Until next time,
<3>

Roasted Cornish Hens

2 Cornish Hens (1.5lbs each)
2 lemons ( I quartered, 1 sliced)
12 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper


Preheat oven to 350F.

Wash the hens well, pat dry and place in baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the salt, pepper, rosemary, and enough olive oil to make a thick paste (about a tablespoon). Rub over the hens. Stuff each cavity with two lemon wedges and two cloves of garlic. Place remaining garlic around the hens in baking dish (I like to tuck a clove under each wing and thigh joint). Place lemon slices on top of hens and bake for 1 hour or until juices run clear.

Remove hens from baking dish and place on serving platter. The garlic and juices will be left in the pan. Mash leftover garlic with some of the drippings (juices) and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle sauce over hen.

Serve with rice pilaf and vegetables.

Oxtail Stew (Minus the Stew)

Rabo guisado, arroz blanco, habichuelas rosadas

A lot of the oxtail (rabo) recipes I see are for a stew; something with a few veggies, a moderate amount of liquid, and meant to be eaten alone. While this tastes well I've never cooked oxtail this way. I like the sauce to be thick and a perfect accompaniment to white rice and red kidney beans. I've been cooking it this way for years and it's one of my mom's favourite dishes. She's sick today so I decided to spoil her. I also thought to take a few pictures of the process as well as the final product.

I used a pound and a half of oxtail. The first step was to mix about three cups of flour, five tablespoons of salt, and two tablespoons of pepper in a plastic container (one I never returned to the neighbours heh) and made sure the oxtail were well covered.

In the meantime I let two tablespoons of butter melt in my stock pot. Once the oxtail was covered I added them into the pot, a few pieces at a time, until browned on all sides. I set that aside.

Into the pot I added in chopped onions, peppers, and garlic and let that sautee until caramelized.

The oxtail went back into the post along with 8oz of tomato sauce, beef broth, oregano, cilantro, parsley, an adobo mix, and a tiny dash of Worcestershire sauce.

It look pretty watery and...well, empty in the above pic but it's not. I bring it up to a boil and then let it simmer for a wonderful three hours. In that time the liquid has reduced to a thick gravy. I adjust salt and pepper to taste and then serve with the rest of the meal.

My dinner plate (no presentation; I was hungry!!)

Mmm Mmm Mmmm. This is a perfect stick-to-the-ribs kind of meal. Add in a nice salad and a cold drink, and you're good to go. To really up the ante on this meal I followed it up with a nice Dulce de Leche ice cream. My waistline gave up the good fight.

Until next time,
<3 Jess

Pernil (Roasted Pork)

There is no meal I love better than a pernil. When I was a child I paced in and out of the kitchen the entire six hours it cooked. When I was vegetarian I dreamed about it. When I cooked for two I hoped for an army to suddenly appear at my door and demand a good meal. If I was ever to commit a heinous crime and had my choice of a last meal...well, you see where I am going with this.

Roasted pork shoulder is a traditional family, and Puerto Rican, dish. Usually served for Christmas or special occasions it is always accompanied by yellow rice, good rum, and great friends. I've been aching for an reason to cook one and I finally got it when Kyle made the Dean's List. As you can see in the picture above it turned out scrumptious. Below is my recipe for a ten pound bone-in pernil. Boneless works just as well just remember that you might have to adjust the mojo accordingly. Sour orange juice can be found in the hispanic/mexican/ethnic aisle in your grocery store. If not available, mix 1/3 cups of lemon juice with 2/3 cup of orange juice. I also advise letting the pork shoulder marinate overnight in the mojo but this is not necessary.

Pernil Asado

8-10lb pork shoulder, pork butt, or picnic roast
12 cloves of garlic

Mojo

12 cloves of garlic
1/4 c bitter (sour) orange juice
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoons ground black pepper


In a food processor, mix all the mojo ingredients into a paste. Taste and adjust salt and pepper accordingly. Put aside.

Preheat oven to 325F.

Fat side down, make several deep stabs into the pork shoulder (I make about six). Stick a peeled garlic clove into each stab. Rub about 1/3 of the mojo into the shoulder making sure to get some into the pockets (the stabs you just made).

Turn pernil over so fat side is now up. Stab pernil in the same manner as before and stick a garlic clove into each stab. Rub 1/3 of mixture into the pockets. Now score the skin on top in a diamond pattern (see picture above) and rub rest of mojo all over the shoulder. You want some on the top, the sides, etc. This is what makes a very tasty chicharron or cuerito (crunchy skin). Marinate overnight. If you don't have the time, continue with recipe as follows.

Place in a heavy roasting pan and cover with foil or lid. Roast at 325F for six to seven hours, until shoulder is brown and tender. Raise temperature to 450F, remove foil, and roast for another 15 minutes to let skin crisp. Alternatively you can put it under the broiler if you have one.

Let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with warm potato salad, yellow rice, and lots of rum. ¡Buen Provecho!

Stewed Eggplant with Plantains

Verenjena Guisada con Platanos

I'm an awesome cook. This is a family recipe I feel like sharing. Cooking crafty right?

Ingredients:

1 tblsp Goya Sofrito
1/4 cup of chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped yellow onions
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tblsp of olive oil
1 medium-large eggplant
4-6 green plantains (green bananas can be used too)
salt and pepper
1 envelope of Goya Sazon (con culantro y achiote)
1/4 cup of tomato sauce

Hardware:

Large skillet with cover (I just use whatever cover I find that fits or foil haha)
4 quart pot -or- pot big enough to place the chopped plantains/whole bananas in

*Please note that A) when it comes to ingredients my English is limited, hence the pictures B) I don't work for Goya, I swear lol. I just think they're the best national brand for hispanic cooking. C) If you don't use Goya, make sure to check the label. Actually check the label anyway. Some typical spanish spices and whatnot use lard (ick) and whatnot.

Instructions:

Peel the eggplant and slice it. Cut the slices in half. Set aside on a plate with a pinch or two of salt.

In the meantime saute the green peppers, onions and garlic for five minutes. Stir in the tablespoon of Sofrito and the packet of Sazon. Add the eggplant and saute for about a minute. Add 1 cup of water or more. You want it to just cover the top of the eggplant. Cover the skillet and set heat on low.

Put about 7 cups of water to boil with a tiny pinch of salt.
Peel the plantains. (Some people omit this step and simply boil the plantains with skins on. I grew up peeling platanos so it's easy peasy. If you find it hard, by all means skip the peeling. Also, if you use green bananas leave the skin on and drop them in the water whole) Cut each plantain into three pieces and drop into the boiling water. Boil for 30-40 mins or until tender.

In the meantime stir the eggplant occasionally. When it starts getting tender, raise the flame to medium and remove the cover. When a lot of the water is gone, add in the tomato sauce and stir. At this point you can taste it. If it's too flavourful, fear not: the platanos will balance the dish. If it's too bland, try another tablespoon of sofrito and some salt and pepper.

When the platanos are tender, remove from water and serve with the eggplant mixture spooned over.

This is REALLY tasty. My eggplant hating family loves this dish. It's the only time I can get eggplants on the dinner table. BTW the leftovers work well in a pita, with rice and beans, whatever. Also, I usually chop up whatever cooked platanos I have left over and toss them in the eggplant mixture. It's a quick and easy lunch the next day.