Archive for MEAT

Corned Beef with Cabbage and Onions

This is another classic Chamorro comfort dish.  Most Chamorros grew up eating corned beef, maybe because it used to be inexpensive.  Now, it’s become something our family eats only once in a while since a can of corned beef has become quite pricey!

Made with canned corned beef, sliced cabbage and onions (and a few seasonings), this is another one of those quick and easy dishes that you can prepare and serve within minutes.

Feel free to substitute the cabbage with (or add) your favorite vegetables.  I like sliced eggplant and fresh green beans in this dish in addition to the cabbage.

Comment below to let me know how you like my recipe, or let me know your favorite way to prepare canned corned beef. 😉

Corned Beef with Cabbage and Onions

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cans corned beef
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Dashida seasoning (or you can use salt)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 small head cabbage, sliced

Directions:

1.  Sauté the corned beef in a large pan over medium high heat.

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2.  Add the onions, garlic, Dashida, and black pepper.  Cook for a few minutes until the onions become translucent.

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3.  Add the sliced cabbage to the pan.  Cook over medium heat until the cabbage wilts and softens enough to your liking, about 10 minutes.

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4.  Serve with hot white rice and enjoy!

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Smoked Beef Brisket – A slightly sweet, smoky version

I love a good BBQ.  It’s rare that I use a dry rub when we BBQ at our house, especially since my daughter makes excellent marinades.  However, when it comes to brisket, I prefer using a dry rub.

I like to experiment with different spice combinations when coming up with recipes for dry rubs.  This one contains an unusual combination of espresso powder, brown sugar and cumin, among other things.  The sweetness of the sugar goes really well with the smokiness of the espresso and cumin.

I also save some of the dry rub mixture to make a mop sauce to baste the brisket as it smokes.  All that’s needed to make the mop sauce is to mix a bottle of your favorite beer (ale works well with this recipe) with about 1/2 cup of the dry rub mixture.  Don’t worry–the alcohol cooks out by the time the brisket is done.

I own a smoker/grill, which is what I used to smoke my brisket.  You don’t need a smoker to make this, however.  You can bake this long and slow in your oven.  The result will still be finger-licking-good.

Give my recipe a try.  I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Smoked Brisket

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • A nicely marbled brisket, about 7-8 pounds, with a nice layer of fat on one side
  • 1 bottle beer (I used a 12-ounce bottle of Alaskan ale)

Directions:

1.  In a small measuring cup, mix together the brown sugar, cumin, espresso powder, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

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2.  Save 1/2 cup of the dry rub to make the mop sauce.  Spread the rest of the rub evenly over both sides of the brisket.

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3.  Mix the beer with the remaining 1/2 cup of the dry rub mixture.  Set this aside.

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4.  If you own a smoker, place the brisket on the grill, fat-side facing up.  Smoke the brisket for one hour, then turn the temperature to 225 degrees to cook for the remaining time.  You’ll smoke/cook the brisket for a total of 6 hours.  Generously baste the brisket once every hour.

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5.  Mid-way through the cooking time, after about 3 hours or so, flip the brisket over so that the fat is on the bottom.  Continue basting every hour; stop basting one hour prior to the brisket being done.

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6.  When the brisket is done (after it’s been smoking/cooking for about 6 hours), remove it from the grill or oven.  Wrap the brisket in aluminum foil and let the brisket rest for 30 minutes.

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7.  After 30 minutes of resting, unwrap the brisket.

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8.  Thinly slice the brisket, ensuring you cut across the grain of the meat.

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Serve and ENJOY!

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Our mini-poodle is waiting patiently for his share! 🙂

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Tomato-Braised Pork Ribs

One of my family’s favorite ways for me to cook pork ribs (other than Chamorro BBQ) is to braise it in a thick and sweet tomato sauce.

My mom used to make this for us growing up, only she used tomato ketchup (I still make it this way sometimes).

What is braising, you ask? Braising is a form of cooking with liquid so that the moist heat breaks down connective tissues in tough cuts of meat, leaving them quite tender and fall-off-the-bone good.

I usually cook this dish in a large soup pot (I start it a couple of hours before I intend to serve it), but if you’re pressed for time, you can easily prepare this in a pressure cooker.

Give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Tomato-Braised Pork Ribs

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Ingredients:

  • 2 slabs baby back pork ribs
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses

Directions:

Rinse each slab of ribs, then trim off any excess fat. Separate each rib then place into a large pot over medium high heat.

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Add the soy sauce, vinegar and garlic to the pot. Stir to evenly coat each rib with the liquid and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning.

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Add the onions and water to the pot.

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Stir in the crushed tomatoes and molasses. Blackstrap molasses is not too sweet, but adds just the right amount of sweetness for this dish. If you don’t have molasses, you can add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar.

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Now it’s time to start the braising process. Cooking the ribs in this delicious tomato sauce, long and over medium-low heat, is the key to creating fall-off-the-bone yumminess. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low. Place a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil over the top of the pot, tightly sealing it. Place a lid over the foil. Simmer the ribs for at least 2 hours.

This is what the ribs looked like before braising.

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This is the “after” photo. Notice how the sauce reduced and thickened (it’s so good poured over steamed white rice!).

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Serve with hot white rice (don’t forget the sauce, too) and ENJOY!

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No Tomato Chili

My family loves chili. Chili with rice, chili dogs, chili with Frito’s corn chips, or Chili with Doritos chips — you name it, we love it.

Lately, however, I’ve noticed that I get heartburn when I eat foods that contain too much tomatoes, and most chili recipes (mine included) are tomato-based.

I created this recipe for two specific reasons. First, I wanted to create a tomato-less chili recipe to keep the heartburn at bay. Second, as you’ll read below, I wanted to create a healthier recipe that is right in line with my attempt at eating “cleaner”.

You’ll see my basic recipe below, but scroll down a bit for some ingredient substitutions that make this a better choice when you feel like indulging in this, a typically UNhealthy (but oh-so-delicious) menu option.

Give my recipe a try, and if you can, swap out the usual ingredients for the healthier options. I think you’ll like it, and your body will thank you for it too. 😉

No Tomato Chili

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds ground beef *(see note 1 below)
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt (more or less, to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 2 roasted poblano chilies, diced
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour *(see note 2 below)
  • 1 box (32 ounces) chicken stock *(see note 3 below)
  • 3 cans (15 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed *(see note 4 below)
  • 3/4 cup tomatillo salsa
  • Optional:  2 smoked chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped
  • Optional:  1 tablespoon chipotle flavored Tabasco sauce
  • Optional:  1/4 cup sour cream *(see note 5 below)

*Ingredient Substitutions for a Healthy Version of my Chili Recipe:

Note 1:  Instead of ground beef, opt for ground turkey, or boneless, skinless chicken breast. Look for free-range chickens (and turkeys too, for that matter) if you can find it (read more about this below).

If you have a husband like mine who prefers ground beef chili, buy good quality beef that’s relatively low in fat.

An even better choice is to buy grass-fed beef, if you can find any in your grocery store. Cows that are NOT grass-fed are typically fed a mixture of grains and animal byproducts. Now what cows do you know of that naturally feeds on animals? The photo below shows an example of a label for grass-fed beef. There is a stamp on the label that states it was inspected and passed by the USDA.  You should also look for a USDA Organic stamp on the label. Most importantly, in addition to seeing “Grass Fed” on the label, you should also see that there are no antibiotics, hormones or preservatives in the meat.

Note 2:  I’m not gluten-intolerant, but for the next few weeks, I’m going gluten-free AND corn-free. If you recall my recipe for Beer Chili, I add crushed corn tortilla chips to serve as both a flavoring as well as a thickening agent.  I had to figure out what type of non-wheat or non-corn flour would serve the purpose of thickening the chili without adding contrasting/offending flavors. 

This substitution nixes the all-purpose flour and tortilla chips and uses stone-ground rice flour instead.  The rice flour thickens the chili nicely without masking the traditional chili flavors.

Note 3: The best chicken stock in my view is homemade stock…if you have the time to make some, that is. I’m usually looking for time-savers in the kitchen, so I buy chicken stock most of the time. This substitution calls for organic chicken stock made from free-range chickens. Like grass-fed beef, free-range chickens are just that–chickens allowed to roam free and eat what they naturally eat, not a feed mixture that also usually contains animal byproducts, hormones and antibiotics.

Look for broth that is low in sodium. You also want to see that USDA Ogranic stamp on the packaging.

I’m a big fan of reading ingredient labels too. Not all organic and free-range broths are all that healthy. Most contain added sugar (to compensate for the decreased sodium). I’ve also found several brands that claim to be organic, but when you read the ingredient list, there is not one (or very few) ingredient that is organic! This is what you should see when you turn the box over and read the ingredient list. Organic…organic…organic…and no sugar added.

Note 4:  Now there’s not much you can do to substitute pinto beans, aside from choosing to soak and cook dry beans or buying canned beans. Remember when I stated earlier that I’m all for saving time in the kitchen? Well, that means soaking and cooking dried beans are out–I buy canned beans all the time.

The substitution I’m advocating for here is to look for cans that claim to have a Non-BPA lining. This photo shows what I’m talking about.

BPA is the common acronym for the industrial chemical, bisphenol A, found in thousands of commercial products. BPA has been linked with reproductive problems, brain impairments, cancer, obesity and more. Eliminating exposure to BPA is probably not possible, but you can take measures to reduce your exposure.

For example, rinse food (like canned beans) from cans before eating or cooking. Choose ceramic, glass or other microwave-friendly dishes, instead of plastic. Don’t use plastic containers with recycle codes 3 or 7 (look on the bottom of the container for the number) and look for (and don’t use) plastic bottles with scratches on them.

 

Note 5:  Adding sour cream is completely optional in this recipe.  I do like the tang that you get by adding sour cream.  To go (cow) dairy free, substitute with sheep’s milk plain yogurt, or omit the sour cream altogether.

 

I hope I didn’t scare you off trying my recipe. It’s really delicious even if you DON’T make these substitutions, I promise!

With these 5 simple substitutions, you can turn this recipe into a healthy version of traditional chili.  At the risk of being repetitively redundant (get it? 🙂 ), give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

 

Directions:

1.  Place a large pot over medium high heat.  Add the ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken pieces).

2.  Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, sea salt and black pepper to the pot.

3.  Stir well; cook until the meat is browned.

4.  Add the onions to the pot; stir to combine the ingredients.

5.  Cook until the onions are translucent.  Add the garlic to the pot; stir to combine the ingredients.  Cook for about a minute.

6.  Add the flour to the pot.  Stir to thoroughly mix the flour into the meat mixture.

7.  Pour the chicken stock into the pot, stirring the mixture as you add the liquid.  Turn the heat up to high.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally.  The mixture will thicken as it cooks.

8.  While the chili is cooking, roast the poblano chilies.  I just place the peppers over one of the burners on my gas stove.

9.  Rotate the pepper as it grills to ensure even cooking.

***Don’t do what I did and forget to peel off the charred skin! Or, you can forget, like I did, but then you’ll be fishing blackened pepper skin out of your chili. 😉

To remove the charred skin, let the peppers cool slightly.  After the peppers cool, use a damp paper towel to rub the charred skin off the peppers.

10.  Cut the peppers in strips, lengthwise, then dice them into small pieces.

11.  Add the peppers to the pot.  If you want to add the optional chipotle peppers and chipotle Tabasco, add them to the pot now.

12.  Add the drained and rinsed beans to the pot.

13.  Stir in the tomatillo salsa.

Note:  I bought a jar of organic tomatillo salsa for this recipe, but you can make your own from scratch.

14.  Place a lid on the pot.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Cook for about 5 more minutes.

15.  The chili should be nice and thick by now.  Stir in the optional sour cream (note that I did NOT add any sour cream to the chile pictured in this recipe).  Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings and salt to your liking.

Serve with rice (I opted for brown rice) or chips and ENJOY!

 

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Chicken pot pie is a favorite in my family.  There’s something about the tender chicken, delicious vegetables and cream sauce that makes us happy-happy-happy.  My favorite part of chicken pot pies, however, is the crust.  Sometimes I go the extra mile and make a homemade crust, but lately I’ve taken to using frozen puff pastry.  You can also substitute the puff pastry with biscuits (find my homemade biscuit recipe here).  Just top the filling with cut out biscuit dough and bake as directed below.

Rather than bake up individual pies, I make it casserole-style, baked in a 9×13″ pan and topped with the puff pastry.

Give my recipe a try.  I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 small bag baby carrots
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons powdered chicken seasoning (or you can use 3 bouillon cubes)
  • 1 small bag frozen peas (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 sheets puff pastry
  • 2 egg whites

Directions:

1. Place a large pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and chicken to the pot. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the pot; set aside.

2. In the same pot used to cook the chicken, add the onions, carrots and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent.

3. Add the mushrooms to the pot; cook until the mushrooms begin to soften.

4. Add the chicken back into the pot.

5. Stir in the flour.

6. Mix the water with the chicken seasoning then pour into the pot (or you can just add the seasoning or bouillon to the pot and pour in the water). Stir the chicken mixture as you pour the water into the pot to prevent clumping.

7. Add the half-and-half. Stir to combine the ingredients.

8. Cook for 15 minutes or until the mixture slightly thickens.

9. Add the peas to the pot.

NOTE: We forgot to add the peas when we made this last night (oops!), but this is the step where you’d do so. 🙂

Add the black pepper.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  If you like it more salty, add more chicken seasoning.

10. Pour the chicken mixture into a 9X13 pan.

11. Top the chicken mixture with the puff pastry sheets. Cut off any excess puff pastry.

12. Lightly beat the egg whites. Brush the top of the puff pastry with the beaten egg whites.

13. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown (I baked this for a few more minutes so that the puff pastry was a deeper golden brown than what’s shown in the photo below.)

14. Let the pot pie cool for about 5 minutes before cutting.

Serve and ENJOY!

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