Thanksgiving Stuffing...Cuban style!

This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe found in an ancient 1950's Cuban cookbook by Nitza Villapol called "Cocina Criolla."  I actually bought the edition that's being sold on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cocina-Criolla-Nitza-Villapol/dp/0681265558, but it's missing this recipe.  My mother would always reference this book whenever she made certain dishes, and Cuban women of her generation all knew Villapol as she could be likened to the Julia Child of Cuba.  

These days Thanskgiving is usually celebrated at my sister's house, with all of the major dishes split up amongst different relatives.  I have been making this particular stuffing since I was in high school, as it is usually my assigned job.  A few other people have tried to duplicate this stuffing, but supposedly it doesn't come out the same way.  I think it's just an excuse to not have to chop all those veggies, which is the most intense thing about making this dish.  Here's the recipe so you can give it a whirl.  

Below is my version which I am making for a HUGE Thanksgiving celebration with about 30-40 people, so if you're making it for a much smaller group you'll have to shrink the recipe accordingly.

Ingredients:

4 bags of Pepperidge farms bread cubes (2 cubed, 2 crushed)

4 sticks of unsalted butter

4 tablespoons of olive oil

3 pounds of ham (ground in a food processor, low sodium, any type of non-sweet ham.  I used Serrano for this recipe)

1 bottle of pear nectar

4 cups of milk (any kind will work)

1 bottle of pear nectar (if you can't find any, use unfiltered apple juice)

4 apples ( a sweet variety, these were gala) these were peeled and chopped into large cubes the size of dice.

1 cup of raisins

8 oz slivered almonds without the skin (I'm actually allergic to almonds  and sometimes leave it out)

4 onions finely diced

8-10 carrots finely diced

6 stalks of celery finely diced

1 1/2 heads of garlic finely chopped

***Salt, pepper, garlic powder (only as needed, I didn't have to add any as I thought the seasoning in the bread cubes and salt content of the ham was perfect.)

I needed to use two large pots to cook this amount of stuffing.  After I finished cooking it, I let it cool down, and then loaded the stuffing into 4 large gallon freezer bags which I labeled and placed flat in the freezer so I could transport it to Miami (a four hour drive from Orlando).  

In each pot I poured two tablespoons of olive oil and one stick of butter. And let the butter melt over low heat while I chopped all the veggies in a food processor.  I divided all of the veggies (onions, garlic, carrots, celery) evenly between the two pots, and raised the heat to medium to sauté until the onions were translucent.  As the veggies cooked, I noticed the pot was looking dry so I added half of a stick of butter to each pot.  I then cut up the ham in large cubes, ground the ham in the food processor, and split it evenly between the two pots.  I then added the raisins to both pots, and began peeling and chopping the apples into large cubes and added it to the pots.  

I stir the mixtures in both pots, and add the remaining sticks of butter evenly to both pots.  I do. Not allow the apples to cook very much, as I want them to keep some of their density.  I then add the almonds (these are optional, I usually don't add the as I am allergic to almonds).  

Now it's time to add the bread cubes (one bag of crushed and one bag of cubed to each pot).  I mix the bread and the ham mixture together with a very heavy wooden spoon, and begin adding equal parts milk and pear nectar.  The amounts of liquid mentioned above are only estimates as you're looking for a particular consistency to the stuffing.  I know this sounds gross, but the consistency you want is that of raw meatball or meatloaf mix...really dense , and the breaking should have absorbed all of the liquid and have melded with the meat and veggie mixture.  Some yars I feel as though I'm over doing it with the nectar  and milk, or it just tastes too sweet or too salty, so I will sometimes replace the liquid with water.  You will need to just taste a lot during this last step, this would also be a great time to check the seasoning of your mixture and add any salt, pepper, garlic powder that you feel is necessary.

Turkey Zucchini Greek-style Tacos

So what do you make when the AC is busted, and the temperature in your home is 90 degrees?  No, you don't start a boy band, you make these Greek-esque tacos.  

For t sauce:

1 English cucumber peeled, seeded, and finely diced or shredded

1 cup of unflavored yogurt (you can use low fat or Greek style)

6-8 cloves of garlic finely minced (you can increase or decrease the garlic)

Kosher salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Fresh dill finely chopped (this can be optional)

Combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour (overnight preferred).

For the filling:

1 LB ground turkey or chicken

2 zucchini diced

1 onion finely diced

1 tomato finely diced

1 tbsp Olive oil

2 tbsp garlic powder

1tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1/4 cup white wine

*1 tsp dried oregano (optional)

*lemon juice (optional)

In a large sauté pan heated to medium-high heat add olive oil and sauté the onions, zucchini, and tomato.  As vegetables become soft add spices and stir.  As the veggies start to change color, push to side of pan, raise heat to high, and add turkey or chicken.  Allow meat to brown, and then stir with vegetables. Continue to stir, and drop heat to medium, and add wine.  Cover, and allow to cook for about five to ten minutes. After this time,check to make sure meat is cooked, turn off heat and add lemon juice.  

Serve in a flour tortilla, garnished with fresh tomato slices, and tsatziki sauce.

Cuban Style Lentils with Smoked Pork

Yummy lentils are super quick to cook in a pressure cooker and one serving provides 15% of your needed amount of iron and 8grams of protein.

Chicken Florentine

I remember a million years ago when I was a kid Italian restaurants would carry a dish called Chicken Florentine...essentially it was fettuccini Alfredo tossed with spinach and grilled chicken.  It's probably not very Italian, but it is really good. I think the last time I had it, or even seen it on a menu was probably early 2000.  Today I decided to make it, and damn was it good.  If even say it was the best pasta fish I have EVER made, aside from my awesome pea pesto spaghetti.

Ground chicken quesadilla & chopped salad

The salad has a base of spring mix (50% spinach 50% spring mix) with various veggies on top.  Today I put some diced tomato, diced cucumber, diced onion, and corn.  I also added sliced hard boiled egg and a swirl of Rooster sauce.  

The quesadilla had some leftover ground chicken that I had cooked the night before with some chili powder, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.  I also added diced onion and green bell peppers and a bit of BBQ sauce.  

I warmed up two corn tortillas in a pan, and added a tbsp of shredded reduced fat cheese added the leftover meat and some spinach leaves and more cheese.  I topped this with the other tortilla.  I allowed the cheese to melt and flipped the quesadilla.  unfortunately the non stick coating in my pan has worn out so my quesadilla got stuck and somewhat fell apart, but it was amazing nonetheless.   I cut it in half and served with the salad.

You can also drizzle any dressing you like or top with salsa and sour cream.

Ridiculously easy Granola and it's low-fat too!

I found the inspiration for this recipe from this Bon a petit recipe.  However, I've made quite a few changes that reduce the fat and sugar content.  

www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/06/everyday_granola

Ingredients:

• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cashews
• 3 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

**original recipe calls for pecans, but I only had cashews on hand, and these are lower in fat anyway.  Also, recipe called for unsweetened coconut, which unless you want to make a special trip to Whole Foods or an Asian grocery it is per hard to find.  So I didn't add it, and you know what, coconut is about ten grams of ft per serving....so that also lowers the fat content as well.

• 
  

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Mix first 7 ingredients in large bowl. 
  
  
  Stir honey and oil in saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; toss. 
  
  
  Spread on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 25-30 minutes. 
  
  
  Store in airtight container.
  
  

1 serving=1/4 cup (20 servings per batch). Nutrition info is below (I calculated it using spark people).

**Original recipe says to add 1cup of any dried fruit after the granola cools, I did not (this decreases the sugar content quite a bit.  However, if you go for the fruit I still think 1 cup is over kill. Try 1/3 cup of craisins, raisins or chopped dates instead.

Original recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/06/everyday_granola#ixzz2ZobtGP00

Before placing granola in oven:

After taking granola out of oven:

This was after 25 mins stirring every ten minutes.

And now for the food porn...

Verdict...it is super tasty and crunchy.  You can eat it solo, sprinkle over yogurt, or make your own fancy breakfast cereal and mix it it with Cheerios or cornflakes.

1 serving=1/4 cup (20 servings per batch)

I

Peach and cream cheese stuffed waffles

Freshly made waffles with cream cheese and fresh peaches.  This would be even better had the cream cheese been sweetened with some honey.

Thai Peanut Chicken in the slow cooker

I have been thinking a lot about my schedule for this coming school year.  I will be working at a middle school and commuting with my husband so I will no longer be the first one home at around 3 PM, now I might not be home until around 5 PM.  So I have started researching freezing meals and slow cooker meals.  I am very familiar with using the slow cooker, and usually prepare whatever needs to go in the pot the night before, place it in the slow cooker sleeve, cover it in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.  Then I just pop the whole thing into the slow cooker, add the lid, and set to cook for the whole day.

This particular recipe was taken and adapted from this blog: "365 Days of Slow Cooker by: Stephanie O'Dea" http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/02/easy-peanut-butter-chicken-slow-cooker.html

A nice blog where the writer cooked at least one item each night using her slow cooker.  She has done everything from chicken nuggets to desserts in a slow cooker.  Worth checking out if you find yourself doing the same research.

For my version here were the ingredients I used:

4 chicken thighs with bones and skin

4 chicken legs with bones and skin

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup of water

Drizzle of sesame oil

1/4 cup of lemon juice

Generous squirt of rooster sauce

Cumin, garlic powder, and pepper (1 tbsp each, or more to your taste)

3/4 cup of peanut butter (I intended to use crunchy...but realized all I had was Peter Pan my husband bought on sale.)

1 large onion in large chunks

2 red bell peppers cut in large chunks

1/2 green bell pepper diced (I don't like eating large chunks of green bell pepper, but do like the flavor)

Cover and cook for 6 hours on high in the slow cooker.  Serve over steamed rice with steamed broccoli or other veggie (I always have frozen broccoli on hand)

*****If I had fresh garlic I would have also added a few cloves of crushed garlic

*****Next time I would use boneless/skinless thighs and real peanut butter, because the spread looks crumbly.

**maybe add Chopped cashews to sprinkle on top (the only nuts I have on hand)

Eggs in a basket

These take some time to make, but look so cute they'll cheer anyone up.

You'll need really thick bread slices.  I'm using this lively bread I bought at a Chinese bakery.  It's soft and yet strong enough to support the weight of the egg.

Cut a round hole in the center if each slice.  I used a small cup, you can get fancy and use a small cookie or biscuit cutter.

Spray pan with olive oil and add a tsp of butter or margarine.  Add slices of bread and their centers too!

Crack one egg into each hole.

Immediately cover with lid and drop heat to medium low heat.  Once the holes look brown you'll want to carefully flip the slices.  Once you flip turn off the heat and sprinkle with any desired toppings (cheese and bacon crumbles would be great). Cover again until cheese just starts to melt and serve.  Cheese will continue to melt outside of pan.