Cuban for Dinner

My family of picky eaters fell in love with Cuban food last year. From black beans and rice, plantains,  to traditional Cubano sandwiches, we love our Cuban. Imagine my surprise when a friend shared a recipe for Cuban pork that looked easy for this culinarily-challenged gal to make.

I popped the roast in the oven when I realized I had not read the instructions far enough to know it was (originally) a crockpot recipe. Looking down the barrel of a 6 o’clock dinner time I knew that was not happening. It was probably a good thing because the aroma of  the cooking roast was irrestible.  Be forewarned–your entire home will fill with the most exotic sweet citrus aroma. Do not be surprised if all the neighbors find their way to your door!

The original recipe appeared in November 2009’s  issue of Food Network Magazine and is called Slow-roasted Pork with Citrus and Garlic. My adaption skips the 48  hours of marinating and leaves out a few ingredients since  I used what I had on hand. If you’re a by-the-book cook ,you’ll want to check out their recipe. If you’re more like me, you’ll love playing around with this recipe and adding more or less of some spices and throwing in a few of your favorites to create your own signature version.

Citrus Pork

1 large Boston butt pork shoulder

For Rub:
10 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons of either dried or fresh oregano, 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh or dried thyme, 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, 4 bay leaves (fresh or dried), 2 tablespoons Sea Salt, 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper.

For Marinade:
Juice of 2 oranges with halves reserved, juice of 4 lemons with halves reserved, juice of 2 limes, 1/4 cup Worcestershire, 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3 onions thinly sliced.

*Place roast in a large roasting pan.

*Grind the garlic, oregano, thyme, cumin, bay leaves, salt, and pepper together. No fancy kitchen gadget? Chop up the garlic and herbs (if you used fresh) then mix with salt and pepper.

* Make cuts into the pork and rub your ‘rub’ in.

* Cut all the lemons, limes, and oranges in half and squeeze the juices into a bowl. Set your citrus halves aside for later. Pour in the Worcestershire and olive oil and stir. Pour over your roast.

* Thinly slice one onion and put rings on roast.

* Cook covered with aluminum foil in a 350 degree oven for an hour. After an hour add remaining sliced onions to top of roast and several of your citrus halves around it. Take foil off at this point and continue cooking for another 30 to 45 minutes or until meat is nice and brown and done all the way through.

If you have leftovers this will freeze wonderfully in a Zip-loc freezer bag for another dinner or lunch.

Chicken and Rice Wraps

(Kellie’s Note: I found this recipe online years ago. I love chicken and rice wraps for their simplicity and huge yield (66 wraps!). My children, ages 3 to 14, give this recipe high marks.  I wish I knew who to give credit to but I long sense lost the web address.)

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded, 2 cups water,1 cup mild salsa,1 package taco seasoning mix, 2 cups uncooked instant rice, 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese, 8-12 flour tortillas. (I use 66 small tortillas)
In a skillet or saucepan combine chicken, water, salsa, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Add rice. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. Spoon mixture into center of tortillas, sprinkle with cheese and wrap.

To freeze: wrap each folded tortilla in aluminum foil and place in a 1 gallon freezer bag.

To serve: Reheat in oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Great as a snack, lunch, or dinner when served with salad. Additional tip: if you get tired of making wraps, fill a casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese and it’s a great casserole.

Ground Turkey Burgers

Lori Lauth
2 lbs ground turkey, 2 small grated zucchinis, 1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup minced red onion, 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 1/2 tablespoon salt, grated lemon peel.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Form into 8 patties. Wrap each patty in wax paper and place patties in a 1 gallon freezer bag. To cook: grill and serve.

Taco Soup

Loi Palmer, April 2005 MMCW
4 lb ground chuck, 1 large chopped onion, 2 cans northern beans, 2 cans kidney beans, 2 cans corn, 2 cans Rotel, 2 medium cans stewed tomatoes, 1 can green beans, 1 small can chopped black olives, 2 large cans tomato sauce, 1 package taco seasoning mix, 2 packages Ranch dressing mix (powder), 1 cup water.

Brown ground beef and onions. Drain off fat. Mix all other ingredients with beef and onions. Simmer on low for 45 minutes. Serve with sour cream and grated cheese.

Chicken Divan

Lori Lauth
1 can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, 1 lb. boiled and cubed chicken breast, 2 large bags frozen broccoli, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 can cream of mushroom soup.
Layer cooked broccoli in casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients, except bread crumbs. Put chicken mixture on top of broccoli. Sprinkle bread crumbs. Freeze. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncover the last 10 minutes. Serves 10.

Chicken Fried Rice

Lori Lauth
1 (12 oz) long-grain white rice, 2 tablespoons Oriental sesame oil, 1 lb chicken breasts cooked and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion, 2 teaspoons pared and minced fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1 medium zucchini, 1 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper, 1 cup snow peas, 9 spears of asparagus, 2 eggs, 5 tablespoons soy sauce.

Advanced Prep: Cook chicken in large pot of water the night before. Cut cooked chicken into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook rice the night before. Store chicken and rice in separate containers in the refrigerator until ready to prepare. Chop onions and red bell pepper. Mince ginger root and garlic. Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch pieces. Remove strings from snow peas and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut asparagus spears into 1/2 inch pieces.

Preparation: Cook onions, ginger, garlic and pepper flakes in 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil. Cook over medium high heat for two minutes. Add zucchini, bell pepper, snow peas and asparagus. Cook, stirring frequently 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are just softened. In separate pan, scramble eggs. Stir eggs, chicken, and vegetable mixture into rice. Stir in soy sauce. Put into labeled freezer bag, seal, and freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Heat in medium-hot skillet with 2 teaspoons oil. Cook stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serves 6.

Chicken Packets

Lori Lauth
2 lbs. cooked and chopped chicken, 2 (3 oz) packages of softened cream cheese, 3 tablespoons chopped chives, 1/4 cup milk, 1 cup crushed seasoned crouton crumbs, 4 packages refrigerated crescent rolls, 1/2 cup melted margarine, salt and pepper to taste.

Mix chicken, cream cheese, chives, milk and salt in a medium bowl (mixing with hands works best) to make filling. Store in a 1-quart freezer bag. Put crouton crumbs in another 1-quart bag, attach it to the bag of chicken filling with tape. Freeze. Refrigerate crescent rolls.

To prepare for serving, thaw chicken mixture and crouton crumbs. Unroll crescent rolls. Each tube will contain 4 rectangles of dough with a diagonal perforation. Press dough along each perforation so the rectangle halves will not separate. Place about 1/4 cup of chicken mixture into the center of each rectangle. Fold dough over the filling and pinch the edges to seal tightly. Dip each packet in melted margarine and coat with the crouton crumbs. Place packets on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Packets are good either hot or cold. Serve early in the month before date expires on crescent rolls. Serves 8.

French Stew

Lori Lauth
3 lbs beef stew meat, 1 (10 3/4 oz) can beef consomme, 3 large peeled and sliced carrots, 1 (16 oz) can drained whole green beans, 1 (8 1/2 oz) can drained whole onions, 1 (16 oz) can drained small peas, 1 (16 oz) can peeled tomatoes, 1 cup water, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup minute tapioca, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs, 1 bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Mix ingredients in a large covered pot. Bake in 250 degree oven for 6 to 8 hours or in a large crock pot for 8 to 10 hours on low. Allow to cool. Put in freezer container and freeze.

To prepare for serving, thaw stew and heat until bubbly in a large pot. Serves 8.

Mexican Stroganoff

Lori Lauth
2 lbs round steak, 1 cup finely chopped onions, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup chili sauce, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 (8 oz) can mushroom stems and pieces drained, 1 (8 oz) sour cream or low-fat yogurt, 3 tablespoons all purpose flour, 1 package (12 oz) wide egg noodles.

Cut steak into bite-size pieces. Cook and stir steak, onion, and garlic in oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until brown. Drain off oil. Stir vinegar, water, chili sauce, paprika, chili powder, seasoned salt, soy sauce, and mushrooms into steak mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour until meat is tender. Cool and store in a freezer container.

To prepare for serving: thaw meat mixture and heat in saucepan until bubbly. Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Stir sour cream or low-fat yogurt and flour together; combine with stroganoff. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer and stir about 1 minute. Serve stroganoff over noodles. Serves 8.

Maple Glazed Salmon

2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, 4 (6 oz) salmon filets (about 1 inch thick).

Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl. Freeze glaze in a container. Freeze salmon.

Thaw salmon and glaze. Place salmon skin side down on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush with maple mixture. Broil 10 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serves 4.

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