Mexi Pasta Salad

July 25, 20161 Comment

I am always on the hunt for a good summer cookout side. There are only so many times a person can make a great Potato Salad before you feel like you have potato salad coming out your ears! I have always enjoyed a good pasta salad though. So, I made it my mission this summer to perfect a great pasta salad and by golly, I think I got it… In fact, I know I got it.

This pasta salad is something different, out of the box and packed with fresh ingredients and delicious flavors all marrying to become one heck of a side dish. I served it at a cookout just yesterday along-side some BBQ chicken and grilled Montreal Steak. But, I can totally see it with some Southwest Turkey Burgers or even just topped with some fresh avocado and Grilled Shrimp or chicken.

The trick is not to gobble it all up before you get it to the party! I call it “Mexi Pasta Salad” because although I am pretty sure there isn’t an Abuela in Mexico throwing this together, it gives a good solid nod to the flavors of Mexico. With all your basic taco toppings thrown in and some cumin to spice things up, this salad is not your run of the mill deli get.

Add salt to a good size pot… a pot larger than you think you need for the pasta if possible.

Campanelle Pasta is what I am using today, you can really use any type of pasta for this.

Be sure to stir the pasta a few times throughout the cooking process to ensure nothing sticks together.

Here are some of the fresh ingredients you will need.

Some halved grape tomatoes.

Dice up that jalapeno into a nice small dice after removing seeds and ribs. (Unless you like a kick, then you can leave in as much of the innards as you like haha)

Dice up the bell pepper (any color is fine, I like red for it’s sweetness and color)

Once you dice up half your red (it’s really purple, I never understood why we call them red onions) pepper be sure to soak them in water for a bit to take out that onion tang that makes you cry, it’s a bit too strong for a pasta salad.

Roughly chop up half a bunch of cilantro.

Roughly chop a can of black olives. You can use freshly brined black olives if you like, but there is just something about the canned variety I like here.

Now for the little to no prep ingredients… Start with about 3/4 of a bag of frozen corn… If you happen to have fresh, please use that, I didn’t have any handy.

Rinse out a can of black beans.

Drain your pasta… I cook mine just past aldente. Also, I did not feel like having to wash another bowl, so my extra-large pot (Magic Pot from Pampered Chef) was perfect for mixing everything in together!

In a small mixing bowl, add in 1 cup of may.

To that, add about 1/2 cup of sour cream. This may seem like a lot of moisture, but we are adding a lot to this pasta.

Now the zest of one lime.

You could add in the juice of the lime, but I find the zest strikes just the perfect balance and the juice is really not needed… Save the juice for your Blueberry Mojito!

Next add in about 1/2 tsp of ground cumin.

Now a good pinch of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Mix your dressing.

Add corn.

Add beans.

Add dressing.

Drain onions and add in.

Add your chopping block stuff.

Mix together.

And for some extra crunch, add in half a diced english cucumber. If you prefer to use a cuke from your garden, just be sure to seed it first to reduce water content.

Mexi Pasta Salad

Serves 10-15 as a side

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta, cooked in salted water

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced small

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, diced and soaked in water, then drained

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 English cucumber, diced

1 can black olives, drained and roughly chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 bag frozen corn or 2 ears fresh corn grilled

For the dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

zest of 1 lime

1/2 tsp. cumin

kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare all ingredients as stated in ingredient list. Drain pasta. In a small bowl mix together mayo, sour cream, cumin, zest, salt and pepper.

Add dressing to pasta. Add beans, corn, both peppers, drained onion, tomatoes, cilantro, cucumbers and black olives. Mix well. Taste for salt. Pour into serving bowl and chill at least 2 hours.

Quick Mexican Black Beans

February 15, 2016

I love Portuguese food, after all I am 100% Portuguese born and raised. But, I would have to say a close second to my love of Portuguese food is Mexican. I love the combinations of flavors and their savory smokey aspects. Having Portuguese cooking as a good solid background makes it not so difficult to switch into the kitchens of our neighbors to the south.

This recipe is a bit of a short cut from soaking and boiling beans that is usually a good 24 hour process for me. I don’t always have time for all that when I am looking to put dinner on the table. A well stocked pantry should always contain a few cans of beans and I love to have black beans in there ready to go.

In this recipe, you will need a couple of fresh ingredients, but mostly you will be looking to your pantry! It’s a great last-minute side or it can even be made into a great main dish, just double the recipe and add in some steak, shredded chicken or pork and serve over rice!

Chop 1/2 an onion.

These are sweet peppers, the come in a big bag at my grocery store. If you can’t find these, you can always use a red, orange or yellow bell pepper.

Treat them just like any other pepper, start with chopping off the top and removing the seeds.

Then dice.

Use two garlic cloves.

With my Pampered Chef garlic press, I don’t even have to peel them.

Just pop it in and squeeze!

Now you will need a can of black beans, do not drain! I know, it sounds odd, but you need all that liquid.

Use one cap full of apple cider vinegar.

Saute the onions in a small sauce pan.

Add in the peppers.

Once onions and peppers have started to soften, you can add in garlic. You don’t want to do this too soon to avoid burning the garlic.

Use about a half a teaspoon of oregano

And about 1/8 teaspoon of Portuguese Allspice… if you don’t have this, use a good sweet paprika.

Add in water.

Stir in everything, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until peppers are cooked through.

Your liquid should be reduced a bit at this point.

Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Quick Mexican Black Beans

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, undrained

1/2 medium onion, chopped

5-6 small sweet peppers, seeded and chopped (or half a bell pepper)

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves, run through a press

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp Portuguese allspice

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil to saute vegetables

chopped scallions (optional)

Instructions:

Saute onions and peppers in a small sauce pan in olive oil over medium heat. When tender, add in garlic, saute another minute and add in oregano and allspice. Saute another minute to bloom the spices. Add in beans, water and vinegar. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until peppers are cooked through and some of the liquid has dissipated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice and garnish with fresh chopped scallions if desired. Enjoy!

*This recipe is gluten-free.

Portuguese Bean Soup (Molho de Feijão)

September 30, 2015September 30, 2015

This amazingly creamy and hearty soup was one of my Vavó Olinda’s specialties! She would always make a batch of this at the same time as she made a batch of Feijão Assado (Portuguese Baked Beans). The soup would always get eaten up first and then all week long, the baked beans were there to enjoy… I’ve never been able to decide which one I prefer more, but I can tell you I love them both. My Vavó passed away in 2007, she was 93 years old and sharp as a whip and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her and think about all the wonderful time we had together shopping and cooking, eating and talking, and just spending quality time with one another. I was truly blessed to have the special connection I had with my Vavó and this is one of those recipes that brings her right back to me. Funny how food does that.

My Vavó always referred to this soup as Molho de Feijão although many refer to it as Sopa de Feijão. Whatever you like to call it, it’s a simple recipe really. Under 10 ingredients, no soaking of beans, no special tools needed. The creaminess comes from the combination of the pasta, potatoes and beans, no milk at all. A bowl of this soup and a nice fresh Portuguese Pop-seco bread roll is all you need for a hearty lunch or even dinner. It freezes beautifully, so I highly suggest making the full batch even if it is too much for your size family.

Here is your bag of beans. Any white bean will do it, but my Vavó always prefered the smallest bean available.

I wash the beans twice… The first rinse in a strainer just to get out any dirt that might be left behind.

Then I get a pot going with some water…

Pour the beans in…

and agitate them with my hand to reveal any stray pebbles or bad beans, I pick them out and carefully pour the water out leaving the beans in the pot… The water usually takes with it anything I missed in the first rinsing.

Then I fill the pot again with water and set over high heat on the stove.

While the pot is starting to heat up on the stove, I chop up one onion into a fairly small dice.

Add that onion into the pot.

Crush, peel and mince two cloves of garlic.

Then add that into the pot.

Bring the water to a boil and cover and turn the flame down to the point where the water is at a gentle boil. DO NOT ADD SALT.

While the pot is set to simmer for a couple of hours you can prepare your ingredients… 5-6 potatoes.

Peeled and washed.

Diced into a relatively small dice.

1/2 lb. of chouriço. This is hot Portuguese Chouriço.

Peel and slice.

After a couple of hours on the stove, this is what you get… Do not stop boiling until your beans are to this point of tenderness. If you look closely you will see many of them are starting to bust open.

At this point you can add salt.

Add in your potatoes.

Add in your chouriço.

Add in a couple of tablesspoons of ground red pepper. BE CAREFUL here. I put in a couple of tablespoons because as you can see, my pepper is mostly lacking seeds, if you have a spicier version of this pepper, reduce the amount, more can always be added at the end, but once it’s there, you can’t take it away. Stir this all together and cook for about a half hour until the potatoes are fork tender.

Now add in your pasta and stir. My Vavó loved the small shells in this soup, and so that is what I am using today. However, you could also use a Dilatini. Something short and hearty, but still fine. An elbow is a bit too much.

You want to over cook the pasta here… this is not a place for al-dente… After about another half an hour, this is what you should see…

Add in half a small can of tomato sauce. Taste for salt and you are done.

Portuguese Bean Soup (Molho de Feijão)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 16oz. package dry white Navy Beans, rinsed and picked through

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves, garlic, crushed and minced

1/2 lb. Hot Portuguese Chouriço, peeled and sliced

5-6 medium potatoes, peeled, diced

1/2 package small shells pasta

1/2 8oz. can tomato sauce

2 Tbs. ground red pepper (wet)

1 Tbs. kosher salt, plus more to taste

Directions:

Fill a large pot about 3/4 with water. Add in dry beans, onion and garlic. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 1 1/2 -2 hours until beans are very tender. Most of your water will have evaporated, refill the water. Add in chouriço, potatoes salt and red pepper. Bring back to a boil and cover, cook for about 30 more minutes until potatoes are good and tender. Add in pasta, cook for an additional 30 minutes. Add in tomato sauce and taste for salt. Serve with fresh bread… Enjoy!

*Note – a gluten free adjustement for this recipe is to either simly omit the pasta or use a gluten free pasta, it will be just as delicious!

5 Bean CrockPot Chili

September 25, 2015September 27, 2015

If you’re looking for something to feed a crowd, won’t break the bank and is easy to prepare, but will still get people super excited this Sunday, 5 Bean CrockPot Chili is the way to go! The weather is cooling down and people are starting their Sunday ritual of gathering around that screen. In homes across America kitchen counter tops start filling with bowls of chips, platters of bite size food and CrockPots full of delicious comfort foods. Chili is at the top of the list in many a home… Afterall football and chili go hand in hand.

Whether you are taking this over to a friend’s house for the game, packing it up for tailgating or serving it up on a snow day this winter… you need to remember to always pick up some fixin’s to add on top! No good chili is complete without the fixin’s…

Let’s get started!

Here is just about everything you will need for this yummy Chili.

Start off by adding the full bottle of beer into your slow cooker. If you can’t have beer, substitute with some beef stock… one 12oz. can will do it.

Salt and pepper! On the left you see kosher salt. On the right one dry Ancho Chili. This gives the chili a real depth of flavor.

Open up your Ancho and remove some of the seeds, it has a lot of seeds, they aren’t all needed here.

You want to rehydrate the pepper in the beer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Here are your dry spices… You are going to add these in with your Ancho so that they can also have a couple minutes to rehydrate.

These measurements don’t need to be exact… although I will list exact measurements in the recipe down below… Here is your cumin.

Cayenne pepper… I put in just a big pinch of this because of cooking for a mixed crowd. With chili I would prefer to supply hot sauce as a topping than have someone not be able to enjoy it because it is too hot for their palate, including my kids.

Smoked paprika is really nice here. (sorry for the fuzziness, don’t know what happened there!)

And last but definitely not least, the chili powder… necessary for any chili!

So your pot should look like this…

Turn your slow cooker to high.

I made Shepard’s pie earlier in the week and browned up a bunch of ground beef… set half of it aside and made less work for myself on this particular Sunday… If you have one of those cool slow cookers that allows you to brown meat or you use my method of having pre-cooked ground beef, then this meal becomes a one pot meal! If not, you should brown up some ground beef in a skillet and add it in here.

Add in some kosher salt.

Mix everything in together and move on to preparing your fresh ingredients.

Dice up your onions.

In this method, it is not necessary to pre cook your onions, however if you are browning your meat same day, it would not hurt to add these into your skillet… But as you can see, I did not turn on my stove for this recipe.

Here is where you control the heat in this dish… You can choose to leave the seeds in your pepper which will significantly increase the heat level in this dish… I was making the chili for a mixed crowd, so I decided to keep the heat low and remove the seeds.

Peel some garlic… no need to chop.

Add in jalapeno and garlic.

I found this bell pepper, isn’t he cute? You’ll want to cut it in half, remove the seeds and stem and chop it up.

From here on you are literally just dumping ingredients in till your slow cooker is all filled up! Two cans of diced tomatoes.

Get a good strainer set over a sink and pour each can of beans in one at a time.

Start by rinsing your Pinto Beans.

Next your cannellini… And this is meant to go in no particular order. Also, you can use whichever beans you like… I chose the ones I chose for a couple of reasons though… I like the creaminess of Pinto and Cannellini… I also like the variety in color.

Black beans are chosen for both color and flavor and they are a very traditional addition to Mexican foods of all kinds.

Add all these into the slow cooker. (It’s already starting to look pretty!)

We are using two kinds of kidney beans, both for color and tradition.

I also like the large red kidney beans here.

Add the kidney beans in and that’s the final addition!

Now we mix… So pretty!

Once everything is well mixed in, cover and cook on high for 8 hours… That’s it.

At this point, check for salt and spice… Add more kosher salt if needed. If you feel it needs more spice add in either a few dashes of hot sauce or cayenne pepper.I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the necessary toppings to this warm bowl of goodness!

You need to have some sour cream at the ready, some cheddar cheese, and some tortilla chips… I also like to have chopped scallions and hot sauce available for people.

And there you have it, Enjoy!

I know my husband did!

5 Bean CrockPot Chili

(serves 8-10 or more – great for a party)

1 1/4 lbs ground beef, browned

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can Pinto beans

1 can Cannellini beans

1 can Black beans

1 can Small Red Kidney beans

1 can Large Red Kidney beans

2 medium onions, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1 dry Ancho chili pepper, seeded

1 bottle Mexican beer

1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled

1 Tbs. kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 Tbs. Chili powder

2 Tbs. Smoked Paprika

1 Tbs. Cumin

1 tsp. Cayenne pepper

Directions:

Soak dry spices including Ancho chili pepper in beer in the slow cooker. Add in all other ingredients. Mix and turn on high for 8 hours.

Fixin’s:

Sour Cream

Tortilla chips

shredded cheddar cheese

chopped scallions (optional)

sliced black olives (optional)

hot sauce

*note – With the swap out of beer for either gluten-free beer or beef stock, this is a completely gluten-free recipe.

Chicken & White Bean Casserole

August 10, 2015

Sometimes you just need to look into your cabinets and freezer and find a meal with what you have on hand. That was the inspiration for this yummy casserole. As a matter of fact, I think that is the inspiration for most casseroles! When you haven’t had a chance to make it out to the market, it’s nice to be able to depend on a well stocked freezer and pantry! This Chicken & White Bean Casserole is something that I made a few weeks ago for precisely that reason.

It’s got all the elements of making everything separately, but you get to just saute and throw it all in a pot. The best part is, it’s ready in under an hour. Every food group is represented here as well… Healthy brown rice for your grain; carrots, onions and kale for your veggies; chicken, white beans and cheese for your protein; and a touch of butter and olive oil for your fat. You also have a warm creamy body to this dish and what every good casserole needs, a crispy crunchy topping!

Start by getting your rice going:

I’m starting with my frozen chicken stock… if you have canned or fresh you can use that too… just be sure you have at least 3 cups.

Once warm add in 2 more cups of warm water to make 5 cups of liquid. Add in rice.

To this add a pinch of salt. Cover and allow to boil while you prepare all your ingredients. This allows time for the rice to cook before you add in ingredients.

Now prepare all your ingredients:

I LOVE these individually wrapped organic chicken breasts and I keep them in my freezer all the time. So great to have on hand. So, I need to defrost before I get going with my veggies… and in warm water, they defrost in about 10 minutes!

Chop an onion.

Slice up some garlic.

Then mince your garlic

Peel and slice up two carrots.

When that chicken has defrosted, dice it up.

Then let it sit with some salt while you saute the veggies.

Now get that non-stick skillet (or cast iron skillet) out:

Start sauteing by adding your onion to some olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Add in your garlic.

Next add in your carrots. Continue to saute a couple of minutes.

Once they are all lightly browned, add them right into the cooking liquid and rice.

Now add your chicken to that same non-stick skillet, no rinsing of the pan is needed… the chicken will pick up the flavors of that onion and garlic.

Add in a Tbs. of butter and continue to saute.

Lightly brown.

Add chicken to rice when rice is nearly done cooking.

Rinse your Cannellini beans.

Add in beans.

Grab 1 Tbs. Italian seasoning mix, rub between your fingers to be sure to activate all the oils in the dried herbs. Also add in another pinch of salt and some fresh cracked black pepper (or white pepper if you prefer)

When your mixture is still wet, but just about all cooked through, get your casserole out.

This is a large casserole dish… No need to butter or anything.

Taste your rice for flavor (add in more salt and pepper if needed) then pour your mixture in and start your topping.

Now, start your topping on that same non-stick skillet:

Again to the un-rinsed skillet, add in kale. Remember, this is about what you have on hand, so if you have spinach, use that (fresh or frozen), if you have escarole use that etc any leafy green will do.

To the kale add in some butter.

Add in cream.

Saute until wilted.

Shred some cheddar cheese. I have white sharp cheddar, you can use whatever cheese you have on hand. A mild cheddar, a parmesan or even a pepper jack would be great here if you don’t mind the heat. Also, if you have extra cheese on hand, an additional cup of cheese would be really great added right into the rice when it gets transferred to the casserole dish.

Add in your cheese.

Melt in all that cheese.

Add your creamy kale to the top of your casserole.

Now cover the top with panko bread crumbs, a light sprinkle of salt and some dabs of butter. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes at 350°F.

Recipe for Chicken & White Bean Casserole:

(serves 6-8)

1 1/2 cups brown rice

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

2 chicken breasts, diced and lightly salted

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion. diced

2 lg. cloves of garlic, minced

1 can Cannellini beans, rinsed

3 cups kale, chopped

4 Tbs. butter, divided

1/2 cup light cream (or 1/2 & 1/2)

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 Tbs. italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Before preparing ingredients, start by boiling chicken stock and water adding a pinch of salt and adding in rice. (Doing this first allows time for the rice to cook before adding in ingredients – as we are using brown rice, it takes about 20 minutes longer than white rice to fully cook through – adjust this time accordingly if you decide to use white rice) Next, start your dicing and mincing of veggies, chicken and shredding of cheese.

Once all your prep is complete, saute onions with olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Add in garlic and carrots. Saute until lightly browned. Add to pot with rice.

Without rinsing the skillet, saute the chicken. Add in 1 Tbs. butter, continue to saute until lightly browned. Add in to pot with rice.

Add in beans and seasoning to pot of rice.

In the same un-rinsed skillet add in kale. Saute with butter, add in cream and cheese.

Once the liquid is almost all incorporated to the rice in the pot (but not quite) add to a casserole dish. Top with kale topping. Then add panko and dabs of butter to the top of that.

Bake 20 mins until top is golden.

Enjoy!

Portuguese Baked Pork and Beans (Feijão Assado)

August 5, 20158 Comments

If ever there was a Portuguese comfort food, Feijão Assado is it for me! This recipe has been passed down in my family for generations and it is something that I come back to time and time again. I have memories throughout my whole life of my Vavó and my Mom making Feijão Assado and Soupa de Feijão (Bean Soup) for family dinners, parties and holiday celebrations. Because the time to initially soak and cook the beans can take some time they would always cook the two together reserving half the beans for the soup and the other half for the baked beans. The Soupa de Feijão recipe is coming this fall, but for now we will focus on this warm, creamy savory comfort food.

I’ve called it Portuguese Baked Pork and Beans instead of just Portuguese Baked Beans because I have made this into the main course for our supper tonight by adding not only salt pork and a little bit of chouriço, but a whole pound of chouriço. My grandmother would never have put an entire pound of chouriço in anything, she always said that chouriço was just added to recipes for the taste. So, as I write out the recipe tutorial I will note the adjustment should you chose to go the traditional route.

This dish and a nice fresh portuguese roll is a filling, balanced and super nutritious meal. However, as I mentioned, you can also bring it as a great party food or pot luck contribution and really get people talking! Often times, if I am throwing a dinner party where I am serving roast pork or pork chops I will make this to go along side. I’ve also known Feijão Assado to make a great breakfast food. Whichever way you decide to make it, try it out soon because it really is a very different way to eat your beans.

I use while nave beans for this recipe because my Vavó always said the smaller the white bean the better. This is your basic one pound package.

Fill a 6 cup bowl about 3/4 of the way with water… this may seem a bit big, but these beans absorb almost all this water over night.

As you can see the beans are way down at the bottom of the bowl. You may be tempted to add salt at this point, avoid that temptation! White beans actually absorb water without salt, not sure why, but they do. You’ll have plenty of time to flavor later.

Cover it up and let stand over night at least 6-8 hours or up to 12 hours.

And there it is… look how they have plumped up!

Now you will want to start this next step with fresh water. So drain off the beans, this also gets rid of any residual dirt… if you want to rinse your beans and pick through, now would be a good time for that as well.

Then, cut a medium onion in half and add it into the water.

Peel three garlic cloves and add those in too… The onions and garlic really flavor the beans while they are cooking, but you are still not adding in salt.

Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once you have a boil going, lower the heat and continue to boil until beans are tender (about an hour and a half).

When beans are tender, shut off the flame. NOW you can finally add in a pinch of salt… not too much, just a pinch.

This is a good view of how tender the beans are. You want them naturally breaking up a bit.

Drain most of the water from the beans. Don’t worry about the onions and garlic, those will melt right into the dish.

You will want to reserve about one cup of the cooking liquid. This will help with keeping the beans moist while baking and it also helps to create the creamy texture.

Add in one small can of tomato sauce.

Salt… Be careful here, my Vavó always said salt adds flavor and it takes it away. So, start with 1/2 tsp and taste after you mix everything together. Both chouriço and the wet red pepper both have salt in them, so you don’t want to over do it. And remember you already added in a pinch.

One good chunk of salt pork or a couple of slices of thick cut bacon (not too smoky) or even pancetta would be nice here. I am adding mine in whole, my grandmother would chop it up, it’s up to you which you would like to do. I think it’s pretty in the center when it comes out of the oven.

One heaping tablespoon of wet red crushed pepper is next… if you only have dry, they just add in half as much.

Now just a pinch of Portuguese All Spice… If you don’t have access to this spice just add in a pinch of sweet paprika and you’ll be ok here.

Mix all together.

I like to peel the skin off my chouriço for easier eating, personal preference.

Slice it up. As I mentioned above, my grandmother would only have added half as much, this is totally up to you. Also, I should note that I am using hot chouriço, you can also use mild and be just fine. The flavor profile is the same save the heat factor.

Add your chourço into your bean mixture.

I bought a set of these beautiful baking dishes the last time I was in Portugal and pain stakingly brought them back to the states with me. It’s made of a traditional Azorean pottery. If you don’t have this dish, you can either use a 9×12″ stoneware dish or any regular baking dish will work.

Pour directly into your baking dish.

As you can see, it still looks pretty soupy, that's perfect.

As you can see, it still looks pretty soupy (like a thick soup), that’s perfect.

Be sure chouriço is evenly distributed. Bake at 375°F for 90 minutes.

Recipe for Portuguese Baked Pork and Beans (Feijão Assado):

(serves 4-6)

1 lb. dry Navy beans, soaked 8-12 hrs.

1 lb. chouriço, peeled and sliced

1 small can tomato sauce

1 onion, peeled and chopped in half.

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 heaping Tbs. wet crushed red pepper (or half the amount of dry)

1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/2 tsp. Portuguese All Spice or paprika

1″ cut of salt pork (or three slices of thick cut bacon, non-smoky flavor)

Directions:

Soak beans over night in plain water.

Drain beans. Cook beans in a soup pot with fresh water, onion and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat. Cook for 90 minutes or until beans are very tender. After cooking is complete, shut off flame add in a pinch of salt and allow to sit covered for about 20 mins.

Drain beans reserving one cup cooking water. Add in tomato sauce, salt, pepper, pork and chouriço. Mix together. Pour into a 9×12″ baking dish and bake at 375°F for 90 minutes.

Enjoy!

*note – this is a gluten-free recipe.

Southwest Turkey Burger

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015

You might be thinking you only like burgers made from 100% All American beef. I say that because that’s what I used to think too… So what I did was examined the difference between ground turkey and ground beef. On the plus side ground turkey is by far a much healthier option. However, if you were to take ground turkey and just form it into a patty, you might find your burger dry and bland. So, in keeping this in mind, I came up with a recipe to leave your turkey burger flavorful and juicy. This is not your average Turkey Burger…

Packed with nutrients, vitamins and protein, this Southwest Turkey Burger is a healthy and delicious addition to your weekly dinner rotation. Olive oil, onions and peppers add in not only flavor, but plenty of moisture. Black beans add in an extra protein punch, more of that moisture and some great texture. Along with fresh ingredients and a pantry staple, there are a host of spices that highlight one of this county’s most tantalizing food genres.

Now, I am preparing these burgers for my husband, myself and our two toddlers… So, I will take you first through the not so spicy kid friendly version. Then, we will kick things up a bit with adding some more heavy-duty spices and a bit more onions and peppers.

Start your base mixture here with black beans, ground turkey and an egg…

Rinse one can of black beans.

Add the washed beans into a clean bowl.

To the beans add in about one pound of ground turkey.

Add an egg into the ground turkey and beans. Stir together to get the mixture going.

Now you can start getting a key component ready, your sautéed onions, peppers and garlic.

Saute a medium onion, chopped in olive oil over medium heat.

Add your peppers to your onions and continue to saute.

Mince some garlic and add it into your sautéed veggies.

Saute until golden brown.

Place your veggies in a separate bowl to speed the cooling process.

You’ll want about a teaspoon of kosher salt.

Mix the salt into your meat and bean mixture. To this mixture, add in about 1/3 of your cooled sautéed veggies… I do this for the kid friendly version of these, I’ll add the rest in a bit for the adult version.

Add in a good 6-7 shakes of cumin.

Add in a good 5-6 shakes of smoked paprika.

Now lets turn these babies into kid patties…

Make a patty with this not so spicy mixture. And if you aren’t into spice, then you are set to turn all the mixture into patties.

I make a couple of these smaller burgers for my kids and add the additional spices in for the grown ups.

Get good color on each side as they cook through.

Now for the grown ups add in a few shakes of cayenne pepper.

Add in a few shakes of chili powder.

Now for the grown up burgers I add in the rest of the sauteed veggies. Then I use my extra large cookie scooper to handle the mixture because it is a delicate blend.

Place the scoop directly on the grill that is heated with oil.

Take the back of a wooden spoon and press down forming the ball into a patty.

Again, get good color on each side as they cook through.

Place the cheese on the burger when you are about 2 minutes from pulling your burger off the grill.

People underestimate the importance of the bread they use for their burgers. Find the freshest keiser rolls you can for this recipe… These are fresh from my bakery.

Cut your rolls in half and toast them up on the grill.

Recipe for Southwest Turkey Burgers:

(serves 4-6)

1 lb. ground turkey

1 15.5oz. can black beans, rinsed

1 onion, chopped

1 pablano pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)

1/4 c. olive oil

4-6 slices pepper jack cheese (or cheddar for the kid friendly version)

4-6 Keiser rolls

Directions:

Start by preparing your meat mixture base. Add one can of rinsed black beans to a bowl with one pound of ground turkey meat and one egg. Also add in your kosher salt. Mix together.

In a non-stick skillet over medium heat add in your olive oil, onions and peppers. Saute until lightly golden brown. Add in garlic and sprinkle with salt. Continue to saute until golden brown. Once the veggies are nicely cooked, remove from skillet and place in a separate bowl to cool.

Now, for the kid friendly version:

Add in 1/3 of the cooled veggies. Also add in cumin and paprika. Mix. Form kid sized patties and serve on white or wheat buns.

For the adult version:

Add in remaining veggies and your cayenne and chili powder. Mix. Scoop out with XL cookie scooper and grill on medium heat until just about done.

At this point add-on cheese until melty.

Serve on roll. Enjoy!

*Note: This burger patty is gluten-free and can be enjoyed on a salad or on a gluten-free keiser roll as well.

Boston Baked Beans

April 13, 2015April 13, 2015

It’s opening day at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox! Spring is officially here and America’s great pass time is in full swing! After the rough winter Boston has had, this is definitely cause to celebrate. Growing up, my family would make it to Fenway Park once a season. It was always a big event being one of four children. Through the years we got to see some of the greats, Mo Vaughn, Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens and Dwight Evans. And then later with Nomar Garciaparra, Big Papi (David Ortiz), Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez. On any given spring/summer (and hopefully fall) day, you could always find a baseball game on either in the forefront or on in the background at my house. My parents were both staunch Boston Red Sox fans and of course passed that love down to us.

Snacks were abundant at our favorite ball park, usually hot dogs, soft pretzels, cotton candy and peanuts. So today, for opening day, I decided to try my hand at a classic side for my Ball Park Franks, Boston Baked Beans. Here’s how I did it.

This is the Navy bean. It is a small white bean. A lot of people like to make their baked beans with pinto beans and if you prefer the larger pinto, that’s fine too. This is just my preference.

The first step is to rinse and pick through the beans… Here are a few of the little guys who didn’t make the cut for me today.

This next step is pretty easy all be it time consuming… Making baked beans is definitely not something you can do in a rush, at least not when you are making them from dry beans. So take one pound of your favorite light colored bean and soak in 2 quarts of water. You need a lot of water here so that the beans can soak it all in and expand. 6-8 hours. A lot of people say to do this over night. I like to do this after lunch because it is just part one of the soaking for this recipe.

Now through the magic of the internet. 8 hours has gone by and look how our beans have filled up our bowl. Stage one of bean soaking is complete, onto stage two. I do this next stage just before bed because this is an easy recipe, but it has a bunch of ingredients and who has time to throw things together when you are rushing around in the morning? Also, I like that stage two of the bean soaking lets the beans start to soak up the flavors of everything you are throwing in the pot.

Start with chopping up two medium onions.

From here on in you are literally just dumping ingredients into your crock pot.

Measure out half a cup of brown sugar. I used light brown, but if you only have dark brown, that’s fine, it just means there is a bit more molasses in it.

Then measure out a half cup of ketchup.

Dump those in to you crock pot.

Mince 1 garlic clove.

Add in 32 oz. of beer and 2 cups of water. Also, add in that garlic and all the preceding ingredients.

Roughly chop up three slices of thick cut bacon. You could also use salt pork here, but I kind of like the extra layer of flavor bacon brings.

Add in Worcestershire Sauce.

Add in molasses.

Add in Sriracha.

Add in Dijon Mustard.

And here is my little secret ingredient, Espresso powder. This is instant, not just ground… it will melt right into the dish.

Fresh bay leaf… if you don’t have fresh, go ahead and use dry.

Keep adding everything in folks. We’re almost there!

OK… Now a few more ingredients and then you can go to bed! Add in some white wine vinegar (this is what I had, you can use apple cider vinegar), little salt (don’t over do it on the salt, it tends to stop dry beans from plumping and some fresh cracked black pepper. Set your slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.

When you wake up in the morning, your beans will still look like this… that’s OK… you now set it on high for 8 hours.

And this is what you will see when you get home from work. If for some reason, its not quite like this, just transfer to a dutch oven and boil off any excess liquid with the lid off.

Recipe for Boston Baked Beans:

(serves 6-8)

1 lb. dry Navy beans, soaked 6-8

32 oz. beer

2 cups water

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. ketchup

1/3 c. molasses

2 medium onions, diced

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 T. Dijon mustard

2 T. white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. pure maple syrup

3 slices center cut bacon, cut up into 6 segments

1 Bay leaf

1 t. sriracha sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)

1 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. fresh cracked black pepper

1/2 t. instant espresso powder

Directions:

1st soak: Rinse and pick through beans. Soak beans for 6-8 hours in 2 quarts of water. Drain and rinse again.

2nd soak: Add all ingredients into crock pot. set on low over night 6-8 hrs.

Cook: Stir. Set crock pot on high for 8 hours.

Enjoy!

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the portuguese american mom

stay awhile… have a cup of tea, let's get creative!

Tag: beans

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