Tex-Mex Soup #Recipe

When I know I’m pressed for time to make dinner, I like to make something that’s easy to re-heat and will do double-duty as a possible lunch item. This week it was time to look in the pantry and see what I could put together for such a meal.

What I came up with was a quick and easy Tex-Mex style soup that I was able to enjoy on multiple days! I hope you’ll like it.

Ingredients

2 cups chopped carrots
1 large onion chopped
1 can black beans
1 can creamed corn (regular corn will do it also)
1 can Rotel Tomatoes & Chiles (This is a new must have in my pantry)
1 small can tomato sauce
8 oz chicken stock
8 oz water
2 boneless chicken breasts chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Saute the carrots, onions and chicken in the olive oil. Cook until the chicken is just starting to brown and the onions look translucent.

Drain the black beans and add to the pot. Then add everything else! Simmer for about two to three hours.

That’s it.

You can finish up this soup by adding some cooked noodles or serving it over rice. I love matzoh balls so I made a few of those and tossed them in. Top your finished bowl with some shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions and/or sour cream.

I hope you enjoyed this quick and simple Tex-Mex Soup recipe.

October 17, 2014April 28, 2021

Shrimp Stir Fry

Last week was a clean the fridge out kind of dinner and I had a craving for something Chinese. So I came up with this combination of veggies and shrimp for a quick meal. I always keep pre-cooked frozen shrimp in the freezer since it’s so easy to whip up a meal with them!

Ingredients

2 tbsp peanut oil
1 cup thinly sliced baby carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
3 cups cooked and sliced string beans
1/2 cup cashews
2 cups pre-cooked frozen shrimp – thawed, tails removed
1 tsp corn starch
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup low salt soy sauce

Directions

In a wok or big saute pan, heat the oil and start cooking the sliced carrots.

After about 3-5 minutes, add the mushrooms. Keep it on high heat to dry off the moisture the mushrooms emit, otherwise everything will be soggy.

Once most of the mushroom liquid is gone, add the string beans, garlic, sesame oil and cashews. Toss it up and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the teriyaki and soy sauce. Cook for another few minutes and then add the shrimp to warm it up. Do not overcook at this point. Just 2 to 3 minutes on high heat.

You should have some moisture still in the pan from the shrimp, etc. Mix the corn starch with about 2 tbsp of water in a separate dish. Once the corn starch is dissolved, add that to your shrimp and veggies and stir. Within a minute or so you’ll see the whole mix get a nice glaze to it and the liquid left in the pot should tighten up and not be so runny.

That’s it! Time to eat. You can serve this over white or brown rice, but I’m watching my carbs so I ate it just as it is! This recipe is about 2 hearty servings. You can change it up by adding bean sprouts, water chestnuts, baby corn, etc. or using cooked beef or pork.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! See you on Monday (and Tuesday) for our big Seductive Supernatural Release party! We’ll have prizes and more for you!

Also check out our contest at Fresh Fiction which has over $250 in prizes! Woo hoo!
shrimp_Stir_Fry

October 10, 2014April 28, 2021

Lower Fat/Carb Mac & Cheese

Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? It’s the kind of comfort food that warms the belly and calms the soul, but oh man, talk about fat and carbs.

There is a way to cut back on both and still have a hardy and rewarding meal with a little less guilt or worry. This is my version of a lower fat/lower carb Mac and cheese. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Ingredients

4 cups Cauliflower
1/2 pound pasta
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped ham
1 chopped onion
3 cups 1% milk
2 cups cheddar cheese
Panko bread crumbs

Directions

Cut the cauliflower into one inch pieces. I was able to find an orange cauliflower at a local farm stand for only $2.00! Yes, I love being frugal also! Steam the cauliflower until just a little tough to a poke with a fork. It will cook some more when you bake it. After steaming, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

Cook the 1/2 pound of pasta until al dente. I used cavatappi since they hold the sauce and add a little fun to the mix. After draining the water, rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

Chop the ham and cook in the olive oil to get rid of that extra moisture. Then add the onion and cook until just translucent. Turn down the heat a little and add the flour. Mix it all up until it’s a little on the dry side. If you’re using some kind of cast iron stove to oven pan, this will happen quickly from the pan retaining the heat, so really turn it down until you add the milk.

Add the milk to the ham, onion, and flour mix. Stir until sauce is thick enough to coat the spoon. Add the cheese and stir. Then add the cauliflower and pasta and mix well.

If you haven’t used a stove to oven baking pan/dish, place the mixture in a greased baking dish. Top with the Panko and if you’d like, some additional cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and then broil for about 2-4 to brown the top! Voila, you are done!

September 26, 2014May 22, 2017

#FoodieFriday Tex-Mex Dip & Ropa Vieja

Tall, Dark & Paranormal I am going back to some favorite foods for today’s Foodie Friday! These are two of my favorites and they totally fit the mood of my contributions to the Seductive Supernaturals and Tall, Dark and Paranormal Box sets.

Why you may ask? Well, the Tex-Mex Dip reminds me of the many little Mexican restaurants along the Jersey Shore that inspired the Carrera family restaurant in SINS OF THE FLESH and the other stories in the SIN HUNTERS series.

As for the Ropa Vieja – Cuban Shredded Beef recipe, if you don’t think Ryder knows just what to feed Diana to get her in a good mood, boy are you wrong! Diana loves her Cuban food, especially Ropa Vieja. You may even see a scene or two in the stories from The Calling is Reborn and in VAMPIRE REBORN where Ryder brings Diana a tasty Cuban treat.

I hope you will try out one of these two recipes for yourselves. The Tex-Mex is easy to do and a crowd pleaser. Make it for your next party!

The ropa vieja takes a little bit more time, but served with rice, it’s a perfect dish for a chilly fall or winter day!

September 12, 2014March 2, 2021

Dulce de Leche #FoodieFriday

You see Dulce de Leche everywhere now from ice creams to other desserts. Even a limited edition Dulce de Leche Pop Tart. You know you’ve made it when you’re immortalized in a Pop Tart! LOL!

But for Latins, Dulce de Leche has been around forever. My mom and grandma used to make it all the time for us as kids.

What exactly is Dulce de Leche? Literally translated it means “milk candy” and it is basically a caramel kind of spread made by heating sweetened milk until it changes color and flavor. Technically, that process is known as a Maillard reaction, but forget that! All you need to know is that it’s really tasty.

Also, just to confuse things, Cubans have another dessert called dulce de leche which is made with curdled milk that is then sweetened, but that’s not what we’re going to make today.

Actually, for those who are kitchen-challenged, Dulce de Leche is much easier to find today in the ethnic food section. La Lechera has an assortment of Dulce de Leche products, including one in a squeeze bottle for drizzling onto desserts or straight into your mouth.

How do you make it? Well, it’s both simple and DANGEROUS. I have to repeat DANGEROUS, but that hasn’t stopped Latinos from making it this way for a very long time.

It all starts with . . . Can you guess? It’s that go to in Latin kitchens: Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Why a go to? Well, we weren’t well off and when you needed something sweet, a spoonful of dulce de leche or a cup filled with crumbled soda crackers and topped with condensed milk did the trick.

Plus, it’s a basic ingredient in flan, tres leches, bread pudding, you name it.

But back to making Dulce de Leche and the DANGER of it. The easiest, but DANGEROUS way is to full a large pot with water and drop in an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk.

Bring to boil and boil for about two to three hours. NEVER LET THE POT RUN DRY. If you do, the pressure will build inside the unopened can and it will EXPLODE.

Just ask my poor sister-in-law who ended up cleaning dulce de leche from her ceiling.

So that’s it. Drop and boil and then chill in the fridge. For a thicker darker dulce de leche, boil the can even longer. It will be as thick and dark as peanut butter, but oh so tasty!

Let me know if you try it and if you do, how you like it!

DulcedeLeche

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September 5, 2014October 10, 2019

Tres Leches Cake – Super Easy Style #FoodieFriday

If you’ve been to a Latin restaurant lately, you know that Tres Leches Cake has become a staple on many dessert menus. It’s sinfully sweet and tasty. Coupled with a nice cup of espresso, your meal is complete.

Of course, you can treat yourself by making this cake at home. For those who are expert bakers and love making a cake from scratch, please go right ahead.

For those of us who are a little more challenged, store bought yellow cake mix is the foundation of this super easy Tres Leches cake! For a little Spanish lesson, “tres leches” means “three milks” and it is three different milks that form the sweet soaking mixture in this recipe.

Ingredients

Yellow Cake Mix

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 can sweetened condensed milk (Not evaporated milk!! I like La Lechera, Magnolia or Eagle Brand)

1 cup whole milk

1 cup whipping cream

Directions

Follow the boxed cake mix directions, but add the 2 teaspoons of vanilla to the cake mix. Bake in a 13×9 inch pan following the cake mix instructions.

Once baked, cool the cake.

Combine the condensed milk (not evaporated), whole milk and whipping cream together until smooth.

With a fork, poke some holes into the top of the cooled cake in the pan. Do not remove the cake from the pan.

Slowly pour the three milk mixture over the cake, letting it soak in. You may have to repeat this step several times until the cake is soaked in.

Cover the cake and let sit overnight to really let it soak in. Before serving, top with whipped cream and cherries!

That’s it? Easy right? I hope you try it and out enjoy this super easy Tres Leches cake recipe.

Want to be daring and mix things up a little? Try adding Frangelico (hazelnut flavor), Amaretto (Almond) or an orange liqueur to the milk mixture for a little but of pop!

Have a great weekend!

January 21, 2014January 21, 2014

Picadillo #Cuban #Recipe

We’re expecting a big snowstorm tomorrow, so it’s time to think about hunkering down and having something hearty and tasty, but also easy-to-make. After all, you’ve spent time shoveling so you don’t want to slave over the stove to fill your belly.

This dish was always a staple in my house and it still is because it’s easy to make and delicious. Think of it as Cuban-Style Sloppy Joe’s.

My favorite way to serve picadillo is over white rice and topped with a fried egg. Yummy!!

Cuban-style Picadillo

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup green peppers (although I prefer red peppers)
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped green olives with pimentos (These are your regular olives in a jar!)
1 pound chopped meat
1 small can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsps cumin
salt and pepper to taste

The above recipe serves 2, so you can double accordingly.

Heat olive oil and then add peppers. Cook until starting to get soft. Then add the onions and saute until starting to get soft. Add the olives, garlic and chopped meat. Cook until chopped meat is starting to get brown. Add cumin, salt, pepper and tomato sauce.

Simmer for about half an hour.

Serve over white rice (or brown if you’re trying to be healthier).

Again, I like to top mine with a fried egg. In TORI GOT LUCKY, two of the friends own a restaurant and I have not doubt they’d have some snazzy version of picadillo on the menu. Maybe they’d add some raisins or capers as some people do. Or possibly serve it over a saffron-flavored rice or ripe plantain nests! This dish is so versatile, it allows you to really experiment with things to add.