December 24, 2011: New Mexican Chalupas Recipe

Here’s another perfect winter dish that feeds a lot of people and fills them up quickly. The best part about this recipe is that you can throw the ingredients together in the morning and let it cook all day long, until the meat and beans are melt-in-your-mouth tender. Served with a salad and flour tortillas, it’s a complete meal with little fuss and muss.

Chalupas

One 3-pound pork roast (any variety; even tough cuts become tender)

1 T. vegetable oil

1 small white or yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. oregano

1 T. ground cumin

1 t. salt

1 16-ounce can tomatoes

2 14-ounce cans chicken broth

2 small cans green chiles (or 1 cup fresh/frozen chiles, diced)

1 pound dry pinto beans, rinsed

¼ t. powdered red chile

6 quarts water

Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, black olives and salsa for garnish (any or all optional)

Trim and discard excess fat from pork. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven to medium; add pork and brown on all sides. Add onion and garlic and sauté for a couple minutes. Add remaining ingredients (up to garnishes). Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 6 hours, stirring often (you can also placed the covered pot in a low oven for the same amount of time).

Before serving, remove pork roast and shred into bite-size pieces. Return to pot. Spoon pork mixture onto tostada shells and top with garnishes, or serve with flour tortillas or corn chips on the side.

Serves 12 – 16

December 16, 2011: Cube Steak With Mushroom Sauce Recipe

Usually when I prepare cube steak it comes out as chicken fried steak. Sure, that’s yummy, but it’s also calorie-laden – and that’s the last thing I need during the holiday season! So instead of frying it, this time I baked the cube steak to make it tender.

Cube Steak with Mushroom Sauce served with cheddar mashed potatoes and green beans.

Cube Steak With Mushroom Sauce

2 cube steaks (about ¾ pound)

Salt and pepper

½ cup flour

1 T. olive oil

4 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 t. beef bouillon

1 cup water

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

Sprinkle the cube steaks with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour.

Heat the oil in a heavy, oven safe saucepan or Dutch oven to medium. Add cube steaks and cook just until crispy on each side, turning once. Remove steaks from pan and add mushrooms. Cooke for about a minute, until mushrooms are soft. Add bouillon, water and Worcestershire sauce. Place steaks on top of mushrooms and sprinkle with any remaining flour. Cover and place in low (250 degrees) oven. Bake for about 1 ½ hours, until sauce is thickened.

Serves 2

Tip: You can also make this dish in a crock pot. Just brown the meat before putting in the crock pot and set it to cook on low for 4+ hours.