Cafe Rio Black Beans

I wish I had taken a picture of how our Cafe Rio salads came together. They were delicious. Too delicious to pause for pictures. We already have the meat and rice recipes posted, so I'm going to try to finish off the salad. As a side note, you can buy the tortilla strips in the salad toppings section at Smith's.

I don't really like beans, but these beans were delicious in the salad.

Black Beans

2 T Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 t Ground Cumin

1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/3 C Tomato Juice

1 ½ t Salt

2 T Fresh Chopped Cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Pork Chops with Apples and Garlic Smashed Potatoes

I found this recipe on pinterest and made it a few weeks ago but I'm just getting around to uploading the pictures so I might as well blog it now. I'm assuming this recipe came from Rachel Ray considering she is the only persons in the world who calls them "Smashed potatoes", and this recipe is De-Lish!


1 lb small fingerling potatoes (i wanted more so i did 2 lbs and i used red potatoes)
2 cloves garlic
kosher salt
4 half inch thick, boneless skinless pork chops
2 tsp fresh sage (i used dried)
freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large red onion cut in to 1/2 inch strips

2 granny smith apples, cubed
3/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup buttermilk

Put the potatoes and garlic in a saucepan, cover with cold water and season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover and continue cooking until tender, about 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, rub both sides of the pork chops with the sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, then add 1 teaspoon olive oil and sear the chops until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the onion and apples and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cider.

Return the chops to the skillet. Cover and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Return the potatoes to the pan; add the buttermilk and mash, adding cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pork chops, onion and apples. Drizzle with the pan juices.

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup uncooked rice (long grain, white rice)

1 tsp butter

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp lime juice

1 can (15 oz) chicken broth

1 cup water

In a sauce pan combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low for 15-20 min until rice is tender. While rice is cooking, in a small bowl, combine:

1 Tbsp lime juice

2 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

When rice is done stir in cilantro mixture and fluff rice.

Mexican Rice

I've been meaning to post the recipe for the rice we had with our taquitos and now I finally have some time. I love this recipe because it is so easy and delicious. I found it one Sunday afternoon when we were trying to figure out what to make for dinner. We didn't have much on hand and we couldn't go to the store. I was excited when I saw this and we had everything. It comes from Allrecipes, and we have adapted it just a tiny bit.

Ingredients:
3 T Vegetable Oil
1 C Uncooked long grain rice
1 t Garlic Salt or Powder
1 t Chili Powder
1/4 C Chopped Onion
1/2 C Tomato Sauce
2 C Chicken Broth

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring frequently until the rice is golden brown. While the rice is cooking sprinkle the seasonings on top.

Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Sweet Potato Fries

Okay, don't judge these too harshly based on the picture. I forgot to take a picture when they were fresh, so this is a next day picture, plus I don't know how to take good pictures. But I promise the fries are delicious.

Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes- I do 2 for the 2 of us. It makes enough for dinner and then lunch the next day.
Oil
Seasonings of your choice- I like rosemary, garlic and season salt.

Cut the sweet potatoes into french fry like strips. Put them into a gallon sized ziploc bag with some oil. Mix the potatoes around until they are coated in oil. You don't need to use a ton of oil. You just want to get enough so you r seasonings will still. Once they are coated pour them onto a cookie sheet. I like to spray the sheet with cooking spray, because I have had my fries stick to the pan. Then sprinkle on your seasonings. I have found that you need to be more generous than you might think in order to taste it at the end. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until they are soft. Then turn your oven to broil for 5-10 minutes to give them a nice crisp outside.

Crunchy Cabbage Salad

Ingredients:

1 medium head cabbage, shredded

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 (3 ounce) packages of ramen noodles

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, combine cabbage and green onions.

2. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, oil, sugar, and soy.

3. Combine cabbage with dressing, and refrigerate.

4. Crush ramen noodles while package is closed. In a skillet, toast crushed ramen noodles, almonds and sesame seeds, until golden brown. Cool and store noodle-nut mixture in a covered container.

5. Just before serving, add noodle-nut mixture to cabbage. Toss well. Serve chilled.

I hate cabbage, but I love this salad. Everyone I have made it for seems to like it. For the cabbage I usually buy 2 bags of shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix. I like the cabbage shredded super thin and it's hard to get it thin when shredding the head of cabbage yourself. Either way though, it is yummy. ENJOY!

Aunt Mary Ellen's Baked Beans

These are literally the BEST baked beans in the world! If you have never had them you are missing out!

Brown together - 1 lb ground beef

1 green onion

1 onion

Combine in 4-5 quart baking dish or oven safe pot.

1 can tomato sauce (8oz)

1 tsp dry mustard

6 Tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp vinegar

salt

pepper

2 large (or 4-5 small) cans pork and beans

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees-uncovered.