Tex-Mex Taco Casserole- Ep. 14

If any of you are like me Sundays are a day to rest, relax, bake (ha-ha) and prepare for the upcoming work week. I was feeling a bit sluggish last Sunday and wanted to put together a simple meal and came up with this amazing Tex-Mex Taco Casserole. The texture and flavors were absolutely amazing! It's not the healthiest recipe however I don't eat like this everyday, and if we're simply going to be judging on taste alone, then it was a home run! It's also perfect to serve on game day as well. It really is a crowd pleaser and goes a long way. Everyone at home loved it, they even went back for seconds! Enjoy!

Tex-Mex Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. Cooked Ground sirloin
1/2 Bag corn chips
2 Cups shredded blend Mexican cheeses
1 15.5 oz. can Pinto beans- smashed
1 15.25 oz. can whole kernel sweet corn
1 Cup black beans
1 Avocado- diced-to top off
1 Dollop Sour cream- to top off


Instructions:

1. Lightly spray 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray
2. Place a layer of corn chips to
casserole dish.
3. Add a few dollops of the smashed pinto beans.
4. Add layer of ground beef.
5. Add layer of black beans.
6. Add layer of corn.
7. Sprinkle shredded cheese.
8. Repeat the steps to add a second layer.
9. Bake at 400F for 20 mins.
10. Add diced avocado's and dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy!

Piononos/ Sweet Plantain Meat Pie- Ep. 13

Piononos are another Puerto Rican favorite. They are fried  sweet plantain pies that are stuffed with  Puerto Rican picadillo  (ground beef) . They are  typically fried twice however considering I felt guilty frying them the first time I decide to bake them for what was supposed to be the second fry and they came out absolutely amazing! I just love the combination of the sweet plantain and the savory flavors of the picadillo, it simply tastes so good! Piononos are delicious on  their own as well as alongside of some white rice with beans or yellow rice with pigeon peas.   Enjoy!

Piononos

Ingredients:

Sweet Plantains- cut into 1/4 inch slices lengthwise
Picadillo (cooked ground beef)
2 Beaten eggs
1/3 Cup shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese 


Instructions:

1. In a skillet add enough oil to coat bottom of pan on medium heat. 
2. Add sweet plantains and cook until gold brown on both sides. 
3. Form plantains into a cylinder. Secure them in place using a toothpick. 
4. Fill tops and bottoms with ground beef. 
5. Pour beaten egg on top. 
6. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
7. Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray. 
8. Add piononos to baking dish. Bake at 375F for 20 mins. 

Enjoy!

Baked Pastelillos/ Empanadas/ Meat Turnovers- Ep. 12

As a kid my mom and aunts would take my siblings, cousins, and I to our local park, where us kids would enjoy playing in the playground and our mothers would meet with their friends enjoying the summer days. Every time we'd go to the park, we'd always stop by the food trucks. They had a large variety of "frituras" (fried snacks) also known as "antojitos" (cravings). My mom would get us Alcapurrias (fried fritter made of plantains, yuca, potatoes and pieces of pork meat), relleno de papa (fried mashed potato formed into a ball with ground beef in the center), Pincho's (pork skewer) and of course Pastelillos (meat turnover). We'd either sit on the grass enjoying the summer breeze and enjoy them or eat them in the car if we couldn't wait to get home and eat them. Growing up my mom and and older sister would fill the discs with "picadillo" (ground beef seasoned Puerto Rican style), they also would just place a slice of american cheese on the disc, and fry it. It really made for a great snack. In my culture (Puerto Rican) we tend to fry a lot of our food which is so delicious, however, a bit unhealthy. Which brings me to why I decided to find a healthier alternative for one of my favorite frituras. I filled my discs with some picadillo (I used a ground sirloin) and formed the turnovers. I then brushed a bit of extra virgin olive oil  on the tops of the turnovers to achieve the crispy texture a typical pastelillos has and put them in my oven. Half way throught the baking time I then tuned them over and brushed a bit more olive oil on the bottoms and continued to let them bake. I have to say, they came out delicious! The crunch factor that I was looking for was there without the extra calories. Pastelillos make a great snack, and also go great along side with some arroz con gandules (Puerto Rican yellow rice with pigeon peas) and with arroz blanc (white rice) and habichuela or gandules guisada (stewed beans or pigeon peas) accompanied by a simple salad (pic below). I hope you enjoy this childhood favorite of mine! Enjoy!

Pastelillos

Ingredients:

Carne Molida- Puerto Rican style ground sirloin Discs
Extra virgin olive oil- for brushing

Instructions-

1. Fill the center of the disc with the ground beef about 2 -2 1/2 tsp.
2. Fold disc in half.
3. Using a fork press down on the edges to insure the turnover doesn't open.
4. Lightly brush olive oil on the top of the turnovers.
5. Bake for 10 minutes at 400F degrees.
6. Take out the turnovers and flip them over -bottom side up and lightly brush with olive oil.
7. Bake for another 10 mins.

Enjoy!

Carne Molida/ Picadillo- Puerto Rican Style Ground Beef

Carne Molida is a Puerto Rican style ground beef. It's contains Latin seasonings and the flavors are phenomenal. It's very delicious served alongside of white rice and also used as a filling for other dishes. If you're looking to jazz up your ground beef dish with Latin flavors you won't be disappointed with this recipe. It really is amazing! I often swap out ground beef for ground turkey and chicken to lighten up the recipe and it tastes just as delicious!  Enjoy!

Carne Molida

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground sirloin
1 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. Sofrito
2 Tbsp. Tomato sauce
1 Packet of Sazon

2 Tsp. Adobo

1/4 Cup Onion- finely chopped

1/4 Cup Cilantro- finely chopped

1 Garlic clove- minced

Salt - to taste

Pepper- to taste

Instructions:

1. In a skillet over medium heat add sofrito, tomato sauce, adobo, sazon, salt, pepper, combine well. 

2. Add onions, cilantro, combine well. 

3. Add ground sirloin combine well with the rest of the ingredients. 

4. Add minced garlic, combine well. 

5. Continue cooking until beef is well cooked. 

Enjoy!