​I am a Puerto Rican girl, born and raised in an amazing island, with an extraordinary cuisine that has nothing to envy any cuisine worldwide. Two typical ingredients in the island, eaten almost weekly are Bistec con Tostones. Today though, I am making the same concept dish, however, with a twist. I am using center cut pork chops to mimic the beef and make it empanado, and fried Mapén to mimic fried Plantains. The outcome was a success. Smile.
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:  30 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $10.95 or $3.65 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free only if you use Gluten Free PANKO. 
Servings: 3
 
Ingredients
1 pk. over 1 lb. center cut pork chops ($5.31)
5 large Baby Bella Mushrooms cut in 1” chunks (.80)
1 small can of corn, drained and rinsed (.99)
1 small chopped onion, (.30)
1 ½ tbsp. roasted garlic and herbs (.25)
1 tbsp. capers, drained and rinsed (.50)
1 tbsp. sundried tomatoes (.75)
1 tbsp. olive oil (.40)
2 tbsp. Panko (.15)
6 Mapén tostones ($1.50)
 
Directions
Clean, slice lengthwise but keep the attached, smack to flatten and season the chops with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. roasted garlic and herbs and press them over Panko lightly. Refrigerate.
Prepare the mushrooms/corn side by sautéing the mushrooms and onion in 1 tbsp. of olive oil and ½ tbsp. roasted garlic seasoning until golden brown, then add the sundried tomato pieces.
Add the corn and capers and mix well. Set aside.
At this point, fry the chops in 1 tbsp. of olive oil until golden brown.
Remove from the pan and in the same oil, with that little oil, add the Mapén tostones and cook until golden brown as well.
You are ready to plate and don’t forget to add some green garnish, I used fresh basil.

​It is so simple to make this and the flavors are amazing. During the holiday season, this dish can be prepared ahead of time and since it is a cold dish, you can pair it with either crackers, or garlic French baguette toasts, or you can even make sliders and serve them with assorted veggies, a dip and a smoothie on the side. 
 
Category:  SALAD
Approx. Prep and Cook Time: UNDER 30 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $9.05 or $4.52 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free    
Servings: 2
 
Ingredients A.
½ lb. large raw shrimp ($4.75)
1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.35)
1 tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.25)
 
Ingredients B.
½ small red onion, chopped (20)
1 small chopped and seeded Jalapeno (.20)
2 minced garlic (.10)
6 cherry tomatoes, sliced (.50)
2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped (.65)
1 cleaned s celery talk, chopped (.25)
1 tbsp. capers, drain, rinsed and drain again (.15)
2 tbsp. Tzatziki (.30)
Lemon juice and zest to taste (.65)
1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.35)
½ tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.15)
Hot sauce to taste (.20)
 
Ingredients C.
½ head of bib lettuce, butter head or hydroponic ($3.00)
 
Directions
Clean, pat dry and season the shrimp with ingredients listed under A.
Sauté briefly until the shrimp turn just pink. Remove from heat and allow to cool down.
Prep all the ingredients listed under B. Mix well, add the shrimp. Refrigerate until use.
Clean and drain well the lettuce listed under C.
When you are ready to serve, place few lettuce leaves in each plate to mimic a bowl, fill them with the shrimp salad and if you like, just add garlic bread or toast or even put the whole thing inside a brioche bun and enjoy as a sandwich. Boom!  

Quick question; how often do we all make beef stew? Some would answer weekly or bi-weekly. Others would say perhaps once-a-month. Regardless of how often you make this dish, make sure that the meat you purchase is of good quality and highly lean. Then when you get home, clean it from every little fat or tissue that you see, you don’t need that stuff! Then watch your portion control because it is so good it’s so hard to stop! Smile.
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:  1 1/2 to 2 hours
Approximate Cost:    $16.77 or $4.19 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free    
Servings: 4
 
Ingredients
1 ½ # beef for stew cut in 1” pieces ($4.97/lb.)
¼ c. Basting oil ($1.80)
1 envelope of Sazón (.15) and 1 tsp. Adobo Goya or Adobochon (.15)
3 plus 3 more peeled, rinsed, and half  red and yellow new potatoes (.60)
1 corn cut in slices (.35)
1 small onion, chopped (.40), 6 Garlic cloves, chopped (.30) & 3 bay leaves (.10)
3 c. chicken broth ($1.50)
½ c. of good red wine ($2.90)
3 tbsp. salad olives (.25)
½ (8 oz. can) of tomato sauce (.50)
2 sofrito frozen disks (or ½ c. chopped cilantro) (.55)
2 c. long grain parboiled rice, basting oil and salt to taste ($1.00)
1 avocado ($1.25)
 
Directions

• Clean the meat of all fat, cut in about 1” cubes and season with the basting oil, Sazon and refrigerate.
• Prep all the following ingredients; the corn, chop the onion, garlic cloves, peel, rinse, and cut all the potatoes. Set aside.
• In a Dutch oven or a medium pot, over med-high, brown the meat. Remove set aside.
• In the same Dutch oven add the chopped onion, garlic, and cook until transparent.
• Then add the potatoes, corn, broth, wine, bay leaves, beef , sofrito frozen disks and Adobo.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to med-low and cook covered for an hour until the meat is tender. (A faster way to cook it is with a pressure cooker or instant pot.)
• After an hour cooking the meat in med-low, uncover, add the tomato sauce and the salad olives, stir and cover again for 15 or 20 more minutes. Check frequently to ensure the dish is done, potatoes are soft and meat is tender. You will know it when the meat is tender and also, look and make sure that the sauce is thick and yummy. For more liquid sauce, add more chicken broth to taste.
  
• During the last 20 or so minutes cooking the beef, start making your rice.
• Bring 1c. of water to a quick boil, add 1 tbsp. basting oil, salt to taste and the rice. Bring to a second boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover it and cook for 20 minutes until the grain is done.

Slice the avocado and…Done! Enjoy!

This looks like a yummy colorful and super healthy meal. It’s so easy to make and basically it costs penny’s, smile.
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:   30 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $8.18 or $4.09 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free     
Servings: 2
 
Ingredients
2 salmon steaks ($4.50)
½ yesterday recipe for over fried purple sweet potatoes ($1.63)
1 tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.20)
1 ½ tbsp. Angie’s basting oil (.40)
1 tsp. Webber Roasted Garlic and Herbs (.20)
1 avocado ($1.25)
 
Directions
Pat dry the salmon filet, season with 1 tsp. my dry seasoning, 1 ½ tbsp. my basting oil and 1 tsp. Webber Roasted Garlic and Herbs. Refrigerate.
Get my post from yesterday to prep and oven fry the sweet potatoes.
Slice the avocado and get ready to plate. If you want, just add a salad and garlic bread.
Enjoy!

This week I was lucky enough to find more purple sweet potatoes. They taste almost like the yellow, however, much better. These ones will steal the show every time they come up in your dinner plate, smile.
 
Category:  Side
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:   20 to 40 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $3.25
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   __X__   Vegetarian __X__ 
Servings: 4
 
Ingredients
3 to 4 medium purple sweet potatoes ($2.50)
2 tbsp. roasted garlic and herbs (.25)
3 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.50)
 
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Rinse the sweet potatoes thoroughly, pat dry and peel them, or leave the peel on.
In a stable cutting board, cut them into large but not thick French fries.
Season and rub well with my basting oil and roasted garlic and herbs.
Place in a single layer on a baking pan and oven fry at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, then bring the heat up to 400 and continue to fry until golden and tender, however, crispy. (Keep an eye on them half way though.)
 
My Link: 
Angie’s Basting Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil

TOMORROW, I WILL POST A RECIPE USING THESE BEAUTIFUL PURPLE BABIES with my pan roasted SALMON!

There is nothing bad or unhealthy about this meal. The portion control is taken care of. My crazy sauce is so good it hurts, smile, and don’t forget the “smashed” potatoes to mimic our delicious tostones. No big difference when you drizzle it with my sauce.
Bon Appetite!
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $19.70 or $9.85 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free    
Servings: 2
 
Ingredients for the filets
2 Filet mignon steaks ($14.00)
1 ½ tbsp. Roasted garlic and herbs (.20)
2 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.50)
 
7 Red-yellow medley potatoes ($2.50)
 
Ingredients for the Sauce
2 large garlic cloves, chopped (.10)
1 large Rosemary stem, leaves chopped discard the wooded part (.25)
3 Scallions and Green onions, chopped (.15)
1 ½ tbsp. Chopped sundried tomatoes in olive oil (.45)
2 tbsp. capers, drained and rinsed (.25)
1 small lemon for juice (.50)
 ¼ c.  Angie’s basting olive oil (.80)
 
Directions
Clean and season the filets, refrigerate.
Rinse and boil the potatoes, remove from saucepan when done, drain and smash.
Prepare the sauce by adding all the ingredients listed under the Sauce.
Place the potatoes in a baking pan, add about a tbsp. of the sauce over each one and bake at 400 degrees for few minutes until warm.
Meantime, while the potatoes bake in the oven, get a skillet over med-high, sear the filet until golden brown on both sided and perhaps med-well if you like it inside.
To plate, just bring the filets and the potatoes from the oven. Pour a generous amount of my sauce over the potatoes and you are done. So yummy.
Enjoy!
 
 My Link: 
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil

Today I have one more way to enjoy the good old bread pudding. If you know me, you know that I love to put my own twist to most of my dishes and this one is no exception. I am using Brioche French fresh bread instead of stale sandwich or baguette bread. I also added another twist to this recipe, Kentucky Bourbon and a cranberries/raisins mix. In other words, don’t be afraid to add your own ingredients to old recipes. Remember, this is not a cake, smile, cake ingredients are exact.
 
Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Approximate Cost: $11.22 or $1.40 per serving
Difficulty Level:     X    Easy
THIS IS NOT GLUTEN FREE
Servings: 8
 
Ingredients
A:1 loaf (14.1 oz) Brioche bread cut into 1” cubes (3.50)
1 can 12 oz. evaporated milk ($1.00)
1 13oz. can of Goya coconut milk ($1.99)
 
B: Custard
3 eggs beaten, (.48)
½ to ¾ c. organic sugar (add sugar to taste, I used ½ c. because the bread is already sweet) (.15)
1 tbsp. Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey ($1.45)
1 tsp. vanilla extract ($1.50)
1 tsp. almond extract (.30)
½ tsp. cinnamon (.15)
¼ tsp. fresh ground nutmeg (.30)
 
C: The Mixings
¼ to ½ c. raisins (.20)
¼ to ½ c. dried cranberries (.20)
 
1 tbsp. butter to rub or oil spray for the baking pan.
 
Directions
Cut the bread in small cubes and place inside a med-size bowl.
Mix well all the liquid ingredients listed above under A. and allow the bread to absorb the liquid for about 15 minutes. Then add the ingredients listed under B. and then C. and mix well.
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees, butter the baking pan of your choice, add the bread pudding mix, place the baking pan inside a larger pan with about 2” of water, (Ban Marie) and then bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. The bread pudding is done when you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean
 
OPTIONAL: Serve with a Kentucky Bourbon or praline sauce, whipped cream or ice cream.
(Note: Add as many or less raisins and cranberries to the mix, as much as you like them, smile)
 
Enjoy!