Kid Friendly Picadillo with Brown Rice

I've been wanting to make this recipe for quite some time. Ever since I saw it on one of my favorite blogs, Mr. and Mrs. P  and it reminded me of a wonderful dish a good friend of mine with Cuban roots made for us several years ago that I loved. It's funny how you can love a dish so much and never attempt to re-create it at home. What's even funnier is that this dish is one of the easiest I've ever made. Ever. I guess that for the most part, my mind  is not on meals that include beef, and this one is all about the beef. Well, maybe not entirely, but it's defiantly the main ingredient.

What makes a beef errrr, un-enthusiast like me want to make a Cuban ground beef dinner like Picadillo?
Flavor. Simplicity. Organic, All-Natural ground beef. and the fact that everyone else in my house loves beef.
No arguing, compromising, yelling or crying tonight for dinner folks!  Now that, is something isn't it?

It's absolutely amazing how much better Organic, 'Free Range' beef tastes. Tons I tell you. It must be due to the fact that the cows aren't sad and cooped up in a crowded stall spending all day standing knee deep in their own filth and fed a diet that goes against nature. Repeat after me " Cows don't naturally eat corn." Period. They eat grass. Their digestive systems weren't meant to handle diets of corn and fillers and who knows what. Now we have cows with messed up digestive systems and immune systems, hence all the ecoli contaminated beef 'outbreaks'. Their bodies aren't coping with the filth and the hormones and the antibiotics because they are eating a GMO corn/science experiment.





Organic is more expensive.
I decided that we would eat meat less often so I could afford to pay a little more for
beef, chicken, milk and eggs that were responsibly raised and better for us.


I'm sorry. I'm done. Promise.



Sooooo, in all fairness, and because their recipe is so wonderful and authentic which is what drew me to it in the first place, I thought I'd just go ahead and post the original recipe from Mr. and Mrs. P's blog and then give you my little changes or additions in ( ). Mostly, my changes were because of ingredients I already had in my pantry and my additions were to sneak more veggies in and make it more kid friendly. My kids love green beans and corn made it a bit sweeter. This was fantastic! I hope you try it too.


Recipe slightly adapted from Mr. and Mrs. P

TIME  15 MINUTES        SERVES  6
Ingredients:


1 pound of ground beef (I used Organic, lean ground beef)

1 tbsp. of vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 of a green pepper, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and pepper (I added 1or 2 teaspoons ground cumin, just a pinch of salt and a lotta fresh cracked pepper)

8 oz. can of tomato sauce (I used a 14 oz can diced tomatoes cuz that's all I had)

1/2 cup of white wine (I used red)

1 teaspoon of vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)

1/3 cup raisins (I used golden)

1/4 cup of green olives, sliced

1 tbsp. of sugar (I used brown sugar)

I added about a 1/3 cup of frozen sweet corn and about 1/2 cup of green beans I had in my fridge to make it kid friendly.  O.K., and yes, I apparently can't make anything without adding veggies.



Directions:


Heat the oil over medium heat in a deep skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and season with salt and pepper. When the onions are soft, add the peppers and garlic. Cook, while stirring, about 2-3 minutes until the "sofrito" is tender. Next, add the ground beef. Cook until the meat is brown. Add the wine while scraping bottom of pan with a broad wooden spoon to deglaze. Add the tomato sauce and vinegar. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the corn and green beans if using, raisins, olives and sugar. Cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Serve over white rice (I used Brown rice). 

This post is linked to

Quinoa with Black Bean and Mango Salsa

So sweet, tangy and delicious, you'll forget it's good for you!
The vibrant colors of this salad—orange, red, black and green—signal that it's loaded with phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. And since it features both quinoa—a “complete” protein with all the essential amino acids—and black beans, it's a vegetarian protein powerhouse.

NutritionPer serving: 422 calories; 9 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 74 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 15 g protein; 19 g fiber; 258 mg sodium; 642 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (210% daily value), Vitamin A (50% dv), Magnesium (22% dv), Vitamin E (20% dv).

Other blogs/sites with similar recipe
Eclectic Recipes
Eating Well

TIME  30 MINUTES    SERVES 6

Ingredients


1 cup quinoa, (see Note)


2 cups water


1/4 cup orange juice


1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (don't like cilantro? use parsley instead)


2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white wine vinegar


1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil


1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger ( excellent for digestive health and immunity)


1/8 teaspoon salt


Pinch of cayenne pepper


1 small mango, diced (see Tip)


1 small red bell pepper, diced


1 cup dry black beans


3 scallions, thinly sliced (the bottom third of green onions)










Preparation


1. Boil quinoa in 2 cups water for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand covered for 15 minutes.  Some quinoa comes pre-rinsed, if not make sure to rinse well in a seive to remove naturally occuring bitter saponins, a "soapy" coating on quinoa.
2.Meanwhile, whisk orange juice, cilantro, vinegar, oil, ginger, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add mango, bell pepper, beans and scallions; toss to coat.


3.When the quinoa is finished cooking, add to the mango mixture and toss to combine.




Tip:  I use dry beans instead of canned (cheaper, less sodium) and I usually make twice as much and reserve half so we can have burritos or tostados the following day!


Note: Quinoa, a delicately flavored grain, was a staple in the ancient Incas' diet. Toasting it before cooking enhances its flavor, and rinsing removes any residue of saponin, quinoa's natural, bitter protective covering.

This post is linked to Make it with....... Monday's featured ingredient, Quinoa.