Sweet and Spicy Black Beans and Rice

This recipe is weird.  At first I didn't love it, but it grew on me and grew on me until some days I end up craving it.  
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup Onion, Diced
1 cup Red Pepper, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Tablespoon Cumin
4 cups Cooked Black Beans
½ teaspoons Salt
3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
15 ounces, weight Canned Pineapple Tidbits, In Juice, Drained, Juice Reserved
1 cup Mango, Diced
3 cups Cooked Brown Rice

GARNISH:
Chopped Cilantro
Sour Cream Or Yogurt
Hot Sauce Or Red Pepper Flakes


Heat oil over medium heat in large saucepan. Add onions and red pepper. Saute until soft. Add garlic. Saute one minute more. Add cumin, beans, salt, vinegar, and pineapple juice. Bring to a gentle simmer, and continue to simmer over medium low heat to reduce sauce, about 10-15 minutes. Then, stir in pineapple and mango. Continue to simmer until fruit is warmed, 2-3 minutes.

Serve over cooked brown rice. Sprinkle with cilantro and spoon sour cream or yogurt on top. Add hot sauce or red pepper flakes if you like some heat.

from tastykitchen.com

Roasted Sweet Pork

We love this recipe at our house.  We serve it on tortillas with all the regular taco toppings.  Also, we usually half the recipe cause it makes a lot.

Roasted Sweet Pork
6 (approx) pounds Pork butt/shoulder or country ribs
1 19 oz. can Red Enchilada Sauce
1 can Dr. Pepper (20 oz)
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 Clove Garlic or 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients into your crockpot and cook on low overnight or until meat is tender. I usually put it in in the morning and its ready by dinnertime.  Then shred the meat and pour extra sauce over it.  

from makeit-loveit.com

Pasta with Bacon and Leeks

This one is one of the real deals people!  I love this meal.  It's one of my favorites, but then again, anything with leeks is amazing.  

Ingredients

• 12 ounces, weight Pasta, Cooked Al Dente--bowties are the best

• Reserved Pasta Water, If Needed

• 3 ounces, weight Chopped bacon (or Pancetta if your fancy and your husband doesn't hate ham)

• 3 whole Leeks, Sliced Thin

• 1 Tablespoon Butter

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream

• Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper, To Taste

• Parmesan Cheese, Shaved

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta and set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Saute chopped bacon.  Add sliced leeks and cook for 8 minutes. When you add the leeks, you can also throw in a pat or two of butter if you want to. This’ll give the dish some scrumptious flavor. I add it after the bacon is browned because I don’t want the butter to brown. After 8 to 10 minutes, pour in chicken broth, then cook an additional 1-2 minutes, until reduced. Reduce heat to low, then pour in cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in Parmesan shavings. Toss in pasta, adding a little pasta water to thin as needed. Serve with Parmesan shavings over the top---delicious!

from pioneer woman

Grilled Chicken Salad

I have a love/hate relationship with chicken salad.  It can be amazing or disgusting.  I found this one, and it is amazing!  Also, as you can see, sometimes I make a lot of alterations to this one.


Ingredients

• 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

• Salt And Pepper, to taste

• Olive Oil, For Drizzling

• 3 stalks Celery (inner Light Green Stalks), Finely Diced

• 2 ears Fresh Corn (or frozen)

• 1/4 whole Medium Red Onion, Finely Diced

• 1-1/2 cup Blueberries (I've used strawberries before when blueberries aren't in season)

• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Dill, Minced

• 4 Tablespoons  Mayonnaise (I've substituted plain yogurt for this because I hate mayo)

• 4 Tablespoons Sour Cream

• 1/4 cup Half-and-half (I've used regular milk before when I didn't want to get half-half)

• 1 whole Lemon

• 1 teaspoon Sugar (more To Taste)

• Salt And Pepper (additional) To Taste

• 3/4 cups Crumbled Feta (sometimes I don't add this because I don't have it on hand)

Preparation Instructions

Place chicken breasts into large plastic storage bag. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten to 1/4 inch uniform thickness. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat grill and drizzle chicken with olive oil. Grill chicken on both sides until done, about 7 minutes per side. (Rotate halfway during grilling each side to ensure pretty grill marks.) Remove from pan. Allow to cool.

With a very sharp knife, shave kernels off each corn cob. Combine with the onion and celery. Set aside.

Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, feta, and half-and-half. Stir in sugar, squeeze in lemon juice, and add salt and pepper. Stir, then taste. Add more salt if necessary; do not undersalt!

Slice chicken on the bias to create flat, randomly shaped pieces. Throw into a bowl with celery, onion, and corn. Stir to combine. Pour half the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently. Add more as desired, but don't overcoat the salad; should be light!

At the end, toss in the blueberries to lightly coat them in the dressing. Serve, then sprinkle individual helpings with feta.

from pioneer woman

Mexican Chicken Salad

I adapted this recipe from one I found which used a crockpot and a lot more dishes.  Kyle kept calling this a chicken salad, so thats where it gets its name. Also I never measure things so if there isn't an amount listed, just add as much as you want.

Ingredients
1 can of Rotel
8 0z of cream cheese
1 can Black Beans, drained
frozen corn
cooked, shredded chicken
chopped green onions
2 cups cooked rice

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the cream cheese, Rotel and corn.  Microwave until the cream cheese is melted--I think i did 3 mins.  Then mix in all the other ingredients in.  Serve over rice.  Delicious!

Rumbi Rice Bowls

I actually don't like real Rumbi Rice bowls very much, but these might be one of my new favorite dinners:


Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and grated
• 3 celery stalks, washed and sliced
• 1 zucchini, chopped into small cubes
• 1 1/2 c. chopped broccoli florets
• 2 c. chicken, grilled and cut into small cubes (OR you can get the pre-cooked grilled chicken strips at Costco in the deli section. It comes in a 2-pack.. use one of the packages and cut up the chicken into little cubes.. just saute the chicken for a few minutes in a skillet before serving)
• *Rumbi Rice (see recipe below)
• **Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce (see recipe below)

Instructions

• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, zucchini, and broccoli (pretty much equal parts of said vegetables.. you can add more or less veggies depending on your taste). Saute ONLY until vegetables are crisp tender. About 1-2 minutes tops.
• Serve over Rumbi rice and top with chicken. Serve with Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce on the side (about 3 Tbsp. per bowl.. you can add more or less depending on your taste).

Also, we added some green onions on top and it blew this meal out of the water. Do yourself a favor and add some too.

*Hawaiian Coconut Rice with Red Beans (aka Rumbi Rice)
2 c. long grain white rice
2 1/2 c. water
1 (14oz) can coconut milk (about 1 1/2 c.)
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed (I used black beans because that's what I had on hand and it was great).
Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker. Gently stir it all together so the beans are all mixed. Place the lid on and start the rice cooker. Fluff rice with a fork before serving.If you don’t have a rice cooker… Combine water, coconut milk, and sugar in a saucepan. Stir in rice and beans. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender.

**Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce:

3/4 c. teriyaki sauce (found in the grocery store by the BBQ sauces)
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. chili garlic sauce (in the Asian section of the grocery store.. we used the one in the clear plastic jar with the green lid — if you want to make it spicier.. add more of this to the sauce)
1 tsp. fresh ginger
pinch of salt
pinch of brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water
Combine teriyaki, soysauce, garlic sauce, ginger, salt, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and water and SLOWLY add to sauce for thickening. You want it to be slightly thicker than the teriyaki sauce. Allow to simmer for about a minute. Cool to room temperature and serve with your rice bowls. (If you find that the sauce is too thick when it cools, just add a little more teriyaki to it)


from favfamilyrecipies.com