Carne con Papas (Cuban meat and potatoes)

You will need:
One large brown potato (or 2 medium)
1-1.25 sirloin beef tips (or any beef you like)
about 1/4 cup green olives
2 bay leaves
1 small to medium white or yellow onion diced
1 tablespoon of cumin (i use 2-3 because we love it)
1 tablespoon ground oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 chicken broth (or beef broth)
1 14ounce can of crushed tomatoes (with garlic and pepper if you want extra flavor)
1 cup instant white rice (which serves two so make accordingly)

In a quart pot bring one cup of chicken broth and rice to a boil (add a little drizzle of olive oil to avoid rice clumps, or butter if fat content is not an issue)
Cover immediately and let stand for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Peel and quarter potatoes.

In a pot boil potatoes for 10-15 minutes until fork tender. Drain and set aside. If you want to omit this step You can dice the potatoes in small pieces and cook them in the pan with the other ingredients.The boiling is just to assure tender potatoes.

In a non stick pan on medium heat with one tablespoon of olive oil add diced onion and cook until translucent.

Add beef and let cook for 2-3 minutes stirring (not browning the meat) Season meat with cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

Add in entire can of tomatoes, olives, bay leaves and let simmer for 5 minutes(not covered. If you want the dish to be more saucy then add more chicken broth while simmering.
Add potatoes and turn down heat to low and cover with lid. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Add seasoning to taste. Serve with white rice.
*Remember to remove you bay leaves before plating.

Seared Mahi over sauteed carrots, mushrooms, yellow peppers & scallions in teriyaki soy sauce with fresh garlic, ginger and orange...

Sauteed chicken breast with my roasted soy nut pesto sauce over orecchiette

I used:

1.50 pounds (3) chicken breasts

2 cups fresh basil

2 tablespoons grated parmesan

1 tablespoon Smart balance butter

salt & pepper

1 garlic clove

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons roasted soy nuts(these are not nuts they are soy beans)

1 cup orecchiette pasta (cook as directed)

In a non stick skillet spray with pam spray on medium heat

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper(or whatever your favorite seasoning is)

Let the chicken brown on both sides

After browned on both sides add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to pan and cover immediately. This allows the chicken to get a crispy flavor on the outside and keep the center juicy and flavorful.

For the pesto:

In a food processor add fresh basil, garlic clove, soy nuts, parmesan and pulse until it forms a paste. Then add the 2 tablespoons of extra virign olive oil.

 If you have a good pourable sauce then stop here. If the pesto is still too thick add the chicken broth until the pest becomes smooth. I also used a little bit of the hot pasta water to lossen the pesto and make it more sauce-like.