tasty tuesday ~ brazilian stew w/rice and greens

packed full of flavor + easy as pie to make = one fabulous meal!

This weekend I broke out the crock pot and renewed my love and commitment to one of my favorite kitchen appliances. Since returning to part-time work outside the home, I have really come to rely on this little miracle maker at least twice a week and sometimes more. Since I use it so often, I am always looking for something new to make. A boring crock pot will not do! 

When my Cuisine at Home arrived a few days ago I was thrilled to see some new crock pot recipes. I handed it over to my guy and asked him to pick one. He chose the recipe that had two different types of meat. Surprise, surprise! NOT!

This stew was very hearty and fed our family of four for two complete meals. I have to say don't skip the red wine vinegar. That acidity is really important to cut through the richness of the meat. It just adds a little fresh pop at the end. 

So dust off those crock pots and let them ease your meal preparation stress, ladies and gents! 

Celebrate the Feast!!

Mary

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Brazilian Beef Stew

recipe from Cuisine at Home, Feb. 2011 issue

Ingredients:

1 lb stew meat

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

8 oz kielbasa, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds

1/4 cup orange juice

1 1/2 cups diced onions

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can black beans, drained, rinsed and pureed

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp hot chili powder

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Sliced jalapenos

Orange Wedges

Orange Zest

Directions:

Brown stew meat in oil in batches in a large skillet over medium-high heat, 5 minutes per batch.  Transfer meat to paper towel lined plate.  Brown kielbasa in same skillet, 3 minutes per batch, then transfer to paper towel lined plate. 

Deglaze skillet with orange juice, scraping up brown bits on bottom of pan, set aside.

Combine onions, tomatoes, beans, garlic and chili powder in a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker.  Stir in browned meats and deglazed liquid.  Cover slow cooker; cook on high-heat setting until meat is fork tender, about 4 hours.

Add vinegar and season with salt and pepper.  Garnish each serving of stew with jalapeno slices, orange wedges and zest.

Rice and Greens

Ingredients:

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups dry converted white rice

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp kosher salt

1 bunch collard greens, stems removed, chopped, about 8 cups loosely packed

salt and pepper to taste

or

1 16 oz bag of frozen spinach

Directions:

Boil broth in 4 quart saucepan

Stir in rice, butter and salt

Add greens, a handful at a time, stirring after each addition until all greens are added.  Bring mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook mixture unti rice is tender 15-20 minutes.  Season rice with salt and pepper before serving.