A Change of Heart

When I was single I pretty much lived on cereal. I'm not kidding. So healthy. Not sure how I lived to be thirty years old and meet and marry my husband. But I hated cooking and avoided it at all costs. (All joking aside, I spent many years struggling with an eating disorder and avoiding food altogether. Serious issues. But that's another post for another day.)

Mike, on the other hand, is a great cook. He dreamed of us preparing meals together and that sounded like zero fun to me.

But fast forward nearly five years and now I can honestly say that I love to cook! Who could have predicted this? Not me. It wasn't an overnight change but I've seriously prayed that God would give me the desire and ability to care for my family in this way and I'm so happy that I've learned to enjoy it. It really is a blessing. I find it fun to experiment in the kitchen and feed my family (often) delicious and (hopefully) nutritious meals.

Oliver's exceptionally picky eating habits combined with his numerous food allergies have been a challenge to work around. I have been forced to be creative and it has grown me in a lot of ways.

And I think I've redeemed myself after Monday night's pot roast disaster! I've tried some yummy new recipes this week. The first two are Cuban. I've never made Cuban food before but I served these last night and Mike declared it was his absolute favorite meal ever. Score!

I always enjoy getting new recipes so I thought I'd share...

Mojo Criollo - Cuban steak marinade (I used a thin shoulder steak and cooked it in the iron skillet. I'm sure it would be even better on the grill.)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
6 garlic cloves (pressed)
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

I used our Magic Bullet for everything so I just mixed the marinade in that.

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Cuban Black Beans - (The recipe doesn't call for it but I added fresh corn to this and we loved it.)
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced onions
1/2 cup salad olives (I used the entire jar of Zatarain's salad olives b/c we like olives.)
2 T olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper

Saute' onions in olive oil. Add beans and olives, simmer for five minutes. Add oregano, salt and pepper. Serve over white rice.

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I got this last recipe at Central Market, too. I made it tonight when Elizabeth came over for supper. We all agreed it was delicious. Not sure about the metric measurements - just add as much as you'd like to.

New Potato and Roasted Pepper Salad
1 lb new potatoes, halved or quartered
6 T olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T course grain mustard
300 g mozzarella cheese, torn into bite-size pieces
188 g baby spinach
200 g roasted red peppers packed in oil, drained, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste
* I also added a small jar of black olives b/c we love olives. The recipe didn't call for them, though.

Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 10-15 minutes till tender, then drain. Make the dressing by whisking together the oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Place all the other ingredients, including the warm potatoes, in a large bowl and drizzle over the dressing and lightly toss. Serve immediately.

Chrys