Steak Fajita Chili #ChiliCookOff

Chunks of steak braised until tender with all of your favorite Fajita flavors.

This recipe is made in a slow cooker so that when you walk in the door after a long day all you need to do is ladle the chili into a bowl, top with cheese and sour cream, pop open a cerveza and say ahhhhhhhhhh.....

Ropa Vieja in the Slow Cooker #EattheWorld

I'm very excited about this new monthly cooking challenge I have joined called Eat the World.

My friend, Evelyne of Culture Eatz, had posted a recipe in a year long challenge to which she belonged.  I contacted her and expressed interest in joining in the fun.  Evelyne told me that, unfortunately, that was the last month of the challenge that she had joined.

Then, the next thing I knew, Evelyne invited me to join this group that she started.  Each month we will be assigned a different country and on the 10th of each month we will prepare a recipe from the chosen country. You can learn all about it in Evelyne's information post.

This month we were assigned Cuba. I don't think I have ever made a "Cuba" specific recipe before.  I make a lot of Caribbean and Tropical dishes though.  The closest I have posted to something Cuban is probably this Black Beans and Rice recipe, that we eat all the time.

Probably, the most common Cuban food is the Cuban Sandwich that I have enjoyed when visiting Southern Florida.  This is a sandwich made with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles served on Cuban bread.  I was tempted to make it but further investigation told me that this sandwich was actually developed here in cafes where Cuban workers would go to have lunch.

A recipe search for Authentic Cuban Recipes brought me to this site which led me to this recipe.  I didn't make this recipe LOL but it was the inspiration for the recipe I am sharing with you today.

This recipe is adapted from  this one found at Food&Wine.  I used round steak instead of flank steak because it was what I had on hand.  I omitted the olives because my husband is not an olive lover.  I served this over steamed white rice when I first made it but the leftovers were also delicious used as a stuffing for baked potatoes that I shared on Thursday for our Improv Cooking Challenge.

It doesn't get much easier than prepping everything, putting it into a slow cooker and walking away to live your life for the next 6-8 hrs.  

When you are ready for dinner, take a couple of forks or a pair of tongs and shred the meat.  It will be falling apart tender so this is a very easy process.  I didn't even remove the meat but shredded it right in the crockpot.  Then stir in your capers and cilantro and you are ready to serve.

This is a delicious and healthy stew.  It takes an inexpensive cut of meat and makes it tender and flavorful.  Served over some steamed white rice it makes a perfect and complete one dish meal.

I want to thank Evelyne, once again for starting this fun challenge.  I can't wait to see what country we are visiting next month.  I am anxious to see the other Cuban recipes that you will find links to at the bottom of this post.

Ropa Vieja in the Slow Cooker

adapted from Food&Wine

2 lb. round steak, trimmed and cut into pieces

salt and pepper to taste

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes

1/2 c. red wine

2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced (I used 1 red and 1 yellow)

1/2 Vidalia onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 t. Mexican oregano

1/2 t. cumin

1 bay leaf

2 T. capers

1 T. cilantro paste or 2 T. fresh cilantro

Season the steak with salt and pepper.  Place the tomatoes (with juices),  wine, peppers, onion, oregano, cumin and bay leaf in a slow cooker.  Stir to combine.  Place the seasoned steak on top, cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hrs.

When ready to serve, shred the meat, using two forks or tongs and stir in the capers and cilantro.  Print Recipe

More Cuban Cuisine

• Wendy: Ropa Vieja in Slow Cooker
• Camilla: Baked Picadillo Empanadas
• Sarah: Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork
• Karen: Cuban Bread {Pan Cubano de Manteca}
• Evelyne: Cuban Mojo Pork Chops and Yuca
• Amy: Slow Cooker Cuban Ropa Vieja
• Loreto and Nicoletta: Cuban Sandwich
• Bernice: Huevos Habaneros-A Cuban Breakfast

The Perfect Baked Potato Stuffed with Cuban Steak #ImprovCookingChallenge

This month's Improv Cooking Challenge asks us to make a recipe that uses Steak and Potatoes.  I am a definite steak and potato type gal so this was a perfect challenge for me.

The #ImprovCookingChallenge is a monthly blogging event where two ingredients are assigned to a month. Bloggers can make any recipe they like as long as it features the two ingredients. If you are a blogger and would like to join us, please visit our Facebook page.You can also read more about the event on our our home page
If you’d like to see previous creations, check out our Pinterest board.


As many of my loyal readers know, I love participating in different cooking groups/events/challenges each month and Improv is one of my favorites.

This month, I am going to be introducing a new group that I joined called Eat the World.  Why am I talking about Eat the World in an Improv post?  Well, we were assigned to make a dish from Cuba and I decided to make Ropa Vieja, a Cuban steak stew.

The recipe was delicious but it made enough for 4 people and there were only 2 of us having dinner.  That meant we had some leftovers.  Inspiration struck and I remembered that the mandatory ingredients for Improv this month were Steak and Potatoes.

I decided to share a recipe for Perfect Baked Potatoes that you will use from now on every time you bake a potato and stuff that perfectly baked potato with the leftover Cuban Steak.

I am sharing my Ropa Vieja recipe with you in a couple of days.   Saturday to be exact, so keep your eyes open for that because you are definitely going to want to recreate this recipe for yourselves.  It is perfect to add to your meal plan, especially if, like me, you like to include repurposing leftovers into your menu.

You could also take this idea and run with it, maybe sauteeing up some leftover steak with peppers, onions and mushrooms, stuffing your potato and then adding some swiss cheese and placing under the broiler for a few minutes.  Doesn't that sound delicious?

I paired this meal with a bottle of Cote-Rotie from France.  This bottle was provided as a sample for our upcoming French Winophiles L'Amour event that I will be sharing with you on February 17th.

You won't be sorry if you make up this delicious Ropa Vieja just for the purpose of stuffing these potatoes.  It makes a wonderful, hearty dinner that could easily and generously feed a family of four.

Perfect Baked Potatoes

1 Russet Potato per person

olive oil

kosher salt

Scrub each potato.  Dry and prick all over with a fork.  Place about a teaspoon of olive oil in the palm of your hand and rub it all over the potato.  Repeat until all potatoes are oiled.  Sprinkle kosher salt over both sides of the potatoes.  Place the potatoes directly onto the rack of a preheated 350* oven and let bake for a 1-1 1/2 hrs.  You want a skewer to easily insert into the potatoes without rushing the process.  Print Recipe

More Superb Steak and Potato Recipes

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