Goya - Three Bean Salad

So my 2nd Goya recipe this month was Goya's Three Bean Salad.  I wanted to make something that everyone in the house, including my son the vegetarian could eat, so this was on the menu today!

It was easy to put together, it took no time at all, and everyone in the house really enjoyed it. 

The only issue I had, if you can even call it that, was that I wasn't able to find the Goya Salad & Vegetable Seasoning at my local grocery store.  They had several varieties of these seasoning packets, so I tried the Cilantro & Tomato packets as a substitute, and it seemed to do the trick!

Goya's Three Bean Salad is definitely a keeper!  If  you are looking for a great summer side dish, give this one a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Goya Roast Adobo Pork Loin

I have to admit, I've never used any Goya products until today, and going forward I can't wait to try their other products!

This month we were lucky enough to have Goya as one of our sponsors.  We had a list of 21 different recipes to choose from, and our assignment this month, if we chose to accept it, was to make 3 different Goya dishes. 

I made my first recipe tonight, Goya's Roast Adobo Pork Loin and it was wonderful and so easy to prepare that it will be on the dinner rotation in our house again.  With some garlic, oven-roasted red potatoes (just picked up today from our local Mennonite farm) and some fresh bi-color sweet corn (off the cob), mixed with some butter, cayenne, cilantro and lime juice, we had a delicious and easy meal for dinner.

Our local grocery stores carry a lot of the Goya products, and again, I've never used them until today.  I can't wait to give some others a try and start experimenting! 

To find this recipe, or other Goya recipes, check out AllRecipes.com

Beef. It's What's For Dinner

This month I was selected to participate in the "Beef.  It's What's For Dinner" program with Allrecipes. I was looking forward to this sponsor because we do cook beef at least once a week in our home, but it's usually the regular standby's, so I was eager to experiment with some new recipes.

During the week, our schedules are a bit erratic.  Between evening classes and work, and just life in general, it's not always possible for me to make an elaborate dinner for the family.  Because of that, I made the Grilled Steak and Fresh Mozzarella Flatbread for dinner last night, and we were not disappointed!

The steaks were perfectly seasoned with just a rub of lemon-pepper seasoning and then I seared them on both sides for about 2 minutes per side.  The steaks weren't overly thick, so it took no time at all to grill them to medium, with just a little pink in the middle.  The combination of the spinach, fresh mozzarella and balsamic vinegar added a nice sweetness to the flatbread while offsetting the rub on the steak.  The next time I make these (and there will be a next time), the only change I will make is that I'm going to grill the naan bread a bit longer to get it a bit crispier.

We've always heard that you should eat red meat in moderation but I was suprised to discover that all lean cuts of beef contain less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fats and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol for each 3 1/2 oz. cooked serving.  Did you know that some lean cuts of beef are as lean as a 3 oz. skinless chicken thigh?  

We eat a lot of chicken in our house but I'm going to try to incorporate some leaner cuts of beef into our meals.  Check out the Beef. It's Whats For Dinner website for more nutritional information.

Jell-O Patriotic Mini Fruit Tarts

Looking for a quick and easy summertime dessert that you can whip up in 20 minutes or less?  The Jell-O Patriotic Mini Fruit Tarts should be your go to recipe!  I cheated a little, (shhh don't tell).  Rather than use the refridgerated pie crust, I used mini phyllo cups that I found in the frozen dessert section of our local grocery store.  I liked the phyllo cups because it kept the dessert nice and light and they turned out as the perfect bite sized treat after dinner.

I used fresh fruit that I had here at home, which were kiwi and blackberries, but I also made some tarts with diced up fresh local peaches as well (not shown).  You can easily swap out most fresh fruit for this recipe as well, just use what you have on hand for a light sweet treat!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jell-o-patriotic-mini-fruit-tarts/detail.aspx