I remember the first time I had this meal, it was late and we were getting hungry our group of friends and us were wondering the street of San Juan looking to get something to eat. We happened upon a mom and son shop, and we filled up the middle of the restaurant by throwing tables together to accommodate all of us.  I know I was thinking that this was going to be sketchy and we may end up regretting it.

But to my surprise the food was excellent and filling, the company of course was amazing, and we ended up having a great time in this little out of the  way restaurant that upon typical inspection I most certainly would have walked right past any other time.

My Ropa Vieja was served with potatoes and yuca, I opted to make it and serve with wheat tortillas and a nice sour cream sauce.  Not that I don’t adore Yuca (Oh my gosh it is the best) I just wanted to keep it on the lighter side of the spectrum.

So for this you will need a slow cooker, it takes about 4 hours on high and 10 on low, so it can easily be set at the time you go to work and be ready when you get home.

This recipe serves 4

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1-1/4 pounds beef flank steak
• 2/3 cup beef broth
• 5/8 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1-1/4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 5/8 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar

For the topping

1 cup sour cream
1 avocado chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
1 tablespoon syriacha
salt and pepper to taste
Shredded taco cheese

 

Situate your beef on the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, ½ the bunch of cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours.

Once ready, remove the meat and shred, taking a slotted spoon remove the cooked vegetables and mix with the shredded beef. Serve traditionally with rice and bean or as I did on tortillas. I topped mine with the sour cream mixture and some shredded cheese. Can you say AHMAZZING!!

And the best part it is so low in calories and carbs!

I hope you enjoyed the recipe and that you will make your own version, tweeking it here and there. If you would like to reach me you can do so by email at LauraLovingLife@hotmail.com

Bon Appétit

buen apetito

LauraLovingLife