Monday, July 23

mexican picadillo...simply delicious!



picadillo is a dish that is made all over latin america. it's called picadillo because "picar" in spanish means to mince or chop. it's super easy to make and very versitile. it can be served as a stand-alone or used as a filling for enchiladas, chile rellenos, tacos, burritos, tamales, and empanadas. picadillo always calls for potatoes, onions, and garlic as the base. typically, ground beef is the protein source, but beef brisket, pork, or seafood can be used as well. also, you can throw in whatever else you like...squash, zucchini, carrots, jalapeno, cheese, raisins, etc. it's basically like a goulash or hash. in mexico, sweetness is often added by using honey or sugar. traditionally, it is served with rice and tortillas.

i skip the rice and tortillas and eat it straight out of a bowl...often over fresh spinach. sprinkle with chopped cilantro and diced jalapenos for a little something extra!

oh, and i skip white potatoes and honey and opt for sweet potatoes.

ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
1 large sweet potato (small dice)
1 cup chopped red onion
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 large tomatoes (diced)
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
water
olive oil (if needed)

heat pan over medium-high heat. add ground beef to hot pan and break it up. i like it a little chunky, but you can make it as fine as you like. once ground beef is nicely browned and caramelized. remove from pan and set aside.

add the onions to the beef fat and saute until translucent. add some olive oil if the pan is a bit dry. toss in the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 40 seconds. this is where you'd add chiles if you'd like. i add them to the individual servings at the end, so our toddler can eat it too.

stir in the diced tomatoes for about 3 minutes. tomatoes will begin to stew and change to a deeper red. 

return the beef back to the pan and add the diced sweet potatoes or any other veggies. mix in cumin, chili powder, salt, and 3/4 cup of water.

cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

if you're in the mood for tortillas, try my flourless crepes!

3 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. hi Jennifer! i love this dish...super easy, super healthy, super yummy. tell me how you like it. sometimes i add a spoonful of plain greek yogurt...sort of a mexican stroganoff.

      btw: your little boy is precious! love seeing his pics. i really need to take a photography class!

      thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Loved the dish! I ate it with plain Greek yogurt as well. Cooked white rice to go with it for hubby and son. They loved it. I added diced carrots and zucchini. Carrots went in with the onions and zucchini with the potatoes. Hubby thought sweet potato chunks were carrots. He doesn't like sweet potato but he liked this dish. I like the food you put on your site because the diet you follow is very similar to the Paleo type food I mostly eat. Your little guy is precious too. My husband takes all those photos of our son. You take pretty good pics of all that food you make.

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