Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

For this week's original posts, I wanted to do something different!  I wanted to share some of the creations from my friends and family who have been my creative inspiration.  :)

For today's recipe, I am sharing one that my sister began making some time ago.  We love trying different restaurants, and one of our favorites is a Cuban restaurant that is a bit far away.  So when the craving hits for Ropa Vieja, we were out of luck, until we stumbled upon this recipe!  I love how easy this recipe is, and it is great year round!  Also, I will be sharing my favorite way to serve the Ropa Vieja next week, so stay tuned for that!

EDIT: Check out my Ropa Vieja Tostada "Pizzas" here!

P.S. - I Instagram-ed this picture a while back, from another time I made this.  Oh yes, it is so, so delicious.  :)

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
Slightly Adapted from Food & Wine


Ingredients
One 2-pound flank steak, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 4 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 medium onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 bay leaf
3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped cilantro

For serving, steamed white rice or warm tortillas

Directions

1.  Season the flank steak with salt and pepper.

2.  In a slow cooker, combine the diced tomatoes and their juices with the water, bell peppers, onion, garlic, jalapeño, oregano, cumin and bay leaf.

3.  Add the flank steak, cover and cook on high for 5 hours, until the meat is very tender.

4.  Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.  Discard the bay leaf.

5.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of the cilantro into the sauce.

6.  Using 2 forks, shred the meat.

7.  Return the meat to the sauce to warm through. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

8.  Spoon the meat and sauce into bowls, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cilantro and serve with steamed white rice, warm tortillas, slices of avocado, or fried plantains.

Delicious!  You can see why it is one of my favorite dishes, right?  The majority of my changes was to healthify it a bit.  I add more veggies because I really think they are so tasty after all that time in the slow cooker!  One of my quirks is to separate the veggies from the meat when storing it, because I know exactly what I am dishing out when serving the ropa vieja.  The other change I made was to cut the salt by completely removing the capers and olives.  I typically think that most food is oversalted, but if you miss some salt, feel free to add it back in or salt the meat a bit more.  At any rate, it is a crowd pleaser and super easy!  Thanks to my sister for finding this great recipe!

Bueno provecho!

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Ropa Vieja Tostada "Pizzas"

Plátanos Maduros (Sweet Cuban Plantains)

Grilled Tilapia with Spicy Mango Pineapple Salsa