This week I will be embarking on a hopefully fabulous mother-daughter European vacation. I hope to share the photos of food, historic places, and culture during the vacation. Tonight, however, is down to packing and trying to prep the house before I leave. Not having a lot of time, I made this slow-cooker recipe. I love a recipe that you can make ahead of time AND have leftovers from.

I am a big Cuban food fan. Cuban sandwiches by the way are to die for. This recipe is similar to the Cuban stew called ropa vieja and as it came out of the slow-cooker, I could see why. The stringy look to the meat once it was shredded was certainly unique. Instead of serving the avocado on top, I served it with my very own Marinated Avocado and Red Onion Salad. It is cooling and refreshing and balances out the thick meat and pepper stew. We also had our last grilled corn on the cob for the season. The stew was pretty good. It needed more flavor though. The meat was rather plain but the bell pepper and tomatoes helped enhance the dish. I’m not raving about this dish but it filled me up. Here’s my braised beef:

Slow-Cooker Cuban Braised Beef and Peppers ©EverydayCookingAdventures.com

Slow-Cooker Cuban Braised Beef and Peppers

From: Real Simple Magazine, December 2009
Serves: 4 – 5
Hands-On Time: 10 min
Total Time: 8 hr 30 min

Ingredients:

• 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced 1/2″ thick
• 1/2 onion, cut into 4 wedges
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 Tbsp. seasoning salt
• 1 1/2 pound flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds
• 1/2 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions
1. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, oregano, cumin, seasoning salt, and pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.

2. 25 minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.

3. Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro.