Puerto Rican Styled Pepper Steak

I kicked off my evening with some cardio at our gym across the street and did a few reps on the weight machines. Don't mind the sweaty (my body is dead) look on my face and the side ponytail. It started off at the center but after a good 45 minute jog it shifted a bit. Don't worry friends, I wasn't trying to bring back the 80s!

After the gym I started on dinner. We had steaks in the freezer and I was craving some heat in my life. I decided to make a Puerto Rican-styled pepper steak and it definitely called for some ingredients I didn't have handy. I ran out to the supermarket and moseyed on down the Spanish aisle. Who knew there were that may different varieties of Sazon and Adobo? Latins know whats up when it comes to full flavor! I got all of the ingredients I needed and headed out as soon as I could to make sure I didn't buy any unnecessary groceries. Here's what you'll need.

Ingredients:

— a deep pot (I used my large wok)
— 2 lbs of pepper steak
— 1 green pepper
— 1 large Spanish onion
— 4 cloves of garlic
— 1 container of sofrito
— two tablespoons of olive oil
— 1/2 can of tomato sauce (large can)
— 4 cups of water
— 3 potatoes
— seasonings: 1 packet of Sazon Goya with Culantro & Achoite, 1 tsp of adobo, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp of garlic salt, 2 bay leaves, 2 tsps of oregano and a pinch of black pepper

Make sure to dice all of your veggies first. I sliced my onion into large rings, my potatoes into small cubes and my pepper into strips. Heat your wok on medium heat with your oil and Sofrito. Mix for a bit until your oil is combined with your Sofrito. Next, throw in your peppers and onions and saute for about 10 minutes.

Once your peppers and onions have gotten a bit tender, add your tomato sauce and all of your seasonings. Mix well and then add your steak (raw) to the wok. I didn't dice my steak, instead I kept it in strips which was perfect since your meat will get super tender and fall apart.

Mince your 4 cloves of garlic and then add to the mixture. Add about 4 cups of water and then toss your potatoes in as well. Let simmer for about an hour and thirty minutes until your potatoes are nice and tender. Remember to scoop out your bay leaves after all of your ingredients are finished cooking.

I decided to make some rice on the side since most Spanish dishes are accompanied by some arroz :) This dish came out so flavorful and was super hearty. The spices went together perfectly giving this dish a little bit of kick, but wasn't overly spicy at all. I definitely look forward to making this for some warmth on a cold winter night.

It just started raining sun showers here on the Island! It cooled outside down a bit, which was much needed. I'm hoping the weather is nice this weekend because I am definitely looking forward to spending some time out in the sun. Our pool has finally opened and we definitely need some quality tanning time. And, we heard the new pool heater is keeping the water at perfect temp. Well, until our next meal friends. Hope you all have an amazing weekend! xo