Rating: ©©©© chips  (lip-smacking)

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© - return to sender

©© - tolerable

©©© - notable

©©©© - lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

As you can tell, lately I’ve been on a Mexican food kick – burritos one night, mole the next, and then for breakfast a big plate of beans and eggs in the form of huevos rancheros.  As much as I love pico de gallo (the ubiquitous dip served with chips in every authentic or wanna-be Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant), it is impossible to make at this time of the year ‘cause the tomatoes are so anemic and tasteless, so I try to make my own “authentic” Mexican cooked sauces to keep on hand when I need a south of the border fix.

To make the huevos, griddle up some corn tortillas (one for each serving and a couple for dipping and cleaning the plate).  Top with refried beans, then with 2 fried eggs, sunny-side-up, drizzle with tomato sauce, and serve as is or with a side of yellow rice.  On this morning, I grilled some of those sweet little peppers that come, pre-bagged, in a colorful mix that I found languishing in the back of the fridge to accent the plate as we were having friends join us.

Here’s my sauce:

1 pound ripe (ha!) tomatoes

Couple of chiles – jalapeño, Serrano or whatever is available, cut in half, lengthwise

3 cloves garlic

Cilantro or epazote to taste

Salt to taste

            Place the tomatoes, chiles, and garlic in a stovetop grill pan over medium heat.  Grill, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until nicely charred and soft to the touch.  You might have to step away from the stove from time to time as the fumes from the cooking chiles can be powerful.

Remove from the grill and set aside until cool enough to handle.  When cool enough to handle, core the tomatoes, stem the chiles, and push the skin from the garlic.

Combine the tomatoes, chiles, and garlic in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Add the cilantro or epazote and season with salt.  Process, using quick on and off turns, to make a chunky sauce.

Scrape the sauce into a clean saucepan and place over medium heat.  Cook for about 5 minutes just to allow flavors to blend.  Taste and, if necessary, add more cilantro and salt.

Serve or transfer to a container and store, covered and refrigerated, for up to a week or so.

And here’s my refried beans: 

2-3 tablespoons bacon fat or lard (if you want to be good use canola oil, but why?)

Any amount of cooked beans you like – either pinto or black (with cooking liquid separately reserved if you have it) – I usually make about 4 cups

3 cloves garlic, minced or more if you like

3 sprigs epazote or cilantro or more if you like, finely chopped

1 jalapeño serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

Salt to taste

Heat the fat in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the drained beans along with the garlic, herbs, and chile.  Cook, pushing down on the beans with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, until all of the beans have been mashed into the fat.  Lower the heat and season with salt.  Continue to cook, stirring frequently and adding reserved bean cooking liquid to keep the mixture moist, but not runny, for about 20 minutes or until the flavors are well blended and the mix is very flavorful.  Serve immediately or store, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

When Price and I went to visit our friends Natalie and Jason in Austin last year we fell in love with all of the food we had there. Everything was incredible. I couldn’t get enough of the tacos, bbq, agua fresca, and, of course, queso. (Also couldn’t get enough time hanging with great friends, natch.)

Each and everything we ate was amazing for a different reason. The fantastic Mexican we had at Chuy’s, to the BBQ we got to go after a night of drinking, to the chicken on a biscuit from Whataburger immediately after some bar hoping.

But the one thing that was a constant was the queso we had. We had it every change we had and even while we lamented ‘no more queso’ we loved it. I think there really is a limit to the amount of queso/cheese a person can eat in a few days and I think we were fast approaching that limit. But really, worth indulge. Or at least that is what I kept telling myself after dipped another chip in.

Well since this weekend’s upcoming NASCAR race is at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, I figured that I had to share something for my Sprint Cup Snack that I loved so much about my visit to Texas. Now don’t give me any lip about how Austin and Fort Worth are not that close to each other- 3 hr drive or so- because I say what goes on this blog! ha!

Plus any excuse to eat queso is okay for me.

Natalie emailed me her recipe for queso at a moment’s notice. True friends understand the love of cheese (even if she has gone Paleo now). And let me tell you it was fantastic!!

The queso is incredibly easy to make and would be fantastic to whip up for watching any sporting event, a movie, or having friends over for a side splitting night of Cards Against Humanity. << come over, let’s hang and just be ridiculous. 

If you can whip up some simple pico de gallo and can melt some cheese in milk, then you are all set. It’s basically that, plus making a simple rue to thicken it all up. So, so much better than the queso you get in the jar that you microwave. Was that even necessary to say?!?! duh!!

Obviously, queso is best piping hot so it’s super ooey gooey yummy. If you have a little crock pot dip warmer then I suggest you use that to keep it hot and everyone happy.

Dig in!!!!

Texas Queso Dip

Makes 8 snack servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature-ish
• 2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Pico De Gallo

• 3 plum tomatoes
• 1/2 of a red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 a hass avocado
• 2 jalapenos, seeds removed
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of 1 lime
• salt and pepper

Process

1. Remove the milk from the refrigerator, set aside.
2. To make the pico de gallo, dice the cored tomatoes, onion, and avocado. Mince the jalapenos and garlic. Combine together and add the cilantro, lime juice, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. 
3. To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook to make a rue, whisking constantly until golden, about 2 minutes. Continue whisking and slowly add the milk. Bring the mixture to a steady simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
4. Combine the cheese sauce and pico de gallo together and enjoy!

slightly adapted from my friend Natalie

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{Sprint Cup Snacks Track Facts}

Texas Motor Speedway seat a whopping 190,000+ people to watch a race. Repeat… 190k+. That was about 3 times the number of people in my whole town when I was growing up. Insane. But everything is bigger in Texas!

Besides being big, it’s also fast. It’s one of the fasted non-restrictor plate races in the series   with qualifying speeds in excess of 192 mph and corner entry speeds over 200 mph. And in 2006 for the Dickies 500 qualifying, Brian Vickers shattered the qualifying record at Texas with a speed of 196.235 mph. Crazy.

Gotta enjoy this weekend’s race under the lights!

Track: 1.5 miles

Shape: Oval

Banking: 24 degrees in the turns

Surface: Asphalt

Capacity: 191,122… yep a lot of people!!!!

Race: 334-laps for 501 miles

2012 winner:  Greg Briffle

____________________

Seriously, tacos and iteration of them for the win.

Every Sunday we make a big meal to carry us through the week. Tacos are amazing, but sometimes have too many individual components to make it worth the while to assemble every night. Sometimes you just want to come home from work, put on your comfies, hit 2 minutes on the microwave and have delicious tacos in your mouth. In times like these, you plan ahead and make tacos – in a casserole!

Mexican Casserole

The real beauty about this dish is its versatility; you can customize it to your tastes. You could easily sub chicken or veggie crumbles, add bell peppers, or any of your favorite taco ingredients!

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

What you need:

• 1 package (20ct) flour or corn tortillas, quartered
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 packet hot or mild taco seasoning
• 1 can black beans
• 1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 2 limes, halved
• 1 white or yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 8 oz. container light sour cream
• 1 7 oz. can chilies in adobo sauce (Note: using the whole can = SPICY! Adjust to your heat tolerance.)
• 2 8 oz. packages light or fat free shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
• 1 3.8 oz can sliced black olives
• pico de gallo, recipe can be found here

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown and drain meat; follow directions on seasoning packet to season the meat and add juice of 1-2 lime halves (or to taste) and a handful of chopped cilantro. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Pour beans with juices into a medium sauce pan. Allow to simmer with 1/2 can green chilies, the juice of half a lime and a handful of chopped cilantro. Season to taste. Add oil and allow to warm; add onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened. In a food processor, add sour cream and chipotle peppers; blend until smooth.

Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Assemble tortilla halves around the perimeter of the dish with the flat side around the edge, being sure to overlap tortilla edges. Fill in the center with tortillas. Top with a layer of cheese. Add another layer of tortillas. Spoon the meat over the tortillas and top with beans. Add onions and pour chipotle sour cream on top. Add another layer or tortillas. Top with a layer of cheese and black olives. Bake for 20 minutes or so until cheese is melted and casserole is heated throughout.

How to enjoy it:

Cut into 12 slices and serve with fresh pico and Mexican rice, if desired. (*Almost* better as leftovers!)

I’m not 100% positive about the timing, but I’m guessing I’m about 5 weeks. I have an OB appointment on the 24th, and we will know for sure then. If I’m right, my gremlin looks like an alien tadpole instead of a baby and its super tiny, like the size of a sesame seed. You know, that thing on top of hamburger buns….

Speaking of hamburgers, I’m not sure if the cravings are real, or if I’m just anticipating them since I got the pretty little blue plus sign, but I’m definitely eating more than usual. I’m constantly hungry, and sometimes weird things pop in my head and it sounds delicious, but I’ve been able to hold off on those so far. My husband made tacos last night and we had a lot of left over pico de gallo… who can say no to eggs and pico for breakfast?

I’ve noticed my dreams becoming more vivid and off the wall over the last two weeks. I’ve dreamed about people coming into our house, stealing the crib (which I don’t even have yet), the dogs talking, trying to cooks eggs and little dinosaurs coming out when I crack them into the pan, falling into a volcano and swimming in the lava…. And those are only the ones I can remember. Who knows what I’m not remembering at the moment. I’m assuming this has to do with the fluctuating hormones in my body, though it could be a subconscious freak out since I know that I’m pregnant.

I hear the hot flashes aren’t supposed to start happening until the second trimester… well they were WRONG! We keep it at about 70 in our house at night. The last two nights I’ve sweat the entire night, and tossed and turned and tangled myself in the covers until I feel like I’m suffocating. It’s not so bad that it makes me feel like I’m not getting any sleep. I’m actually up at 8AM on my day off and I feel pretty rested. I’m sure I’ll crash by 5 though. Seems like I’ve been really sleepy in the afternoons the last few days.

On morning sickness, I’ll try not to jinx myself, but it really hasn’t been so bad yet. I’ve also read that it normally hits about week 6 though. I guess we will see how it is the next week. I have had a little nausea though. Last night while my husband was cooking dinner, the smells started to get to me. The food smelled great, but it was just a little overwhelming. I took a couple deep breaths and drank some tea and was fine. No throwing up, yet anyways.

***This is a pregnancy blog, so I apologize if talking about female body parts offends you, but you probably shouldn’t be here if it does. ***

My boobs have been a little tender this week. Last week, I was having a hard time even wearing a bra. They hurt so bad, it felt like there was a little ninja Chuck Norris in my shirt round house kicking them to next year. It was like premenstrual tenderness on anabolic steroids. NOT COOL. I’ve noticed a little cramping feeling in my pelvic area every once in a while. Nothing painful, just something I’ve noticed. I’m hypersensitive to all the little feelings, and my first thought is that there is something wrong. Maybe I’ll share that story someday.

I know it’s really early, but we started talking names last night. We agreed on a girl’s name, but not a boy’s. And we are crossing our fingers for a boy, (of course we can’t agree on a name) but as long as we have a healthy baby, we will be ecstatic.

Love,

From the gremlin and me.

I got my introduction to this brand through the “Love with Food” box I got in February. Included was a little sample bag of Beanfields Bean & Rice “Pico de Gallo” flavored chips. I kind of passed them over at first, because, hey, chips are chips, right? Big mistake. Hubby and I dove in like 2 staving people after the first taste. The flavor dust had barely been wiped from our lips when I decided I should contact Beanfields and see what else they had to offer and where I could get more! A wonderful person from Beanfields replied and said they’d be sending me a variety to sample and review for my blog! Zounds and gadzooks!! What an awesome company! When the package arrived it was like Christmas in March, and oh, the presents we did get!

A few asides about Beanfields before we dive in. This is a family-owned, farmed and made in the USA company. All natural, Non-GMO Project Verified, vegan, low-sodium, gluten free, corn free, dairy free, soy free, no fillers, no binders, no artificial colors or flavors, no trans fats, no cholesterol, high fiber, high protein snack. Wow. All that’s left for Beanfields is cold fusion.   Take the time to check them out because your taste buds will thank you!

So, without further ado, let me introduce what will hopefully become a pantry staple for every person who reads this blog: the multiple-award winning Beanfields Bean & Rice Chips, in 5 mouthwatering varieties!!

Up first, and our favorite, Salt N’ Pepper.

Oh. My. Gosh. Out of the park, on the first swing. Great flavor, great texture. We had to stop ourselves from polishing off the entire 6 ounce bag. Strong enough to dip, tasty enough to not. The first thing that hits you when you finish is, it’s not greasy or oily in any way. Not on your fingers, not in your mouth, nowhere.  And then it hits you: these chips are made from beans! Not corn, like just about everything else in the market. The ingredients are simple, too: Beans, rice, oil, and flavorings. And lo and behold, I can pronounce everything. How’s that for awesome?

Close up of Salt N’ Pepper Chips

Next up, Pico de Gallo.

Another winner, and a close second. Another great flavor with an ingredient list that doesn’t read like a science experiment. Simple ingredients like onion powder, green bell pepper powder, celery powder, garlic powder, tomato powder…Hey, I’ve got all this stuff in my fridge and pantry! I don’t need a PhD in chemistry to understand what it is I’m putting in my mouth! And the best part is, you can taste that someone put a lot of thought into this chip. Not just about how to get you to buy and eat more of them, but on how to make it taste good. I appreciate that, and I think you will too.

With that we move on to the Sea Salt bag.

K.I.S.S. comes to mind. No, not “I Wanna Rock-n-Roll All Night”, you goofy husband. Keep It Super Simple. It should be the mantra if every person who makes food for yourself, your family, or your job. But very few people do it, and fewer still do it well. Beanfield’s get’s it 100% right. And they’re three for three. You can taste the richness of the beans, the long grain rice. And the salt. Oh, did I mention that aside from a little oil, that’s all that’s in these chips!! Holy cow, it seems so simple, but it’s an amazing snack experience, from the first bite to the last. I can’t wait for the next flavor.

Close up of Sea Salt Chips

Luckily, I don’t have to, so it’s on to Unsalted!

Do these people do anything halfway? Even with the lack of flavorings, the ingredients shine through. The perfect dip chip that goes with anything. You got salsa? Good to go. You’ve got queso? Go for it. Spinach artichoke? Bring it. This chip handles them all.  Want it on it’s own for a guilt free snack? This chip has your back. I can see how Beanfields won so many awards. Nothing but beans, rice, and a little oil, and it still taste like a million bucks.  I had a nice green Tomatillo salsa with these and it was delicious.

Now, let’s see if Beanfields goes 5 for 5 with Nacho flavor.

Beanfields included some materials for us in the package of yum. One of them mentioned that this flavor a Best of Show award, and labeled this the Vegan answer to Doritos. It’s arguably the market leader in this category. And let me tell you, that this comparison sells Beanfields short. Because this chip leaves Doritos in the dust. Orange colored, salty fatty dust. You’ll never look at a Dorito the same way again, realizing Beanfields chumps them. Hard. While this was our least favorite of the five, it’s head and shoulders over the usual suspects you’ll find in the market. And let’s not forget it’s still a simple ingredient list populated entirely with things you know, understand and can pronounce. Beanfields is a winner, five out of five. I can’t remember a company that I loved everything they make.

You owe it to yourself to seek Beanfields out and try them for yourself.  You’re doing yourself a disservice not doing it. You’ll wonder how you went this long without them!

I received the above products free of charge from the manufacture.  I am not obligated in providing a favorable/positive review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the products, which may differ from yours.

The interior design and reflection of the restaurant, or Cantina, is one of my favorite dining areas I have visited. Simple, elegant, tasteful, and unique. I can only offer so much in description of the views, so it is up to you to take a trip your self down Pico Boulevard for a wonderful dining experience.

But now, I shall indulge you with the talks of the tastes and plates which Picca has to offer.

Being traditional tapas dishes, it is the norm to order multiple dishes per person; as our waiter suggested, we order 3 to 4 plates per, for our party of three coming to a 9 to 12 dish total by the end of the “meal”.
So, we did as he suggested and started with a few appetizers.

Our first dish, was Anticucho Lengua; For those of you who do not know, Lengua is spanish for ‘tongue’. Anticucho is for the inexpensive street food of Peru.
The Anticucho Lengua was street styled tongue; and this was not normal beef tongue, this was Ox tongue! Served with sweet potato crisps, a bell pepper sauce, and greens, this has been my absolute favorite tongue dish I have ever tasted. The gaminess was different than usual tongue flavor; this lengua had a sharp, yet subtle taste. As in, you could taste the difference in flavor for the meat, but it was not over whelming and had a smooth taste. It almost reminded my dad and I of roast beef. The lengua was so tender and juicy, just so soft with the flakiness and melt-in-your-mouth texture. The bell pepper sauce it rested upon was distinct and enhance the meat! It had the texture of not so smooth, but grainy almost, and was great with the crunch of the sweet potato crisps for a sweetness to balance the flavors.

Next up was the Anticucho Black Cod. This was black Cod, as it was named, and again served up Peruvian Street style. I was actually the only fan of this dish as I love sea food and the numerous flavors and differences between fish. The Black Cod came in a serving of two pieces, both on skewers, as they had been grilled with perfect crispy edges, yet maintaining the flaky, moist, and warm interior. The fish had a sweeter influence from the miso sauce, as it was glazed over. This was a real quick bite as the fish was somewhat smaller pieces and easy to eat. These also came with sweet potato chips to accompany the fish. 

This was one of our favorite dishes of the night; my mom ordered this and absolutely loved it! My dad and I did too and could not stop nibbling at it! Bravo to my mom! This dish, or bowl should I say, is Pescado Frito, Striped Bass served “family” style, as a bigger portion.
The Striped Bass was panko roasted, placed over beluga lentils and roasted tomatoes. It had hints of lemon and garlic, but that hint was enough to really impact the flavors! The fish was tender, flaky, and absorbed the flavors of the bowl. The lentils gave a good texture, bursting with the juices absorbed as well. Atop the fish was a pico de gallo type of salsa, with a little kick for some heat, continuously changing the flavor.

One of my personal choices, and personal favorites of the night was the Peruvian style sushi, or as Picca calls them: Causas. You order this as you would order Nigiri Sashimi, so I ordered a Causa Unagi and Causa Spicy Albacore. Instead of a bed of rice, the base is a whipped potato, which is traditionally formed into large cakes, but the chef cuts them into small cubes, and thus places the fish and other ingredients on top. The Causa Unagi was layered with a thin slice of cucumber, a thick piece of barbecued unagi, or fresh water eel, and finished with an avocado puree and scallions. The eel is absolutely delicious! Grilled perfectly, with a thin crispy edge, and melt in your mouth flakiness; the glaze is pungent yet subtle when eaten with the potato base. The whipped potatoes soak up the excess juices and flavors, and not as bland as you would assume. It has a mild, simple flavor, similar to polenta. Dense, yet smooth and creamy.
Now the Causa Spicy Albacore; these pieces were great too, but I prefer the Unagi, next time to choose different fish as well. The Albacore is mixed almost like a spicy tuna mixture you would usually find at a sushi spot; but this mix is a bit chunkier, with more texture and a bite. This one is not too spicy, a mild kick with each piece; a soothing heat almost to say. It is topped with spicy mayo and smelt eggs, giving a creaminess and popping of flavor from the eggs. 

Yet another absolutely fantastic dish that hit the spot with my family was the Ceviche Criollo. Another street inspired dish, but served in a family portion and style in the bowl. This was a whirlpool of flavors, which all combined to create such an intriguing dish. This was also a seafood dish, with the fish being Sea Bass; But the Sea Bass was ceviche style, raw but cooking in the acids of lemon juice. Mixed in with the fish was Picca’s signature Leche de Tigre, or Tiger’s Milk. Unfortunately, this is not really the ‘milk of a Tiger’ but punches your taste buds like a Tiger would pounce on his prey! A mixture of lemon juice, and some secret ingredients, this creamy sauce soaks and cooks the Sea Bass in an unforgettable flavor! Combined in the saucy mix was Canchas, or types Peruvian corn, crunchy and in different kernel sizes. This dish had small very crunchy pieces similar to corn nuts, and larger, flatter pieces almost like large corn-on-the-cob kernels…but again, with crispier exteriors. Also added to the dish were cubes of sweet potato. This was such a thrill ride of flavors, I don’t think we will forget this particular dish! The combination of the acidic sauce and sweet fish, the crunch and saltiness of the canchas, adding two types of texture there, then the soft-creaminess of the sweet potato with a sweeter flavor to off set the acids.

Now I will not fool you guys into saying every single dish we ordered was perfect and amazing…I will say though, that 8 out of the 9 dishes we ordered (not including dessert) were perfect and amazing. The one dish we were not fond of was the Papa A La Huancaina. This dish was two skewers with four small potatoes, a hard-boiled Quail egg at the end, and topped with what seemed to be a cream or sauce made of egg yolks and mustard (like egg salad mousse), bacon bits and chives. We actually expected this to be more like french fries or something fried of potatoes, even roasted or this and that…basically we expected everything but this. The potatoes were pretty much baked whole with the skin, placed on the skewer, then topped with everything else. Simple, very, very simple, but no outstanding or fantastic flavor to remember.

Well folks, back to our regular programming for memorable and enticing dishes!
This dish was a gamble at first, my dad thought it sounded interesting and he sure was right!
Tacu Tacu Onigiri comes out in somewhat of a small oval/log shape, dense and glazed. The waiter said it has a pork sauce, which is so strong you really need to love pork, but honestly, it had a mild pork flavor that added great flavor. The sauce is a bbq rococo-chancaca sauce, where the pork flavor comes from, and is sweet and tangy. The interior is made of short grain rice and garbanzo beans, compacted into this shape and baked almost like fried risotto balls. This is actually very similar to risotto, just having bigger bites from the garbanzo beans. This was a really something different, more different than the other dishes, because of the twist and creation it had to it. Creamy and hot bite after bite! And it stays compacted, not too much of a mess!
(sorry for the bad photo, we were too excited for it and could not get the lighting right)

And the grand finale, the dish we ordered after finishing all first placed orders, a homage to Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters a la Chalaca. Deliciously pan fried oysters, topped with salsa criolla, or a mixture or lemon, tomatoes, onions, and spices. Then of course, added is the leche de tigre, the sweetness of the Tiger’s milk and the sharp acid of the lemon, tomatoes and onions, creates a delicious juice in the oyster shells. The pan fried oysters are warm and like butter, taken in and slowly melting away! Someone who has never eaten oysters would not even tell that this was seafood. Really one of the best pan fried, cooked, non-raw oyster dishes you will eat.

Last but not least, Flan for my birthday dessert!
A simple, light, creamy flan not overdone, and not underone.
A nice end to the night!

Picca Peru is a fantastic tapas style restaurant serving Peruvian foods with Japanese influences. Chef Ricardo Zarate was  named “Best New Chef in America” by Food and Wine Magazine. From his hometown in Lima, Peru, to working in top restaurants in London, Chef Zarate brings you Picca in Los Angeles, CA. Along the way, he also opened Mo-Chica, which I am eager to experience.

I completely forgot to post it with yesterday’s Huevos Rancheros recipe. I don’t know why, I guess I am not totally blog savvy as of yet, even though I have been doing this for almost 5 years (off and on).

I started Soph n’ Stuff in 2008 upon Cheesler’s suggestion after we moved to Ontario and I was unemployed for 6 weeks, going absolutely stir-crazy.

Now it is my full-time hobby. I am still trying to figure out how I can make it my job (read: generate income so that I don’t have to have a real job). I do have a facebook page, in case you were wondering, and I do cordially invite you to “like” it if you so desire. No pressure, but facebook says if I get 3 more “likes” I will get “insights” about my posts. I don’t know what that means but it must be very important facebook knowledge.

I need to read one of those books about how to be a better blogger, I suppose.

Anyway, that is all very boring. Onto the salsa!

After I made the Huevos with my new home-made salsa roja recipe, it was gone in the blink of an eye.

Eaten up by one Cheesler who is quite the chips and salsa connoisseur.

I don’t blame him. This is a bright, spicy and fresh tasting salsa and once you have one bite you can’t stop going back for more.

You could easily play around with the ingredients to customize this to your own taste. Add black beans maybe, or corn. Or make it spicier!

Now that we know the difference between salsa roja and salsa fresca, the world is our oyster!

So, without any further ado, I am pleased to present this super simple recipe for Salsa Roja. Enjoy!

Butternut Nachos with Always-Paleo Pico (4 servings @ 100 cal/ea)

1 large butternut squash
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp chipotle
1 tsp cumin

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut gourd in half, scoop out unwanted stringies, and slice into “pre-chip” status about 1 cm thick.

Mix spices and sprinkle over squash slices.

Place on cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes – flip over – and bake for another 20-30 minutes.

3 tomatoes
2 medium-small onions
fresh cilantro sprigs

Chop tomatoes, onion and cilantro and mix while your squash is baking.

Butternut Nachos will also be served with a little emerald gem I found at Trader Joe’s last weekend: Verde Salsa with only the basic ingredients.

As much as I care about sharing, I’m hording an extra serving of this for myself to enjoy again this weekend. TGIFiestaF!

France: country W Europe between English Channel & the Mediterranean; a republic ∗ Paris area 212,918 square miles (551,458 square kilometers), pop 61,100,000

Remember that Shaggy song “It Wasn’t Me?” It came out sometime in the late 90s when I was in middle school. A year or so after it came out I went to France for the first time and that song was incredibly popular. I guess it was a simpler time when not everyone was on the Internet and cultural sensations took a while to cross the Atlantic Ocean to become popular in other countries outside the U.S.

Part of my trip involved a home stay and my host family took me to a parade in Marseille (they lived about an hour away in a little community with amazing cheese farms). I don’t actually remember what the parade was celebrating, I can’t recall what we did before or after the parade, all I really remember is that Marseille was a tad smelly. See, the garbage workers in Marseille had been on strike for a while and as a result a fair amount of trash had accumulated (shocking, French on strike?!?!?!). What else do I remember? Dinner that night. Oh, and a float during the parade blasting “It Wasn’t Me” and thousands of French people singing along to the title words. The host mother later asked me what the song was about and she simultaneously turned bright red and cracked up. Ever since then I associate “It Wasn’t Me” with France.

A few days ago I heard that song on the radio (it was being played during an “old school hour” [which made me feel ancient]) and I quickly became nostalgic for France. While a logical person might make a French dish, or eat some baguette and fromage (ooh, I want that for lunch now), I decided to make carnitas. The evening of the parade my host father made carnitas and I fell in love with the dish. Since then I order carnitas almost every time I see them on the menu and have been itching to try them myself.

I stumbled across a carnitas recipe David Lebovitz blogged about. Seeing as he lives in France and all I figured it would be the perfect recipe. While time consuming, it was incredibly simple to make and was just as good (if not better) than any restaurant. The pork was in luscious, juicy strands with copious amounts of crunchy, caramelized bits of skin. It’s everything I seek in a carnitas and if you’re looking for a recipe, I cannot recommend this one enough. I served mine with homemade corn tortillas, pico, Spanish rice, a bit of sour cream, and sliced avocado.

Carnitas

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s blog Living The Sweet Life In Paris, where it was adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

4-5-pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5-inch chunks, trimmed of excess fat

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons canola or neutral vegetable oil

water

Juice of one orange

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon chile powder

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

2 bay leaves

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly-sliced

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Aggressively season chunks of pork with salt.

3. Heat the oil in a roasting pan set on the stovetop (I used a Dutch Oven, but use anything that can go from the stove to the oven). Cook the pieces of pork in a single layer until very browned on each side. To avoid overcrowding, I cooked my pork in two batches. I’m a touch compulsive when browning meat and to ensure everything was perfectly browned it took me over half an hour. You don’t have to be as picky as me, but don’t rush this process. You want your meat browned on all sides.

4. Once all the pork is browned, remove them from the pot, and blot away any excess grease and fat with a paper towel, then pour in the juice of one orange and a little less than a cup of water, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged utensil to release all the caramelized brown bits.

4. Stir in cinnamon, chile powders, bay leaves, cumin, and garlic.

5. Add the pork back to the pan and add enough water so the pork pieces are 2/3rd’s submerged in liquid.

7. Braise in the oven uncovered for 2½ to 3½ hours, turning the pork a few times during cooking, until much of the liquid is evaporated and the pork is falling apart. Remove the pan from the oven and lift the pork pieces out of the liquid and set them on a platter. You should plan on letting your pork cook for up to 3½ hours, but it might take less. My pork was beginning to fall apart at 2 hours and change and by 3 hours it was so tender and fell apart by simply lifting a piece out of the pan, and almost all of the liquid had evaporated.

8. Once the pork pieces are cool enough to handle, shred them into bite-sized pieces, discarding any obvious big chunks of fat if you wish. You can shred the pork by using two forks, or your hands.

9. The original recipe instructed me to return the pork to the oven and continue cooking the shreds until they developed a deeper, darker color and became even crispier. I found the pork to be perfect. It was tender and moist, yet had plenty of caramelized, crunchy bits so I decided to not cook it further. Use your judgment and cook longer if you like crispier, or serve as is. Whatever floats your boat.

Spanish Rice

This was the only disappointing part of the meal. I won’t bother posting the recipe. It wasn’t that bad, but it just wasn’t very good. I’ve had box mixes with more flavor. Can anyone recommend a good Spanish rice recipe?

Pico de Gallo

This recipe will make A LOT, and is very easy to reduce in half for a more reasonable amount (the below picture is just a teeny tiny portion of what it actually made).

6 large tomatoes, cut in half

4 jalapenos (more if you prefer spicier)

2 onions (I used one red and one sweet)

Juice of two limes

4 cloves of minced garlic

2 teaspoons of salt

1 bunch of chopped cilantro (use more or less depending on your taste… I also used organic cilantro, which was in a much, much smaller bunch than the non-organic)

1. Preheat oven to broil.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil (for easier cleanup).

3. Place whole jalapenos and tomato halves, skin side up on baking sheet.

4. Place under broiler for a few minutes, or until the skin slightly blackens.

5. Once the tomatoes and jalapenos have cooled, you’ll want to skin and seed the tomatoes and skin the jalapenos (feel free to seed the jalapenos if you want something mild). Definitely let the ingredients cool. You don’t want to grab a tomato and have it squirt pipping hot juice all over your white shirt (not that that happened to me or anything).

6. Roughly chop all ingredients besides cilantro and place in food processor. Lightly pulse until all ingredients are in a medium to small, uniform size. Add in cilantro and pulse until all ingredients are in a small to fine chop.

Roasting the veggies and pulsing the final product isn’t traditional. I happened to make this in March when the tomatoes weren’t especially ripe and found cooking them improved the flavor. I also don’t like chunky salsas, which is why I wanted something with slightly smaller chunks.

Corn Tortillas

I LOVE kitchen gadgets. I can’t say a tortilla press was incredibly high up on my list of must-have items, but when I used one and made amazing corn tortillas I couldn’t imagine my life without one. Making tortillas is so simple and cheap. All you need is maza flour, water, a little salt, tortilla press, and a way of cooking them. You can find a cast iron press and skillet on Amazon for less than $40 and a bag of the flour will set you back less than $5 and can be found at almost any supermarket. You can either buy a few packages of the lame, packaged tortillas at a store or you can invest the same amount of money in equipment and make your own at home.

Everything from this recipe is easy to find in your local grocer, except jalapenos or serrano chillies. In Texas, I would have used fresh jalapenos, but they’re tough to find in the UK.  Instead, I buy them canned in escabeche. You can order them online, or buy them at Whole Foods. I’ve also seen them for sale at Picante near Victoria Station. If you can’t be asked to make a special trip just for chillies, most large supermarkets sell chopped jalapenos. A heaped tablespoon of chopped jalapenos roughly equals one jalapeno.

Serranos and jalapenos have a similar flavour, but serranos are a bit spicier, so use them if you prefer more heat. If you want to make it much spicier, leave the seeds in or add a third or fourth chili.  I rarely measure when making pico de gallo, so experiment and change the proportions to suit your tastes.

Ingredients:

1. 4 medium tomatoes, diced
2. half a medium onion, finely diced
3. 1 22 gram pack of coriander, large stems removed, diced
4. 1 lime, juiced
5.  1 clove garlic, minced
6. 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
7. pinch of salt
8. 2 jalapeno or serrano chillies, seeds and stems removed, diced

Combine the ingredients in a bowl. As you’re adding the tomatos, pick them up in small handfulls and give them a gentle squeeze over the sink to let some extra seeds and juice drain out. Be careful not to mash them!

Stir and let sit in the fridge for half an hour before serving.  If you don’t finish it, it stays good in the fridge for about a day. It will get a bit juicy, so drain before serving.

Growing up, taco night was a big, and I mean BIG deal for me. It meant a table filled with possibilities. Did I want cheese (duh, even then I knew when it comes to cheese, the answer is always yes), did I want tomatoes, or maybe lettuce, or sour cream? Or perhaps just a crunchy shell and a pile of richly spiced ground beef. Needless to say I was a happy camper. The way all the flavours came together – it just blew my 11 year old brain.
So imagine my amazement later in life when I realized tacos could be soooo much more than what Old El Paso told you they could be on those bright yellow taco-kit boxes! I realized you didn’t always have to use ground beef and that little packet of taco seasoning – you could potentially put any assortment of flavours, in any sort of tortilla, top with it with whatever you fancy, and have an easy and scrumpitous meal.

From there, things just sort of steam rolled – until one day, I found myself seriously considering how I could make opening my own taco themed food truck possible.

Well, unfortunately for the time being I am taco-foodtruck-less, however I am not taco-recipe-less.

Daniel and I make fish tacos at least once a month – more like once a week during the summer months (as much as I love Canada, we do get a little short-changed on our summers). I like to think that together, we have truly perfected our recipe. It really is a thing of beauty and I am just dying to share it with as many people as I can.
Now this recipe may, at first glance, seem extremely involved and time consuming, but really it’s just a matter of chopping everything up and tossing it together. When you have two people doing it, you can bang it out in no time!

Of course, one of the great things about tacos is that you can adjust what goes in them to suit your own flavour cravings. Feel free to switch up any part of this recipe if you’re not on board with what I’ve chosen to include (it took me years to even be in the same room with cilantro, let alone allow it any where near my plate).

**You Will Need**
For the Fish:
> 3-4 Tilapia filets (skin, bones, etc removed. serves 4-6 – you can adjust amount of fish accordingly)
> 1 jalapeno pepper
> 1 shallot
> 2 cloves of garlic
> 1 lime
> pinch of italian seasoning mix
> pinch of red pepper flakes
> a good glug of olive oil
> salt and pepper to taste
For the Pico de Gallo:
> 1 jalapeno pepper
> 1 pint grape tomatoes (we usually use a package with mixed colours, like orange and yellow as it adds a nice pop to it)
> 1 clove garlic
> 1/4 of a red onion
> 1 handfull of fresh parsley or cilantro (whatever you have on hand or prefer)
> 1/2 lime
> salt and pepper to taste
For the Gaucamole:  
> 1 ripe avocado
> 1 clove garlic
> 1/4 red onion
> 1/2 lime
> small handful of cilantro (optional)
> salt and pepper to taste
For the toppings (optional):
> 1/4 of a head of green cabbage
> 1 red chili
> 1/2 lime
> cilantro
> shredded cheese
> non-fat plain greek yogurt
> and don’t forget 12 small tortillas (we like to use La Tortilla Factory’s corn tortillas, they even have flavoured ones which are amazing!)

Alrighty! First things first – the fish. Grab your cast iron skillet (or, if you don’t have one, any frying pan will do really). Add a few glugs of oil to the pan, and preheat to a medium heat.
Begin by thoroughly rinsing and drying your fish – and placing it on a tray or in a bowl. Next, start finely chopping your jalapeno (seeds removed), shallot and garlic. Spread chopped mixture over the fish. Splash a good amount of oil and freshly squeezed lime juice over top of the fish. Then sprinkle each filet with a few good pinches of italian spice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Massage all of this lovely goodness into your fish, making sure to coat each piece nicely. Place each filet into preheated pan, and move on to making your yummy toppings (make sure you don’t loose any of that ‘marinade’ you just made for your fish, scoop out all the little bits left at the bottom of the tray and plop them right back onto the fish).
When cooking the fish, try not to move it around very much, as this may cause the fish to break apart and be more difficult to flip. Depending on the thickness of your filets, each side should take about 5-8 minutes or so. When it’s done the fish will be opaque in the centre, and will be slightly firm and springy to the touch. Cover fish and set aside until ready to eat.

just chopping some things

For your Pico de Gallo, you’ll want to start with my least favourite part of this whole process – chopping and de-seeding the tomatoes. It’s important to get rid of the seeds and liquid inside the tomatoes, otherwise you end up with a watery mess. Slice tomatoes in half, scoop out the seeds, and finely dice tomatoes – put this into a serving bowl. Next finely dice the red onion, garlic, parsley and jalapeno (seeds also removed). Add those to your bowl. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the works, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir it all up.

For your gaucamole, carefully cut your avocado in half, remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Finely chop your garlic, onion and cilantro – add to the bowl. Squeeze juice of one lime into the bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Mash everything together with a fork until desired consistency (I like to leave it a big chunky).

Finally, as a last garnish I like to make a crunchy-cabbage-slaw-type-thing. Finely slice up the cabbage into thin strips and put into a bowl. Chop up about 3/4 of your red chilli (you may wish to remove seeds if you don’t want a lot of spice, but I usually like to leave mine in),and throw in with the cabbage. Dress with as much lime juice, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper as you’d like. You may wish to warm your tortillas in the oven or microwave for about ten minutes or so, but it’s not necessary.

Now comes the fun part! We like to serve this meal as a buffet style. We put everything out on the counter and each person can dress their tacos however they like (of course I load mine up with everything in sight). For the fish, just gently tear it apart into bite size chunks and serve on a cutting board, or straight from the pan. Everything else can just be served right in the bowl you mixed it in.

Viola! I know it seems like a lot of stuff, but I promise it’s really easy and definitely worth the little extra work.

make sure you have wine with your meal – it’s essential.

**A Few Notes**  
> you may notice that we also used shrimp as well – we happened to have some on hand that we wanted to use up and just ate them on the side
> we also adjusted the amount few things since there we had seven hungry people to feed (we doubled the guac recipe because well – everyone loves guac).

Levi wanted to help too – he does love his fish tacos

Happy fish taco-ing everyone – time for me to go watch the Maple Leafs kick some butt!

Category: Mexican

Rating:  (4)

Vatos Urban Tacos “바토스 어번 타코스” is a fairly new Mexican restaurant started up by three Korean-American guys, two from Southern California and one from Texas, all of whom had one thing in common other than their Korean-American heritage.  They couldn’t find a decent Mexican restaurant in Seoul and rather than be denied their cravings for good Mexican, they decided to start up their very own restaurant.  I personally love Mexican food and having lived in Los Angeles, Dallas, New York City and San Francisco, am accustomed to eating great Mexican food.  Also being a chef, I have attended my share of Hispanic and Mexican “cenas” (dinner parties) thrown by my cooks over the years.  As such, I’ve learned not only how to prepare many of the foods, but also what the original flavors should taste like although this varies by region.

I had been meaning to go to Vatos Urban Tacos “바토스 어번 타코스”" for a few weeks to satisfy my personal need for good Mexican and today I got to sample their food.  They apparently had moved from a much smaller space to the current location in August 2012.  The new location is a wide open space with the kitchen on one side and the bar on the other.  In between, there are tall stand up tables for single or couples who don’t want to wait for a table which is a good thing since the restaurant is quite often packed and there usually is a waiting list to be seated.  Towards the rear of the restaurant is the main dining area with exposed brick walls and a retro chic atmosphere.

We were seated by a western server who spoke fluent Korean but I decided to order in English which kind of took him off guard.  We decided to share the food so we could sample as many dishes as possible. including their Kimchi Carnitas Fries, BBQ Pork Torta, Carne Asada Tacos, Spicy Chicken Quesadilla and some margaritas and Coronas to wash it all down with.  One thing that Vatos Urban Tacos is proud of is that they make their own tortillas in-house unlike every other Mexican restaurant in Seoul which is a huge thumbs up in my opinion.

Soon after our order was placed, the server brought out tortillas that had been fried whole instead of in the typical “nacho” fashion, served with two different salsas, one red and one green.  The salsas were more of a thick paste instead of the chunky salsa that we come to expect in the U.S.

The Kimchi Carnitas Fries were a pretty tasty concoction of very moist and tender, braised pork with spicy kimchi and melted cheese.  Although this may seem like an odd combination, the flavors all work well together.  My only complaint are that the fries themselves were pretty much the same fast food quality shoestring fries of the frozen variety.  In other words, the frozen fries used were pretty forgettable and they should either cut their own fries or go with higher quality frozen fries such as Lamb Weston “Stealth” 3/8″ fries like they do over at Brooklyn: The Burger Joint.  By improving their fries, this dish has the potential to go from very good to outrageously good.

When they brought out the BBQ Pork Torta, I immediately commented that I had not ordered a hamburger which they do have on the menu.  Upon the server explaining that this indeed was the BBQ Pork Torta I was left dumbfounded.  Although delicious in flavor, it was ultimately disappointing due to the hamburger bun used.  Seriously, is this some kind of joke???  With two Southern Californians and a Texan as owners, don’t they have the good sense to either source a bolillo (a torpedo shaped baguette with a crusty outside and soft center) or a telera (a rounded version of a boliilo with a softer crust) or make one in-house if they’re going to offer a torta on the menu?  Even a French baguette would’ve been a better choice than a hamburger bun.  A good torta should have a nice crunch from the crispy crust of the bread.  Due to the choice of using a hamburger bun, the moist and tender pork with a soft hamburger bun was a disaster in terms of texture.  It was almost as if I was eating a pork sloppy joe.

The Carne Asada Tacos were quite good, especially due to the house made tortillas, but the tacos served here are of the smaller variety.  Personally, there was a touch too much red onions and they could have benefited from some cilantro.  A side of salsa or a pico de gallo to accompany these tacos would have been a nice touch.  Curiously absent too were bottles of Cholula or Tapatío hot sauces on the table which I’m accustomed to seeing at most Mexican restaurants.

The Spicy Chicken Quesadilla was delicious, properly prepared, cooked and like the tacos, benefited from the use of their house made tortillas.  I could have done without the gratuitous sauces on top though and would much rather have had a side of guacamole and salsa to accompany the quesadillas.

Lastly, the margaritas served here are quite delicious although a bit expensive if you’re someone like me who can go thru quite a few of them over the course of a meal.

The service is friendly and attentive enough for a restaurant of this type.  There are also enough servers on the floor that you can easily get their attention without any problems.

Although it seems like there were a lot of miscues in regards to the food, the errors are not fatal issues aside from the choice of bread used for the torta.  These errors can be easily corrected in the future but more importantly, the essential flavors are all spot on and everything was indeed delicious and my two female companions and myself had a very nice meal and an equally nice time.  One oddity was that my two friends noted that the flavors seemed as if they were focused on a female clientele.  As I looked around the crowded restaurant, there were only two male diners, myself included.

If you’re in the mood for good Mexican food in Seoul, this is about as good as it gets.  Although I wouldn’t call it 100% authentic, the flavors are nicely thought out so as to be agreeable for native Koreans without offending westerners who love and crave popular Mexican dishes.  This in itself is a very fine line and one that Vatos Urban Tacos manages to pull off successfully.

The hubs had seconds, while I just ate more avocado and pico de gallo — two of my favorite foods on this planet. The original recipe called for poached eggs on top, but we went with fried eggs to avoid having more dishes. We toasted the tortilla strips in a little olive oil in a frying pan and when they were done, we wiped out the pan and in went the eggs. Less dishes are always a good thing.

You can cook the eggs to your favorite level of doneness, but having a little yolk spill out into the grits is so very satisfying. If you don’t want to bother with toasting or frying up tortilla strips, use a couple of tortilla chips — the little bit of crunch is wonderful with all the creamy goodness.

I didn’t serve any side dishes with the grits, as it has pretty much everything you need in one bowl — carbs, protein, fruit, vegetables. Go easy on the portion of grits and load up on the toppings and you’ve got a pretty healthy meal. Besides, we all know it is all about the toppings anyway.

Cheese Grits with Eggs and Pico de Gallo
1 C quick-cooking grits
1 C milk
2 C water
3/4 C grated pepper jack cheese
1 egg per serving
1/3 C frozen corn
1 lb. tomatoes, diced small
1 jalapeño, diced
1/2 C onion, diced small
1 large clove garlic, minced
lime juice
salt
1 avocado, sliced
tortilla strips

Combine the diced tomatoes, jalapeño, onion, and garlic in a bowl. Season with lime juice and salt to taste. Set the pico de gallo aside.

Rinse the corn under hot water to thaw and drain thoroughly, set aside.

Bring the milk, water, and a pinch of salt to a gentle boil and stir in the grits. Reduce the heat and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grits are done. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and a little butter if desired.

Fry or poach the eggs to desired doneness.

Scoop a pile of grits into a bowl. Top with one egg, a sprinkling of corn, a large spoonful of pico de gallo, and slices of avocado. Serve with tortilla strips.

Perfectly fried tilapia topped with pico de gallo. And finally, sprinkled with paprika on top! It was delicious! The fish itself melts in your mouth from its perfect cooking, and when eaten with the pico de gallo, it creates a wonderful dish with a slight twist on normal fried fish.

Garlic and shroomies in coconut oil

Throw in the kale

The chicken was simple. Some of my favorite ingredients tomatoes, cilantro and scallions, with a hefty amount of TJ’s Hot Chili pepper sauce and a tad bit of water poured over grilled chicken.

Quinoa mix

Grilled chicken with “pico de gallo”

There are four components: white fish fillets, corn tortillas, guacamole, and pico de gallo.

For the fish fillets: preheat your oven to 400. Lay white fish fillets (such as tilapia or perch) in one layer on a baking sheet. Squeeze lime juice over, then dust with chili powder and salt. Bake until fish is done and flakes easily, about 15-20 minutes. If it’s summer time, you can grill them with charcoal for an extra-special smoky flavor.

For the corn tortillas: I use little 6″ ones that come many to a package. Wrap them in aluminum foil and bake them at the same time you bake the fish, just to get them warmed through and pliable.

For the guacamole: if you live in a place like me, you can only buy rock-hard avocados. So buy them, the brown-skinned kind, not the green-skinned kind. Leave them on the counter until they soften enough that they give a bit to a firm poke. Then you know it’s taco night. To prepare the guacamole cut them in half and scoop the flesh out. For each avocado, add the juice of 1/2 lime and one pressed clove of garlic. Add a tablespoon of cilantro paste (use fresh if you prefer, but I find the paste distributes better in the guacamole) and a healthy pinch of salt. Take your potato masher to it all until it’s a consistency you like. Taste; adjust salt and lime juice to your liking.

For the pico de gallo: dice tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over and salt to taste.

Assemble tacos by smearing 1T of guacamole on a flour tortilla and adding 2oz baked fish, flaked, and a spoon of pico de gallo (it’s zero points, so load up!) Each taco prepared this way is 4 PointsPlus, so have a couple! Make up a pitcher of a Crystal Light mocktail to go with it for zero PointsPlus–the mojito flavor is especially nice.

Veggieful Quesadilla

15 ounces black beans, canned, rinsed and drained
1 each red onion, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 each summer squash, chopped
1 each zucchini, chopped
3 tablespoons green chiles, chopped
4 each tortilla, whole wheat 96% fat free flour
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
4 teaspoons light sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup salsa, fresh (or pico de gallo)
1 each avocado, diced
olive oil spray

1. Add onion, corn, squash and zucchini to nonstick pan coated with olive oil spray. Saute until tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. When veggies are done cooking, mix well with black beans, green chiles and cheese. Place one tortilla down in sprayed nonstick pan and add 1/4 of mixture on half of the tortilla. Fold other half over. Spray that side with olive oil spray, too. Cook both sides until lightly browned and cheese is melted through.

3. Serve with sour cream, avocado and salsa or pico de gallo.

Servings: 4

Notes: You can also cook with the avocado inside to make it creamier or mash the avocado up with the sour cream and serve that way.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 445 Calories; 16g Fat (31.9% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 61g Carbohydrate; 13g Dietary Fiber; 15mg Cholesterol; 1087mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Today… it’s cold and raining in the sweet city of Athens. However, no amount of rain or clouds could cover up that sunshiney feeling of honeymoon memories. (Yes… cue the “awws.”)

In honor of our fabulous trip, Chip and I made delicious avocado pico de gallo and orange mango margaritas yesterday. And per usual, I wasn’t even done taking pictures before Chip was already getting a second pico helping. But, rightly so, as it was seriously so good. Complete with goodies from our first (and amazing) trip to the Dekalb Farmer’s Market and our latest produce basket, we were loving it.

No doubt that my super-on-sale mini margarita glasses that I found at Bed, Bath and Beyond really added to the whole experience. I am probably a little bit too giddy about them. I mean… 11 of them for $3.50? You’d be giddy too, admit it.

Overall, I’m really ready for another beach vacation. I’ll even take the lake. Just get me some sun, water and a good book, and I’m there.

Allright friends, meet you on the sand.

Tomatoes, cilantro, sweet onion, lime, salt, pepper, and a serrano are the basics for a pico de gallo or Salsa. Pico de gallo has become a standard starter to many meals. Often served with hot tortilla chips, this cool but mild sauce whets the appetite or, if served alone, can enhance a meal. ‘Salsa’ literally means sauce, and there are times when you need to add some sauce to a meal. It enchances flavors, blends the meal together, or just gives you a reason to eat. I love a reason to eat and I love experiencig intense flavors. And you know what my favorite flavor of salsa is?

It’s hot. Not sunny and eight-four degrees, but physical, passionate, and exciting. The ceiling is high in the room and the lights are low enough to release inhibitions. Music vibrates through the air. The rhythm permeates into the parquet floor offset by the soft taps and stomps of feet. Soft shoes and glittering suede backed heels, orbit around one another, keeping in time with the music, edging in and out of one another’s space. Some are content in moving back and forth, others find a way to lift themselves off the floor, or slide up partners’ legs.
No move is the same. Some keep that perfect body posture: arms at a perfect angle, ladies palms out, and men cupping shoulder blades. These couples rock and flow, turns are executed with precision or slowed down to the mellow rhythm of the under beats. They glide across the floor, enjoying holding hands and the ease of moving as one.
Others don’t need to touch, treasuring their uniqueness and independence, they freestyle. They chose to dance with another to complement their personalities because they let it fly. Shoulders shimmy, arms snap, bodies sway. At times a hand goes to a head because “AY”, body popping to each tap of the calve, the-music- is- so- good. Or STOMP “Hey!” Get back on beat with me because the music is going to… Drop!
And the whole floor freezes. Panting? This is the time to catch your breath…
Until the brass sounds again, blasting a battalion of dancers into movement. Partners pull each other back into orbit, others unfurl themselves from a dip, and still others, spin themselves into a blur. Every man and woman plays their distinct role. Men lead with the strength and gentleness of their hands, guiding a woman with lightness of a tap or keeping perfect tension. Their goal is to make their partner come alive on the floor, shine, and react to every move. Some think this means to keep her in constant contact with him, never letting her go. She steps, slides, and her feet are laced with footwork within the confines of his arms. Sometimes, he’s generous, and unfurls her to the world. His hands still hold hers and he stretches her arms allowing her only to move her body. For a woman this is epitome of feminism, and she works it. As soon as her arms are led to open, she confidently steps forward each foot crossing the other letting her pointed toe draw eyes to her toned legs. She shifts her weight and rolls her shoulders, giving play to her curves. Then in trust, she leans forward, whips her hair, and body rolls letting all her sensuality unfurl. Then her partner folds his arms around her again, not wanting to share her anymore.
The atmosphere is sweat and smiles. No one wants to miss out on at dance, a song, or a connection. Face it; dancers are lovers not fighters and it at times all comes down to chemistry. Can you give your partner a dance they will enjoy? Within four minutes can you find the time to follow your partner, feel the music, punctuate moves with your body, and be yourself? If the song is slow, do you have the courage to close the space between you? Embrace them as your love for the duration of the song. Bring your foreheads together and keep your eyes lowered in enamored bliss. Or dance eyes closed, cheek to cheek, with the affection of old souls. Break away and smile briefly, walking in sync, only to find yourself in their arms once more. Feel their supports and heat as you move together.
Alas, the song must end.
Hands linger in their holds, others hug trying to get the last feel of a racing heartbeat, and some are led to the edge of the floor.
Then the music picks up again and there’s a rush to find other partners! The drama only lasts as long as the song.

This is living. This is Salsa.

Swe3t T