Salsa supper

Lately, it’s been all meat, meat, meat for our meals and, although I ADORE meat in a multitude of forms, every so often my body just CRAVES a plateful of colorful veggies as dinner’s star player. Last night the stars aligned and BOTH of us were just craving veggies.
Christian made his Arabic Salad, which is almost like a Mexican Pico De Gallo, without the incendiary jalapeno or habanero. It’s a salsa that goes great with meat, by the way, but is also just incredible on its own, served with soft pita, as we had it last night.

Here’s the ingredients:

Diced tomato
Diced cucumber
Diced onion
cumin
salt/pepper
dried mint
lemon juice
olive oil

Mix it all up like you would a Pico De Gallo, let it “rest” in the fridge for a few hours, and serve with just about anything your heart desires. Speaking of Pico De Gallo… I was needing a bit of a hot fix, so we ALSO started with a few chips and some store bought Pico. Damn, the local stuff is HOT. I don’t know if it’s pregnancy or age, but I just don’t have that tolerance for the hot stuff as much as I used to. And to think I used to show off by eating habaneros whole, lol.
Also, since I’m pregnant, I DID need some protein to go with my salsa meal, so I steamed up some veggies (cabbage, zucchini and carrots), and melted chunks of Emmentaler cheese on top. Voila. Protein even P.E.T.A. might not shake its fists at

The three R’s…

Don’t know about you, but for me the three R’s ain’t (sic) “Readin’, Riting’ and ‘Rithmetic,” but rather are “Rest, Rain and Reading.” Which is precisely what I did this weekend with my husband in Cloudcroft, N.M.
After missing out on going up to our cabin in the woods last weekend, we were determined not only to forego a last-minute trip to the ER and make it safely to our wooden abode nestled in the pines.
The only free Wi-FI source in Clouedcroft, at the Jamocha Bean coffee house (Well, it’s not free. Ya need to buy at least a coffee) was kaput this weekend, leaving us tech-free and having to resort to, gasp, LOW TECH ways of amusing ourselves! Oh my! Actually, it was the greatest thing ever. I finished a book in just 24 hours, a feat I hadn’t accomplished in years, got enough rest to tide me over for at least a week, and we got to sit on the porch as it poured cats and dogs outside, with the fog rolling in and enveloping us. It was bliss.
I have doctor’s orders to take it relatively easy, which kept me off the hiking trails this weekend, but didn’t prevent me from walking 30 minutes each morning around town (flat terrain). After that, I was basically on my ass for the most part, with no apologies.
As is customary for us these days, we stopped by the Lowe’s grocery store in Alamogordo to pick up some provisions, as well as a quick dinner for when we arrived at the cabin. We got a citrus-infused rotisserie chicken, some ciabatta bread, some rye bread from Marina’s German Bakery in El Paso, and Christian brought with him his kartoffelsalat that he’d made that afternoon. That was our dinner.
We also had some delicious hamburgers made with Gouda cheese, pico de gallo and the ciabatta bread, as well as rigatoni with tomato/basil/mushroom sauce. We agreed we’re in a comfort zone with our meals, and it’s time to branch out a bit, so Christian turned to Uli, his “stepfather,” to email us some of his tried and true recipes that he’s cooked us when we visit. Dampfnudeln, anyone?
It was so damn hard to pack the Jeep this afternoon to head on back to El Paso, but we made the best of it, belting out the soundtrack to “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” then dropping by my dad’s house to take the dogs for a walk. And then a stop at Taco Cabana for some MORE chicken for me and the Mexican combo plate for Christian. I just love going to places like Taco Cabana, with its free salsa bar. To, I guess, dissuade customers from stockpiling the salsa, they only offer tiny little condiment cups. But man, you should see how imaginative some customers are when it comes to getting as much salsa as possible to take to their table. Using their own water bottles, cut in half; just bringing their plates to the salsa bar and shoveling the pico de gallo on top; using napkins to cart away a salad bowl’s worth of cilantro and lemons… lol. Fun people watching potential there.

So, the amniocentesis is on Tuesday, and we’re both frightened. I had the most tremendous weekend in terms of growth in my abdomen. I swear I must have expanded at least two inches in circumference this weekend. Oh, and the round ligament pain? I am fully aware of what that means now. But I’m also in AWE of the feeling because although I haven’t felt any fetal movement yet, I can now feel the uterus, shaped like a giant water balloon! We just may know if the baby’s a girl (we have names, but that’s our secret) or a boy by Tuesday!
To be continued!

Fridge finds

I always get a kick out of seeing celebrity chefs or even just film/tv celebrities “reveal” the contents of their refrigerators in a magazine article or tv show, to see if they use any of the products I use often, or if they have any quirks like I do, or if they have any food at all. Most of the time I really don’t believe it … come on, they’ve got food stylists come in and rearrange the items, add items, get rid of items, endorse items, etc., and just show us what they want us to see or what matches their image.
I’ve done this before and I’m doing it again…a no-holds-barred look inside my fridge and pantry, without any editing, PhotoShopping or purchasing of any special ingredients to make me look cool, lol. Granted it was shopping day yesterday, but these foods are what me and my husband eat regularly. Lots of unidentifiable (to you) ingredients in the freezer, but suffice it to say I hope liver and onions freeze well, and I wonder if I’ll ever do anything with that frozen watermelon (granita?) and 1/2 banana (smoothie?), as well as that LAST frozen lemon poppyseed muffin I bought at Sun Harvest two months ago (freezer burnt?)
The strawberries are not a usual purchase, but they were on sale for $2.99 a pound, and I’m dying to make Strawberries Romanoff or my version of it: mix brown sugar with equal parts very soft cream cheese and sour cream, and dip the strawberries in that (a recipe I got from my alma mater high school, The Hockaday School in Dallas). Jalapenos are a must-have staple, but the pico de gallo isn’t. I usually make my own, but this store-bought one is awesome, local, and I can put it on everything (and I almost do, except cereal). Two kinds of mustard right now: regular old yellow mustard and hot horseradish mustard. We’re really missing Händelmaier’s mustard from Germany to use with our wursts, but Germandeli.com was out of stock at the moment, and none of the sweet mustards on the shelves at the local grocery store pass, well, muster
My freezer has dinners past, some good, some not so good, but I hate to throw lots of leftovers away. None of it is inedible, but I do find I’ll pass one thing further back into the freezer in favor of something better. I guess it’s time to say goodbye to two-week old pasta now that I have last night’s awesome penne puttanesca in the freezer now.

If you were to have someone come over and just open your fridge to take inventory, what would you be extremely embarrassed about? Proud of? For me? Embarrassed at the obscene amounts of things I freeze that I will never eat, the impulse purchases I made and never even have eaten yet, and the total lack of organization! But I am proud that we do eat well, healthily and we don’t have any Spam, Velveeta, Lucky Charms, Rice a Roni, beer, pizza boxes or curdled milk in the fridge!

Hello, Domino’s?

Tonight we celebrated the failure of Christian’s sourdough bread, lol, with a “Bistro Night,” steak frites and salad.
You see, the sourdough starter was to rest for a day out of the fridge, but our apartment was so hot and muggy, a suspicious mold grew on top of the dough, and we were too frightened to take the chance.
Who knows, the “mold” could be innocuous, but in my condition, we decided it would be prudent (if not extremely disappointing) to throw it away.
Oh well, better safe than sorry! And anyway, we can try rye bread this weekend. No starter and no waiting days for it to be ready to proof. Anyone out there have a fail-safe recipe for sourdough? Any tricks of the trade?
And the steak frites? Blue-raw steak and falling-apart “frites.” Oh, dear. I need to just start calling Domino’s for a while.
•••
This morning I went to a clinic to get my HCg levels and some other vital signs documented, but they referred me to another doctor, who I see next week. So I’m still hanging by the seat of my pants, dying to know what my levels are! But I’ll just hold steady, continue to buy around 3 pregnancy tests a day from Dollar Tree (lol, I’ll have to recycle the tests as Christmas Tree ornaments.) and watch the test strip appear darker and darker.
•••
The last week or so, I’ve been helping out a friend named Zarela, who was once a caterer here in El Paso, but moved to New York City and made it big as a restaurateur and cookbook author. She has asked me to help her input recipes into her website, and I love being able to get the “sneak peeks” at her recipes before they’re posted. God, she has some amazing recipes that are so fresh, authentic Mexican and have a history to them, each and every one. Some of the recipes I’m posting are: Ensalada Pico de Gallo, Caldo de Huitlachoche (Google that, my friends), Caldo Tlalpeno, etc… mouth watering. You really must check out her website and if you’re in New York, go to Zarela (her namesake restaurant). She’s bringing the taste of the Mexican border (and beyond) to the glitterati of Manhattan, and doesn’t shy away from her El Paso roots.

Healthy fast food?

Yesterday evening, after Christian had played a few games of chess with my dad and I napped on my dad’s sofa, we headed towards home with no idea what to eat for dinner. Nothing was inspiring for us. Pasta? No. We have pasta growing out of our ears. Chicken? Too frozen and we’re too impatient. German pancakes? Not substantial enough. PB&J? Nope.
We decided to stop by El Taco Tote which, to those who don’t live in El Paso, is a sort of Mexican “fast” food restaurant that isn’t your run of the mill fast-food joint. And it’s probably the ONLY Mexican restaurant I REALLY like. That is sacrilege to many, I’m sure, but I am a big fan of being able to create my own meals, to decide what I want on my plate, how much, and in whatever weird combinations I desire. El Taco Tote definitely fits the bill.
Basically it serves all sorts of soft tacos in flour or corn tortillas made on the premises. Bistek, fried fish, chicken, pork adobado, fajita, quesadillas, etc. It also serves a large variety of sides like refried beans, papas, borracho beans, flan and cheesecake. But my favorite part? The SALSA BAR!! God, I could live well just on the salsa bar alone. And it appears some people do, judging from the hoarding of condiments that goes on there. I seriously believe they must have a full-time employee to see that no one just comes in, fills up on condiments and saunters out the door. If I were still in college, flat broke, I would
The salsa bar offers pico de gallo, tomatillo sauce, shredded lettuce, sliced radishes and cucumbers, chipotle salsa, avocado sauce, mild and hot red salsas, pickled onions, and the most vicious smoked pickled jalapenos I’ve ever ventured to try. They are so incredibly hot yet so incredibly addictive, that I cry when I eat them. A cry of both pleasure and pain.
Typically, I’ll order just one taco (about $2.99, and almost always pork adobado. God, it’s ambrosial). Maybe a side of rice or beans and a soda. Then it’s play time. I fill one container with shredded rice, cilantro, cucumbers and pickled onions and squeeze lime juice on that–voila, free salad). Then a container of avocado sauce to go with the free tortilla chips. There, free appetizer. Then a container of jalapenos and cucumbers and every salsa they have. The smoked chipotle salsa is my favorite, with pico de gallo a close second.
The meal is indeed filling, nutritious and frugal, and I think it’s one of the best deals in town. I’m surprised not more people take advantage of the smorgasbord of flavors they can have for (almost) free. I don’t advocate going in there just to hover around the salsa bar. I haven’t seen anyone get caught, but I am sure it would be fairly embarrassing!
Taco Tote is one fast food restaurant I don’t leave feeling guilty, gluttonous or broke, and we try to hit it about once a week.
What fast food do you recommend for being “healthy” and reasonable? Or do you avoid fast food at all costs?
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Has anyone guessed what this is?

Peppered-out, or out-peppered?

I think I had every possible combination of peppers and hot spices yesterday. Yes, I feel it today.
For lunch, I again met Christian at the Cleveland Park near the Library, where I had leftover rice (see my previous post) and half of a Lindt dark chocolate bar with chile in it (I’d seen it but never tried it). To make the rice a bit spicier than it already was, I brought along some pickled jalapenos AND some Tabasco habanero sauce and doused the rice quite generously!
It was incendiary, but it definitely didn’t stop me from eating the whole damn thing. I am such a glutton for punishment, but what is it about chiles that is so painful yet keeps us coming back for more? It’s a definite love/hate relationship!
I couldn’t taste any chile in the Lindt bar, but it was delicious. Unfortunately the habanero in the Tabasco nuked my tastebuds into oblivion for a few hours.
In the evening, Christian and I fell back into our Rudy’s on Friday routine. We were considering Thai, but got lazy in the sweltering late-afternoon heat of our apartment, and thought Rudy’s would hit the spot: near by, reasonable, great view, and mellow (read: not too spicy) meat. Oops. Forgot about the condiment counter, where I stocked up on pickled whole jalapenos to eat with my 1/2 pound of turkey breast. I also got some cole slaw and three-bean salad. All of it (save for the chiles) would ensure a more peaceful stomach, I presumed.
The turkey was fantastic…velvety, moist, perfectly smoked and mild. Cole slaw was crunchy, not watery or over-mayonnaisy; and the three-bean salad I just couldn’t get to. And I skipped dessert due to the fact I had a blondie at Starbucks just hours before.
The jalapenos were killers, or maybe it was just my batch. Christian, a non-native jalapeno eater, didn’t complain, but I had to bring out the tissues and look around desperately with my swollen tongue hanging out of my mouth.
I grew up here. I’ve eaten them all. The hottest of the hot. One of my first memories was popping a whole jalapeno in my mouth and my mom dunking me into a tub of cold water to cool me off (don’t know if that was the way to go, but I’m still here). Am I losing my chile powers? God forbid the day when a bowl of oatmeal sounds better than a cup of pico de gallo with steaming hot tortillas. And that is what sounds good. A bland old cup of oatmeal for cryin’ out loud. What is WRONG with me?

Pan-Asian paella stir-fried rice

Here’s another one, straight from the “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” files. Last night I made what I will call, for a lack of a better description (and it sounds good), Pan-Asian paella stir-fried rice.
I had the rice, I had about two tablespoons-full left of green Thai curry spice, I had mint, I had three eggs, I had coconut milk, I had dried mushrooms, I had cilantro, I had turmeric, I had dried serranos and I had one green onion.
I boiled the rice until it had absorbed about 1 1/2 cups water, and then I added a can of coconut milk and the eggs and mushrooms. When the coconut milk had been incorporated, I added the other ingredients and then put a lid on the pan and let it steam. This I served with some warmed tortillas, wedges of lime, fresh cilantro sprigs and … my all-time favorite condiment EVER … SRIRACHA Vietnamese hot sauce (which, actually, came from Thailand. I learned that from someone over at Tara Thai restaurant here in El Paso. She said Thais “weren’t good marketers,” so the Vietnamese adopted it and marketed it so well it’s now de rigeur for celebrities and hoity-toity restaurants. And to think it was the condiment of choice for starving Uni students to serve with ramen!).
Sriracha hot sauce can make ANYTHING taste amazing. I love it on rice and on Banh Mi sandwiches, but it’s also great on pizza, scrambled eggs and pasta. Oh, and on spazle! Great! And so little goes such a long way.
Okay, enough waxing rhapsodic about Sriracha. I served the rice with a cool salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, fresh serranos and olive oil/vinegar (sort of like a very chunky pico de gallo salad). Christian had reservations about ALL the spices going on in the meal, whereas I blissed out. The more spices, the hotter, the more complex, the better. To me, at least. Some might say “K.I.S.S.” (Keep it Simple, Stupid), but I cook like I am…complex, running hot, lots of bits and pieces thrown together. But in the end, it all comes together
I’d love to know how you use Sriracha sauce. Do you have some way that’s irreverent, that goes against all common kitchen wisdom? Do you eat it straight up? Do you add it to sweet dishes? Come on, ‘fess up! I do!