When you live in San Diego, it’s not difficult to find great Mexican food as long as you’re willing to avoid the more obvious chains.  Each neighborhood seems to have a local favorite and as much as many can agree that there are special places tough to compete with, sometimes, close to home is just better — especially when dinnertime is approaching and the resident cook isn’t in the mood to fire up the stove.  My husband and I might email one other on a day like that with a question about dinner.

Me:  Not sure I’m into cooking tonight.

Him:  Want me to pick something up?

Me:  Smack your lips together and tell me what sounds good.

Him:  Not Chinese.

Me:  Mexican?

Him:  Carnitas plate?

Although this wasn’t necessarily an every week event, it was very nearly that.

If you asked me what I miss most about the change in eating habits I made four months ago, I’d say I miss Mexican food — not chocolate, not pasta, or bread.  Mexican food from the neighborhood favorite we call Los Dos on Garnet in Pacific Beach across the street from Albertson’s is what I miss.  It’s the most tiny place you can imagine, barely large enough for more than a couple of people to stand inside to place an order, and an enormous stainless steel range I swear the shop was built around.

It isn’t that one taco shop’s menu is  different from any of the dozens of other shops within a reasonable driving distance — it’s more about how each prepares those items.  The salsa, or guacamole — and especially the refried beans — many will say the particular flavor of typical menu items are what makes a shop their favorite.  I miss the carnitas from Los Dos, a plate of food I can smell the minute my husband walks in the door with it.  Wrapped in foil and filled with little mounds of shredded pork, rice, beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo just waiting to be loaded into a piping hot flour tortilla, smothered in both red and green salsa, and then folded like a burrito.  Oh, my.  So very, very delicious.  Although I rarely finished the entire plate, I routinely failed at not eating that second flour tortilla all by itself — the giant sized version.

Each time after dinner, with my stomach so uncomfortably full I swore I’d never order another carnitas plate, it was only a matter of weeks before I’d find myself in the same situation, feeling miserable.  I don’t miss that feeling — something that comes more from overeating in general.  And because my success rate at eating only a portion of that plate — about half — was so poor, I decided doing without was the best way to go.

So how have I compensated for not eating something I used to enjoy so much?  By choosing similar flavors in far more manageable quantities that are delicious — and doing some heavy planning when we do decide to have take out for dinner.

There’s nothing quite like the flavor of a roasted poblano chili, and when they’re stuffed with the perfect mixture of ingredients, my taste buds are completely satisfied.  So does that make this recipe “Mexican?”  Not by a long shot, but the flavors are reminiscent and that’s good enough for me right now.

And if you’ve never roasted a chili, this is a great reason to learn.  It’s easier than you might think!

Chicken Stuffed Poblano Chilies with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Stuffed Poblano Chilie Ingredients

2 large poblano chiles
1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 medium brown onion, chopped
1 lg. clove garlic, chopped
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
1 tsp. ground cumin
Kosher salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 cooked, diced chicken breast
1/8 c. asagio or other dry white cheese, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (including some tender stems)
1 Tbs. lime juice

Directions

1. Prepare the poblano chilies by roasting them over the flame on your stove, or a grill, turning occasionally to ensure all sides are blackened.  You may also do this under your broiler.
2. Remove the poblano chilies from the heat and wrap them in a clean towel to steam about 15 minutes.
3. Peel off the blackened skin and slice each poblano chili in half before removing the seeds.  Set aside.
4. Prepare the chicken breast by frying in a skillet with half the olive oil over medium heat, allowing one side to brown at least 5 minutes before turning to allow the other side to brown.   Remove from the skillet and allow to cool.
5. In the same skillet, drizzle the remaining olive oil and add the onions and cook over medium heat, tossing a bit from time to time until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and toss with the onions, about 1 minute.
6. Add the mushrooms, stirring to combine with the onions and garlic, and allow to cook just until they’re beginning to brown, 3-4 minutes.
7. While the mushrooms are cooking, chop the chicken breast into about 1/2″ dice and add the pieces to the mushroom mix.  Stir to combine.
8. Add the tomatoes, oregano, cumin, cilantro, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Toss all ingredients lightly to combine.
9. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
10. Place the poblano chilies on a baking pan and divide the mixture among them, mounding it as you go.
11. Sprinkle each lightly with the cheese then set the pan in the oven about 6 ” from the broiler.
12. Cook just until the filling begins to brown and the cheese is melted.
13. Remove from the oven and serve with a bit of squeezed fresh lime juice.

Recipe Notes

• This recipe was inspired by one I found at Fine Cooking.  Essentially, I cut the original recipe in half for the two of us, added the mushrooms (I used oyster mushrooms), omitted the cinnamon (but like the idea of it), used smaller tomatoes, and completely omitted the cheddar cheese thinking even 1 cup of cheese in this would be too much for us — or anyone for that matter at a whopping 455 calories.  Want a little dinner with that cheese?  A sprinkle of good cheese goes a very long way.
• I also deconstructed the filling to allow for most of the cooking time to take place on the stove top instead of the oven.
• Poblano chilies are very dark green in color, have a glossy skin, and remind me of long, thin bell peppers with a pointed bottom. You may see them labeled as pasilla chilies in your market, but that would be an incorrect label.  Pasillas are actually the dried version of a chilaca chili.  Epicurious has a great visual guide to fresh chilies here and Rick Bayless has thorough information about dried Mexican chilies here.
• Poblano chilies have such a wonderful, distinctive flavor which roasting intensifies to an pleasant earthy, smokey taste.  I can’t think of another way to describe it so will have to work on that.  If you’re worried about them being too spicy, they can be if used raw, but roasting does mellow the heat substantially.
• If you can’t find poblano chilies, then use chiles verdes, or Anaheim chilies.  They’ll be much more thin and won’t hold as much of the filling, but they’ll taste great.  I’d say you’d need at least 6 good sized Anaheim chilies for this recipe if you’re substituting.
• Sometimes it’s hard to get all the peelings off.  Don’t worry about it.  If you look at the end of the stuffed poblano in the first photo, you can see I missed a section!
• Try not to over do the roasting if you can avoid it.  If you notice white spots, then you know you’ve gone too far.  You can still enjoy the roasted poblanos, but they’ll be more delicate and challenging to work with.  If that’s the case, please know you can always just chop them up and stir them into the mix of other ingredients instead of stuffing them.  It will still be a tasty dish!
• Chicken breasts can vary so much in size, your cooking time may be quite different than mine.  If you use a whole breast, chances are it won’t be quite done after the initial cook and you’ll see that when you slice into it.  Putting it back in the pan with the other ingredients to finish will work, and the additional time under the broiler also helps.
• If you’ve still got some nice brown bits in the pan after you add the tomatoes, then drizzle in 1/4 c. of white wine or veggie broth to deglaze the pan.  It will add something wonderful to the flavor.  The tomatoes will normally take care of this, but the wine does add an additional flavor I enjoy.
• We enjoyed these stuffed chilies with roasted sweet potatoes which we’ve been eating quite a few of instead of rice and pasta.  I usually peel one sweet potato, cut it into cubes, put it on a baking sheet and toss the pieces in 1-2 tsp. of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sometimes chopped rosemary, and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, tossing to even the browning about half way through the cooking time.
• Thinking black beans and corn are going into the next version of these.

More poblano recipes from around the web

What We’re Eating — “Seared Mahi with Chorizo Poblano & Caramelized Onion Stuffing & Roasted Garlic Tomatillo Sauce”

A Couple Cooks – “Stuffed Poblano Peppers”

Cooking with Amy — “Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Pepper Recipe”

A Spicy Perspective — “Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Red Pepper Puree”

Often when I’ve had the time to prepare a large cut of meat like the recent whole pork shoulder I rubbed with spices and slow roasted in the oven, I do it with ulterior motives.  Like making meatloaf so I can have a sandwich a day later.  Or braising a piece of beef chuck so I can slather mustard on crusty slices of bread to wrap around cold pieces of the simply prepared roast that was a childhood favorite.

I won’t deny that sitting at a table with friends and family to enjoy a meal of roasted, braised, or grilled beast is the best of occasions, but there’s something to be said about that one-of-a-kind sandwich at the other end of it all.  One I can’t have if all the work doesn’t happen first — or worse — yields no leftovers.  Waiting the best of several days for a 10 lb. cut of pork to thaw if it’s been in the freezer, then sit dressed in its dusty spice covering to finally roast over a pan of apple juice for hours is all worthwhile when I know I’ll be able to bite into a pulled pork sandwich.

As much as I can say I’ll take a nicely stacked sandwich any day if the right ingredients are wedged into those layers, I’m fairly new to pulled pork. Most of the pork I ate growing up was in the form of bone-in chops my mother fried in a cast iron skillet with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  I remember enjoying the flavor of those chops, but the texture always seemed dry so they were never a favorite.  Because I ended up being the family cook at an early age, I can tell you the dryness had to do with the length of time I was told they had to cook — sitting in a hot frying pan to brown for 30 long minutes.  I think I began to buck the system around junior high when I decided to use a lid and lowered temperatures to keep them from turning to leather.  I also remember switching to a blade cut which came off the shoulder instead of the loin.  It’s all about that fat.

But there was something I didn’t like about the fat around the chops that crisped as they fried — the crispy fat my mother enjoyed.  I remember her rescuing the pieces I’d cut from my chop, popping them into her mouth while I cringed at the thought of chewing on a solid piece of fat.  In spite of what we’re told about eating saturated fat, at nearly 75, my mother’s blood pressure, heart, and arterial health are considered excellent.  Suffice it to say she didn’t eat pork fat — or any fat with any degree of regularity.

A little pork fat goes a very long way with me — I even like my bacon lean — so a slow roasted pork shoulder where the marbling of fat melts to tenderize the meat is perfect.  Perfect as in a sandwich filled with layers of it nestled underneath a just right slaw.

A little bit of sweet, then tart, a touch of heat, and a whole lot of crunch work quite well with the pork.  It’s far from traditional, but that’s why I like it.

If you’re someone accustomed to pulled pork treated to a dousing of sauce, I’d understand if you cried foul here, but I think this is worth a try.  Sometimes when something is sauced, that’s all I can taste, and then there are those added calories which always seem to include sugar of some kind and lots of salt.

Load the bread with the spiced pulled pork shoulder, load even more of the veggie slaw, and take a big bite.  Or skip the bread all together and make a salad.

But try it.  And then we’ll talk.

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Cabbage Apple Fennel Slaw

Slaw Ingredients

1/2 head red cabbage, shaved

1/2 apple cut into matchsticks

1/2 red pepper, sliced thin

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

1 roasted jalapeno, sliced thin

Dressing Ingredients

1 T minced shallot

2 T apple cider vinegar

1 T fennel fronds, finely chopped

1 T honey

3 T extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

Bread

Pulled Pork

Directions

1. Combine all slaw ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add dressing ingredients to a small lidded jar and shake well to combine.  Taste to correct seasonings.
3. Pour over slaw ingredients and lightly toss.
4. Allow to sit 15-20 minutes.
5. Brush one side of two pieces of bread and toast under the broiler on in a skillet until lightly browned.
6. Load the pulled pork onto the untoasted side of one piece of bread and slaw on another.
7. Slap the sides together and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

• I am not someone who grew up eating fennel, so I’ve had to experiment with it slowly over the years.  Its licorice flavor is not always appealing to me, but I’ve enjoyed small quantities of it mixed with the right combination of ingredients.
• When I’m experimenting with a relatively unfamiliar food like fennel, I pick it up at the market with no idea in mind of what I might do with it.  Doing several searches usually turns up something for me to try but if I’ve got other ingredients around, I’ll usually conduct the search including two of them.  In the case of this slaw, I added the cabbage and apple.  I knew fennel’s slightly sweet but distinctive flavor would compliment other sweet flavors like apple and cabbage and the red pepper is added for color, additional crunch and sweetness of a different kind as well as gorgeous color.  Food needs to look good, right?  After finding several different versions of this slaw, I chose this one from Rosemarried to adapt mine.  I liked the addition of the jalapeno.
• I think apples in general are a nice compliment to pork, so the overall flavor of this slaw works very nicely.  All the flavors work well together.
• If you want to make a panino of this, then load the bread without toasting first and place in a skillet making sure to weight it down with a smaller skillet, then flip to toast the second side.
• This would be a great sandwich to add some cheese to — especially a gouda or mild jack.
• I’m wondering what a bit of mustard to the dressing would be like…
• About the pulled pork:  Make sure it’s heated well before making the sandwich.  Mine had been in the fridge since the night before, and I’d pulled quite a bit of it and separated it into baggies.  I used the microwave on a low setting to warm slowly about 2-1/2 minutes, then tossing it and popping it back in for another 30 seconds or so to finish it.
• The slaw is a great side dish to any barbeque and is better if it’s allowed to sit quite a while.
• For an even lighter dressing, skip the olive oil and add a spoon of plain yogurt and shake in the jar with the other ingredients.
• If you’re eating the way I have been, you eat only half of this sandwich and call it lunch.
• My weigh-in this morning showed I’ve lost a total of 21.6 lbs. since January 4th when I set out to be more healthy.   I’m almost half way to my goal!

You may recall I purchased an entire pig last December and split it with a good friend.  We each ended up with 100 lbs. of fresh, locally loved and raised, lean pork and have been busy enjoying every bit of its truly incredible flavor.  So where are my posts about this first time ever foray into purchasing locally raised meat?  Outside of my initial experience making a Chilie-Brined Fresh Whole Ham, I haven’t written about any of it.

Call me lazy.  Go ahead.

But you know I’ve been avoiding sitting here to avoid thinking about food in general, so I hope that helps explain my lack of motivation.  I’ve been keeping myself busy with spring cleaning by reorganizing my kitchen and sorting though dishes and things I rarely use so I can donate  them along with the several bags of clothes I’ve weeded from my closet that no longer fit.  I’ve saved one pair of slacks so I might hold them up at some point and take a picture, showing just how far I’ve come so far, but I’m not quite ready for that.  I’ll get there.  I will.  Soon.

In the meantime,  I can’t put off writing any longer because the recipes are piling up waiting to be shared, and there’s no better place to begin than with a cut of pork I’ve prepared many times:  the shoulder.  That would be from the front portion of the pig as opposed to the rear where the “ham” comes from.  Although most shoulders are purchased sectioned into either what’s often called a picnic roast and a Boston Butt (which seems confusing considering the cut is from the opposite end of the animal), I happened to have the entire shoulder — about 10 lbs. of pork.

The shoulder is much more fatty than the ham, so cooking it slowly over very low heat allows all that fat to melt into the meat, creating amazingly tender pork perfect for pulling.  I’ve prepared a much smaller cut from the shoulder using a slow cooker to make one type of pulled pork for sandwiches, braised it on the stove top in this recipe with Guinness and dried cherries, or in the oven using lots of garlic and chardonnay for this recipe, and have often used the indirect heat method on the grill — especially in warm weather when I don’t want the house to heat up.  This time, we slow roasted it in the oven over a nine hour period of time until it was dark and crispy on the outside, and fall apart tender inside when two forks are inserted and pulled away from one another.

Oh, my.

Not much is better if you love pork.

And although you’ll be tempted to eat it all by itself like we did late one evening just to try it, it makes the most amazing pulled pork sandwiches when you have just the right slaw to go with it.

Slow Roasted Spice Rubbed Pork Shoulder

Ingredients for the Rub

1/2 c. dark brown sugar, packed

4 T kosher salt

4 T smoked paprika

2 T ground black pepper

1 T ground coriander

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. onion powder

1 10-lb bone-in pork shoulder

3 c. apple juice

1 c. water

Directions

1. Lay the roast on a large piece of plastic wrap and pat it dry with paper toweling.   Set aside.
2. Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend well.
3. Rub the spice mix over the entire roast, going over it more than once until all the spices are used.  Cover with the plastic wrap and allow to rest at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours, refrigerated.
4. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking time and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
5. Place the pork shoulder on a rack positioned in a large baking pan.
6. Pour the apple juice and water into the roasting pan and cover the entire pan tightly with foil.
7. Allow to cook for approximately 9 hours.
8. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of roasting time to crisp up the crust.
9. Remove from oven and allow the pork shoulder to rest 10-15 minutes.
10. Place on a platter and using two forks, shred the pork  and use as desired.

Recipe Notes:

• This recipe was inspired by many different sources primarily so I might learn more about cooking a whole pork shoulder in general, but the ingredient list can be attributed Michael Mina as published in Esquire.
• Chow is another source because there are so many threads about how home cooks prepare pork shoulder.  Each time I’ve made it, I’ve tried something different and with such a special cut this time, I wanted to make sure it was prepared perfectly.
• What makes this method of preparation different than the others I’ve tried is that the pork steams under that foil covering instead of sitting in liquid like it would in a braise.
• The most interesting thing I learned this time is that internal temperature (use a probe connected to the oven or an insta-read thermometer) has to reach 190 degrees F and sustained for quite some time in order for the pork shoulder to be “pullable.”  Now this isn’t the only way to achieve this, because we have been quite successful using the grill for Pibil-Style Pork which also melted as we poked forks into it.  It will make some of you crazy when I say this, but there’s no exact time!  Do your homework — these are only my experiences and honestly, not all pork is the same.
• Our pork shoulder did not have skin, but at the end of the cooking time, it was the perfect combination of crusty on the outside, and meltingly tender on the inside.  I hear it’s amazing when it’s been allowed to roast slowly with skin still attached, but I’ll have to wait for another time to find that out myself.
• It’s important to state that if you won’t serve the pork shoulder immediately, then it will need to be reheated in order to pull it.  If you don’t care about that, then there are many other uses for a nicely roasted piece of pork shoulder.  I broke ours up into smaller packages and froze it.  We’re still working through those packages and have shared with family as well.
• For what it’s worth, the two best ways I’ve prepared pork shoulder is this way (slow roasting in the oven) and grilling using the indirect heat method.  Although using a slow cooker also will yield results that allow for tender pulled pork, ultimately, there will be no contrast of crust and tender interior, so that method pales in comparison to the others.  I know people think using a crock pot convenient, but honestly, I didn’t watch my oven for nine hours.  We were out of the house for much of that time.  Besides, there was no way this whole pork shoulder would have fit into any crock pot.  As far as grilling goes, when you use the indirect heat method, your house doesn’t heat up (perfect for warm weather!) and you also do not have to watch it because there’s no heat directly beneath the pork shoulder.  An estimation of time and period internal temperature testing is what works.
• So what about our diets and eating all this pork?  We usually eat meat 1-2 times a week and when we do, it is in very small quantity.  I try to follow the 4 0z. rule as closely as possible because that’s what’s healthy for us.  Also, our portions of meat are well-balanced with a good amount of veg either cooked with the meat, or in a huge salad.
• I am so happy with our decision to purchase this pork from Valley Center farmer Jack of Taj Farms.  Our bacon supply is dwindling as is the sausage.  But we’ve still got neck bones to look forward to, ham hocks, ham ends, and half a head.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  Research is ongoing…
• Stay tuned for pulled pork sandwiches!

More pork shoulder from around the web

Stacy Snacks — “Cuban Roast Pernil:  Pork Shoulder”

Savvy Eats — “A Savvy Week:  Pork Shoulder”

Gastronomer’s Guide — “Cola-Braised Pork Shoulder with Onions and Dried Cherries”

Dinner and a Love Story — “Pork Shoulder Ragu”

Chefdruck Musings — “Slow Caramelized Pork Shoulder Momofuku Style”

I go to the farmers’ market armed with a single bag theory thinking I will surely be limited to a reasonable number of purchases, yet fail every time.  I’ve become pretty good at packing that bag which seems manageable while I’m filling it.  A few bundles of greens can’t take up all that much space, right?

But then the rainbow carrots look so good, and I can’t pass up a gorgeous head of romanesco cauliflower.  Or is it broccoli?  A mixture of sprouts, some chard, and baby beets end up in the bag before I’m done and once home I wonder where to begin.  There certainly isn’t enough room in my fridge for it all.

The carrots and beets will be fine for a while, and the sprouts will go easily into so many things:  my smoothies, salad, omelets, an open-faced egg salad sandwich.

But the kale.  Oh, the kale.  I couldn’t resist buying three different kinds.

I know.

But there’s a method to my madness with kale.  It’s easy to think “salad” first, because the kale is fresh.  But did you know you can freeze kale?  And guess what?  It’s not soggy, soft, or looking like something that was lost in the nether regions of my veggie bin when it’s thawed and ready for use, either.  In fact, you can use it frozen.  More about that later.

Let’s talk salad for now.

Kale and Apple Salad with Bacon and Pecans

Salad Ingredients

1-2 bunches kale

2 apples such as Fuji, Braeburn, Pink Lady, etc.

1/3 sweet white onion, chopped

3 pieces bacon, fried, drained well, and chopped

1/2 c. pecans

Dressing Ingredients

2 T apple cider vinegar

2 T apple cider

1 T honey

1 tsp. Dijon

1 T shallot, minced

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Remove any thick stems from the kale and chop the leaves into small bite-sized pieces.   Place in a large bowl for a crowd, or storage container if you’re making enough for fewer people over several days.
2. Chop the apple, leaving the peelings on and add it to the kale.
3. Crush  pecans in the palm of your hand and sprinkle over the kale and apples.
4. Add the onions and bacon to the mix.
5. Make the dressing by adding all ingredients to a small jar with a lid and shake vigorously.  Taste and adjust flavors by adding a bit more Dijon or honey to your preference.  Finish with salt and pepper if desired.
6. Pour about half the dressing over the whole large salad and toss well, or if making ahead, toss a small amount over the salad just to moisten the apples to keep them from browning and then store in the fridge.

From left to right:  Russian kale, Tuscan kale, and curly kale.

I used curly kale for this salad.

Notes:

• Be prepared to chew and chew and chew — a good thing!  The flavors in this are so pleasant.  Make sure a bit of everything is in each bite.
• Of course you don’t have to add the bacon, but it’s certainly tasty in this.  And surely you remember the pig I bought from local farmer Jack of Taj Farms, right?  It’s incredibly lean and flavorful and we use it sparingly.
• Although it may be personal preference, I believe that curly kale is the best for this salad — although black, or Tuscan kale would also work.
• The best way to judge is to taste the kale before you decide what to use it for.  The longer kale sits, the more bitter it can become so make sure it’s used as fresh as possible.
• If you’re not a raw kale lover, then steam about 3-5 minutes and rinse with cold water and drain well before continuing with the salad.
• The salad keeps quite well in the fridge for three days so if you make it for dinner, you’ll have lunch ready for the better part of the week.
• To freeze kale, rinse well and make sure it’s quite dry afterwards.  Line the leaves up on a dish towel and gently roll them up in it to absorb those drops.  Lay the leaves on a flat pan and place in the freezer about 10 minutes.  Remove and place in a zip lock bag making sure to carefully press out as much air as possible.  Use within a week by removing as much as you need and breaking the leaves into pieces.  Use in soups, quick breakfast scrambles, or smoothies.  

• If you prefer, chop the kale after drying it, then freeze on a baking sheet and remove to the zip lock bag after about 10 minutes.  Grab as much as you need for all kinds of recipes.
• Kale that has been frozen thaws very quickly and although it doesn’t wilt like lettuce does when it’s dried out, it does have a less crisp bite to it.  There’s no discoloration at all, however and chewing on it frozen is kind of refreshing.  Who knew?
• Why eat kale?  It’s a true super food packed with so many good nutrients for your body it’s amazing.  The World’s Healthiest Foods tells all about it.
• Good News — 18.1 lbs. lost as of today which means I made my goal of 6 lbs. lost three months in a row.  One more pound lost gets me to a big milestone, so I’m motivated about that.  And I’ve got to step up the walking because I’ve been slacking off the past week.  I have no excuses because the weather is great and nothing aches right now.  To be fair, I have been learning to fit weights in and core strengthening into my week in greater earnest, so I can have some kind of a schedule instead of just hitting each day with the attitude of “at least I’m doing something.”  It’s time to be even more deliberate so that by the first week of May I can say I’ve lost 24 lbs. — and that’s so close to 25…  We’ll see.  I’ve got a reasonable goal of 1.5 lbs. a week and am not in a hurry so don’t want to sabotage what I’m doing.  The longer this all takes, the more I’ll be able to say I’ve changed my habits and they’ll last.
• Challenges — I’ve been pretty hungry this past week and am on a first name basis with my grumbling stomach.  I spend a lot of time at the market because it seems we’re always out of something.  Yes, I plan, but we go through the fresh stuff pretty quickly.  Remember I’m keeping the hubster stocked with his daily food as well.  His big challenge is that it’s the most busy time of the year and his hours are quite long.  He hasn’t been exercising but has kept up with good eating habits and holding steady at 22 lbs. lost.  Two more weeks to go!  Additional challenges for me are a steady loss.  I can swing by as much as 1-2 lbs. every few days going up, then back down.  Staying hydrated is a big challenge and I’m still struggling with eating consistently.  Ramping up fiber-filled foods has been an interesting experiment, but I’m working on the side effects of that as well.  More later on that.

Other ways I’ve prepared kale recently:

Kale, Purple Potato, and Bacon Hash — no recipe.  Just dice and roast the potatoes with a bit of garlic and olive oil, in a 400 oven or in a frying pan for about 15 minutes, tossing once or twice.  Fry 1-2 pieces of bacon and crumble with the potatoes.  Toss with the kale — you can saute it if you like, or leave raw like salad greens.  Place two eggs over.

White Bean and Sausage Soup with Kale — So many recipes around for this.  Use canned white beans or dried you’ve cooked yourself.  Vegetable broth, maybe some carrots and onion, always garlic.  Brown lean sausage  and add along with chopped kale.

Strawberry Banana Pineapple Yogurt Smoothie with Kale — Half a banana, about 5 strawberries a slice of fresh pineapple, cored, a half to 1 cup or so of non-fat plain Greek yogurt, 1-2 tsp. ground flaxseed meal, and a couple of handfuls of ice.  Don’t forget the handful of kale from the freezer!

Great Ways to Enjoy Kale from Around the Web:

Design Sponge — In the Kitchen with:  Gena Knox’s Kale and Apple Salad

Sprouted Kitchen — Lemon Kale Salad + Seared Salmon

The Parsley Thief — Spaghetti with Braised Kale

Gourmande in the Kitchen — Kale Powder | Your Daily Dose of Green

Spoon Fork Bacon — Blood Orange & Kale Salad

gluten-free goddess — Easy Crispy Kale Chips

It’s the first day of spring and perfectly clear outside, the sun making its appearance after a much needed rainy weekend.  I’m feeling the urge to get out on my patio to start clearing away the damp leaves in my planters, trim the new growth from the vines we cut back last year, and get ready to plant the tomato seedlings I bought Sunday, but the air is more chilly than I’d like right now.  Too chilly to be outside digging in wet soil on the shady side of the house this morning.  Not too chilly to be out in the glorious sunshine enjoying a long walk, yet here I sit sifting through old photos and thinking I should get some writing done.  The words in my head aren’t ready to be put down yet, so much wanting to be said all at once crowding my thoughts and making it impossible to begin in any kind of a sensible way.  It’s annoying.

I try to get things going by dawdling around in the kitchen shining counters and finishing dishes that won’t quite fit in the dishwasher.  Making sure I have what I need to make dinner tonight so a last minute trip to the market can be avoided.  Deciding once again to put off the pantry overhaul I’ve been promising myself I’ll do.  But this morning, nothing has worked so now here I am instead, thinking about fresh fruit tarts I made several times last spring when I was trying to decide what I might make for the first ever San Diego Food Blogger Bake Sale.

The event was so successful, that this year we will be holding it again with Marie of Meandering Eats at the helm and are fortunate enough to be hosted by my favorite cookware store, Great News! in Pacific Beach on April 28th from 10-2.  If you’re not familiar with the event, you can read all about it at What’s Gaby Cooking.  Last year, $25,000 was raised nationally and this year, the goal is to reach $50,ooo to help feed hungry kids in America.  We’re hoping to double the amount we raised locally last year as well.

There are lots of ways to get involved even if you’re not a food blogger.  We have nearly 40 San Diego bakers signed up to participate this year, so the easiest thing to do is mark your calendar and plan on a visit to our sale making sure to save some time to shop at Great News! like I do whenever I have the opportunity.  Or you could make a donation which will be credited to San Diego Food Bloggers’ efforts by visiting our bake sale blog and clicking that DONATE button.  We’d like that.  Every little bit counts!  Or you can make a donation on my behalf which will also be credited to the San Diego Food Bloggers’ team efforts.

Now, what to make this year?  I made three different types of tarts last year and although I sold them all, it was a bit of a mad production the day before.  Perhaps if I cut it down to one type of tart but filled them differently.  I’ll have to think about it.  In the meantime, here is one type I baked for last year’s sale.  I’d made them for Mother’s Day and they were a big hit so I knew I could count on them again.

Fresh fruit, an unstructured crust.

So simple and satisfying!

Easy Mixed Fruit Tarts

Ingredients

blueberries

strawberries

pineapple

mango

raw sugar or brown sugar

lemon juice, freshly squeezed

small amount of milk for brushing on the crust

1 batch of my favorite pie dough recipe

Directions

1. Roll your pie dough out to 1/8″ thickness and cut into 5″ rounds.  Place in the fridge until ready to fill.
2. To prepare the fruit, slice or dice into small pieces and add to a large bowl.
3. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the fruit, then sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of the sugar.
4. Very carefully toss the fruit.
5. Remove the pie dough rounds from the fridge and place on parchment or silicone-lined baking sheets.
6. Spoon a bit of fruit onto each round leaving enough space to turn up and crimp an edge over the fruit.
7. Brush the crimped edge of the dough lightly with milk.
8. Sprinkle a bit of sugar over the fruit.
9. Place the sheets in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before baking.
10. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 30-35 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.
11. Cook on baking racks until cool.
12. Enjoy with a bit of whipped cream or honey sweetened plain yogurt.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Recipe Notes:

• I’ve used a different combination of fruit each time I’ve made these tarts.  Mix and match berries, use stone fruit — use whatever you have.  They do put out quite a bit of liquid as they bake and can get messy, so if you’re one who loves a perfect little tart, these may not be your thing.  I like a nice rustic looking tart like this.
• I know I didn’t include exact quantities because for me, it depends on how many tarts I’m making.  Use the quantities listed in the original recipe linked below if you need them — I believe they’re for 4 tarts and clearly, I made many more.  I’d say less is more when you’re estimating for these — they’re small.
• You can serve them on a plate, but they’re sturdy little things, so we enjoyed them by hand and they held up well for the bake sale last year as well.
• The original recipe caught my eye in the 2011 May issue of Food & Wine because I’d never thought of using fresh pineapple, mango, or strawberries in a baked tart.  I usually include them fresh in a pre-baked shell over pastry cream or on cheesecake.  To make it even more interesting, the original recipe includes bananas which I think I left out of this version.  Again — I’d never thought about baking bananas, but I did include them the second time I made them and was pleased with the flavor they added.
• These tarts are far from being overly sweet — which I like.  Each bite has the simple flavors of the fruit in the mix you choose.  The pineapple does caramelize nicely, which adds to the sweetness.
• These are so easy to make and can be even easier if you cut the dough rounds, freeze them on a baking sheet, then remove them to a plastic freezer bag until ready to use.  When you want to use them, allow them to thaw on a lined baking sheet enough to fold and crimp the edges once you’ve loaded them.  If everything is ready to go, you won’t have to put them back in the fridge for that last 10 minute chill before baking.
• If you just can’t get past the idea of nothing beyond the fruit, then mix a bit of mascarpone, cream cheese, kefir cheese, or goat’s cheese with a bit of milk to thin if necessary and a drizzle of honey.  Smear that on the dough circles before you spoon on the fruit.  Don’t put too much on as they do get bubbly!

Kefir cheese with a bit of honey and sliced strawberries on sprouted grain toast.

For most of my life, my morning routine involved waking to an alarm set to sound well before the the sun had even thought about sending its rays to brighten the black horizon outside my window.  I was ready for work in less than forty minutes and shuffling out the front door with my coffee in hand, satchel thrown over one shoulder and purse over the other.  There was rarely a thought for breakfast of any kind unless I remembered to grab a cup of yogurt I could eat in the car — not the safest decision one can make.

Although I no longer have that routine, the habit of not eating breakfast has stayed with me and I’ve had to work to remember to eat before 9am each day.  I’m rarely hungry first thing in the morning, and once I’ve had coffee, that seems to delay any hunger pangs that remind me to eat.  I get busy with my day and then don’t think about eating until I look at a clock and realize it’s nearly noon.   I’m famished by that time so reach for something with little or no thought.  A portion much too large.  Something — anything with some nice rib-sticking carbs.

Two pieces of toast with butter and maybe some jam or honey for added flavor.  A cup and a half to two cups of cereal.  A piece of left-over cake or pie.  Perhaps another of the muffins I’d baked the day before.  Left-over white rice with warm milk, butter, cinnamon, and sugar.  Lots and lots of carbs.  I will admit the toast was always whole wheat or multi-grain and the cereal the likes of Raisin Bran or Wheaties.  And thankfully there wasn’t always cake or pie sitting around, but I think you get the idea.

Clearly, I needed to make some adjustments with the first being to actually eat breakfast early in the morning instead of at lunchtime.  Next, I needed to make sure there were better options available.  That meant I had to spend more time thinking about what to put in the cart when I was at the market.

Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it?  It’s not.  It’s become routine in the last couple of months and I’ve noticed the more I stick with it, the more ideas I get.  Variety seems to be the key for me because I’ll stay interested.  Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll ease back into my old habit of skipping breakfast.

What do you eat breakfast every day?

Rethinking Breakfast

Half a banana with chunky peanut butter on sprouted grain toast.

Sweet peppers and onions sauteed in a dab of olive oil, two eggs over easy sprinkled with an herby seasoning and some Parmesan.

Vanilla Bean Quark with apple slices on sprouted grain toast.

I just bought the quark at the farmers’ market and think I’m in love.  This is flavored with vanilla bean and is heavenly.  I understand it can be homemade…

One cup of blackberries — or any berries — with a cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt.

At first I had to drizzle it with a bit of honey or agave nectar, but not any more.  I mash the berries up and stir it all around before I dig in.

Kale or spinach sauteed with a bit of garlic and red pepper, two eggs over easy with a sprinkle of homemade goat’s cheese.

Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie

It changes, but generally it contains two handfuls of ice cubes, a cup of Greek yogurt, a cup of berries, a half banana, a good sprinkle of ground flaxseed, and a few glugs of sparkling flavored mineral water.  The greens aren’t always there.  It depends on what else is in the meal plan for the day.  Sometimes I use an apple instead of the berries.  Occasionally an orange or tangerine.

Curried egg salad with mixed sprouts on sprouted grain toast.

The egg salad is a mix and match of many recipes I’ve tried but is made with kefir cheese instead of mayo.  There are apples in it, pecans, celery, and onions.  Make it ahead and it’s in the fridge ready for breakfast like this, or for lunch wrapped in lettuce.  Delicious!

Breakfast Salad with homegrown salad greens, roasted asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes.

Notes:

• Now I know there are registered dieticians out there who might wag a finger at me, but I think this is a pretty good round up of my breakfast choices on most days.
• Do I want a donut?  Most of the time, no, because they’re just not my thing.  A hot cinnamon roll, then?  Well, of course.  And I’ll have cinnamon rolls again — just not now.  Mmm…cinnamon rolls.
• Where’s the muffins?  I have tried a few muffin recipes that are decent and full of good things — like these Zucchini Carrot Muffins, but I’m not quite there with including them at this point.  Soon.  Once a week, maybe.
• What you don’t see here is the cereal I eat.  It’s usually a multi-grain blend.  I like Kashi cereals quite a bit but have also found that Nature’s Path Organic cereals are really good.  Small bowl, 3/4 cup of cereal, 1% milk (I haven’t quite gotten to the non-fat milk stage even though I like the non-fat yogurt) and half a cup of fruit.  I love oatmeal, but rarely fix it for myself.  When I do, I like it with apples and nuts — and when I’m feeling like a treat, then Irish Porridge is so tasty.
• I’m not a peanut butter lover, so that particular combo is all about the combination of what is on that slice of toast.  Think body fuel and you’ve got it right.  Peanut butter can have quite a bit of sugar in it, so I do look at labels and measure it — 2 tablespoons is too much for me.
• Kefir cheese is like cream cheese, but more tangy.  It’s great for your guts even if you’re lactose intolerant and pretty low in calories.  I use it for all kinds of things when I need creaminess — like that curried egg salad up there.  It can be a bit thick, but is easily lightened with a bit of plain yogurt.  It’s great in this Banana Caramel Nut Frozen Yogurt!
• The smoothies are an acquired taste.  The banana is a sweetener and although I do make them without it, I don’t enjoy it as much.  When I make a batch, I usually get two very large glasses out of it and am always sorry when I’ve reached the bottom of the glass.  I love my smoothies.
• I’ve tried many brands of Greek yogurt and prefer Fage over all the others.  Plain, zero fat and lots of protein.  Your intestinal tract will thank you.
• It looks like I eat eggs every day, doesn’t it?  I don’t, but when I do, I always eat two and always try to eat them with some vegetables whether they’re scrambled, poaches, or fried.
• Speaking of frying — the ScanPan I have requires no fat to fry and isn’t coated with Teflon which can be very unhealthy.  It’s got a ceramic finish instead and works like a dream.
• I’ve been eating Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bread because I’ve been trying to find a good way to get bread back into my diet.  I’ve been looking for and sampling recipes to make at home, and until I find one I like, then this will do.
• Like the eggs in the egg salad, the asparagus can be made ahead and used when you need it.  I love asparagus with eggs.  A squeeze of fresh lemon over it is a lovely finishing touch.
• If you’re thinking life is too hectic in the morning to consider any of this, my hubster fixes his own breakfast and packs a lunch and snacks before he heads to work in the morning.  Again, I make sure the right things are in the house for him so it’s easy.  He likes oatmeal or a multi-grain hot cereal in the morning with a bit of milk and uses the microwave to make it.  He eats yogurt, too, but likes the flavored variety.  Sometimes he scrambles a couple of eggs.  Yes, he eats in the car, but hey — he’s not eating junk!
• If you more ideas for rethinking breakfast, by all means, send them my way!  More and more there’s a fine line between breakfast and lunch, so anything goes.
• 16 lbs. lost as of today with 19 days to make it 18 which is my goal of 6 lbs. a month, but I’m thinking 20 lbs. is more in order.  I’m only 4 lbs. away.  Can I make it?