I have obviously been craving spicy food lately. So my latest food endeavor involved Potato, Chorizo and Green Chile Burritos. I figured I couldn't go wrong with this recipe because I fell in love with potato burritos as a kid in Atlanta, Georgia, I love chorizo and any food that I can wrap in a tortilla and take it wherever I go just sounds wonderful. As many of you already know I have a little ants in my pants and so sitting still just isn't my strength...therefore mobile food is pretty awesome!! Yes, I am one of those irritating people that loves to be on the go and yes I am terrible on road trips, have the energy of a 10 year old and I sometimes forget to sleep. Oopsie!!




What makes this recipe even better is that it is a Cooking Light recipe. Even though I live in Southern California, this is the time of year that I seriously think everyone just doesn't feel so cute. We are all very pasty white from lack of sun, we are just coming off eating a crap load of food for the holidays and it is easy to procrastinate on working out when it is just too cold outside...remember people, cold is relative. I recently was teased by a guy from Michigan when I was complaining about those brrr cold So Cal mornings.

 Or maybe you are coming off a gnarly fall like I am. Because I love to do everything with gusto I took a spill during my last half marathon at mile 10 and sprained my wrist, pulled a few muscles, covered my entire body in road rash and got an infected knee so exercise has been slow and painful at best recently. But don't worry I finished my half...just a little slower than I hoped for.

Anyway I digress...back to the recipe. So the recipe calls for red potatoes that are cut into 1/2" cubes. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. And just in case you are curious about everything food related like I am...the reason you cover potatoes in cold water even when you are planning on cooking them is to allow for even cooking and heat penetration from the outside to the inside.  While I was doing my potato research I also learned that you shouldn't cool your potatoes in cold water because it makes them soggy. Just a little random potato knowledge to pass on.

Make the salsa for the burritos while you are cooking the potatoes. Combine chopped tomato, onion, cilantro and lime juice. I also added some salt because I just never feel like Cooking Light uses enough salt in their recipes...personal opinion.

Next cook the chorizo. For clarification this recipe calls for Mexican chorizo which is the softer, soupier chorizo and not the Spanish chorizo which is harder and cured. Cook the chorizo for about 3 minutes or until it crumbles. Add the onion and poblano and cook until tender. Remove the mixture from the pan.

Once the potatoes are done, pat dry with a paper towel. Cook in the pan that had the chorizo in it, adding 2 teaspoons olive oil. Cook the potatoes for about 8 minutes in the pan or until they are lightly browned. They absorb the flavors from the pan which is also yummy!! Add the chorizo mixture into the potato mixture.

Heat the tortillas and serve with the chorizo mixture and salsa. The recipe also has you brown the entire burrito in a pan, but I had just finished a run and I was starving so I skipped that step and it worked out just fine. I also loved this recipe left over. It was a great recipe overall!! The salsa was fresh and salty, the chorizo was spicy and I loved the texture and starch of the potatoes! The onions and peppers added some nice earthy flavors as well. This recipe was a winner!!

• 10 ounce red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup chopped tomato $
• 2 tablespoons diced white onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 6 ounces Mexican raw chorizo
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced poblano chile
• 2 teaspoons olive oil $
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 (7- to 8-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas
• 2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

Preparation

1. Place the red potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Remove the pan from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain; pat potatoes dry with paper towels.
2. Combine 1 cup tomato, 2 tablespoons onion, cilantro, and lime juice.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo; cook for 3 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add 1 cup onion and poblano to pan; cook 2 minutes or until onion is tender and chorizo is done, stirring frequently. Remove the chorizo mixture from pan. Add oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add potatoes; cook for 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat. Stir in chorizo mixture and salt.
4. Heat the tortillas according to package directions. Divide the potato mixture evenly among tortillas, and top evenly with salsa and cheese. Roll up each burrito, jelly-roll fashion.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 burritos to pan, seam side down; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned.

Happy Monday!!

So last week I randomly started craving enchiladas...sure I could have gone out to a Mexican restaurant and order enchiladas, but that just seemed way too easy. So I found a Cooking Light recipe for Black Bean and Beef Enchiladas and I started dreaming about them on Monday, with the knowledge that I wouldn't get to make them until Sunday...yes that is a lot of enchilada dreaming.


This recipe required me to make my own enchilada sauce. And you can laugh if you want to, but I was so proud of my enchilada sauce and how flavorful and fresh it tasted that I seriously did a little happy dance inside my head. However, just so you all know I do have an external happy dance as well, however I haven't received a lot of positive feedback on it so I don't bust it out very often.

So the enchilada sauce was actually pretty easy once I got over the intimidation. The recipe does call for dried ancho chiles which I couldn't find even after trying two grocery stores. So I used dried California chiles because google said they were an ok substitute. The internet told me they were slightly spicier but they didn't add much heat and I was completely content with the outcome.

Boil the dried chiles in chicken broth and then simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1 corn tortilla that is torn into pieces. This definitely assisted with the texture of the enchilada sauce. Next add the mixture to the blender and well blend. Add cilantro, garlic and green onions and blend some more. Put the entire mixture back into the pan and cook until it is reduced. The sauce had a great flavor-hint of spice, hint of garlic and the freshness from the cilantro. Loved it!!

The beef mixture was extremely easy to make. Saute the beef until brown and then remove from pan. Saute the onions and garlic, adding the spices and tomato paste. Next add the black beans, chicken broth and put the beef back in the pan. Once it has been blended and cooked, add some lime.


On a side note because I am sure you wanted to know the difference between Mexican and Mediterranean oregano I thought I would tell you. Mediterranean oregano, which is the variety we are all familiar with and that we use in Italian food is actually a member of the mint family. It is also known as wild marjoram. It has a robust and herbal flavor that also emits the smell that makes us all reminisce about pizza and lasagna. If you see a bottle of "oregano" at the grocery store this is the variety you are buying. This variety can be used fresh or dry.

However, Mexican oregano is a relative of lemon verbena. It is native to Mexico and Central/South America. It has a flavor that has more hints of anise and citrus. It is the variety that is used in salsas, enchiladas and chili. It can also be used fresh or dry and it will be labeled in grocery stores as "Mexican Oregano," and it is often found in the Hispanic food section rather than the spice aisle. And if you are local I have a ton of it now from this recipe and I will share.


The other highlight of this recipe was learning how to soften corn tortillas. So get this, you boil water in a pan and dip the tortillas in the water for 2-3 seconds so they become maleable, which makes them easier to stuff and roll without cracking and breaking. Very cool technique!!

Ok not all of them were a success...and I am sure it had nothing to do with the wine!

Once the tortillas are stuffed and placed in the pan, pour the enchilada sauce over them and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and serve with Mexican crema and green onions.

Sauce:

• 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed
• 3 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (6-inch) corn tortilla, torn into small pieces
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 2 green onions, coarsely chopped

Enchiladas:

• 8 ounces ground sirloin
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 4 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon no-salt-added tomato paste
• 2/3 cup rinsed and drained organic black beans
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 4 cups water
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, at room temperature
• Cooking spray
• 2 1/2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2/3 cup packed)
• 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup packed)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced and divided
• 6 tablespoons Mexican crema

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. To prepare sauce, place ancho chiles in a medium saucepan. Add 3 cups broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in 1 torn tortilla; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour chile mixture into a blender; let stand 10 minutes. Add cilantro, 2 teaspoons garlic, and 2 coarsely chopped green onions to blender; process until smooth. Return mixture to pan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until reduced to 2 cups (about 7 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove sauce from heat.
3. To prepare enchiladas, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Remove beef from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Wipe pan with paper towels. Return pan to medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and next 3 ingredients (through salt); cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in drained beef, beans, and 1/2 cup broth; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice.
4. Place 4 cups water in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, dip tortillas in simmering water 2 to 3 seconds each or until softened. Place one tortilla on a flat work surface; spoon 3 tablespoons beef mixture onto 1 end of each tortilla. Roll enchiladas up jelly-roll style. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and beef mixture. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange enchiladas, seam-side down, in prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Top with cheeses. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with 3 sliced green onions; serve with crema.

So I read this article in the September issue of Sunset Magazine about white Pinot Noir. So of course I had to find it and try it, right? There can't be a NEW kind of wine that hasn't at least crossed my palette once. I love Pinot Noir and as many of you know I always think of it as the perfect food pairing wine, especially if you are with a group, at a restaurant and everyone is ordering different food. Pinot Noir is light enough that it can just easily go with most foods and it still has a great depth of flavor that allows you to enjoy a really good wine. Therefore, when I heard of white Pinot Noir I thought I heard angels singing!!

It is not often that I mail order wine just because I have amazing wine opportunities in my back yard. Whether we are talking about small local boutique wineries or large big box wine stores I have it all. I am also close enough to Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, Paso Robles and Temecula that I can always do a weekend trip to get those wines direct from the wineries themselves. Yes, I know I am a little wine spoiled living in California and all. On a side note I also have to say I love Napa/Sonoma wines, but as I have explored the Southern and Central wine regions of California there are definitely wineries down here that have created some pretty comparable competition for the Napa wine masters...just my opinion.

Anyway I digress...back to white Pinot Noir. So the white Pinot Noir is not a new grape, it is just a new way of pressing the Pinot Noir grape. The white Pinot Noir is created by pressing the grape clusters and just collecting the juice avoiding as much contact as possible with the skins. So the color is kind of a creamy yellow kind of like an oaked Chardonnay.

These wines are being made in California and Oregon by a few experimental wine makers. They are being made in stainless steel and in oak. And the white Pinot Noir I ordered and tried was from Brandborg which is an Oregon winery in the Umpqua Valley. http://www.brandborgwine.com/



I ordered a red Pinot Noir and a white Pinot Noir because I wanted to do a side by side taste test. I was curious to see if my friend who greatly dislikes white wines in general would like this one. The article said the white Pinot Noir had the same density of a red wine so I thought this might be the perfect compromise.

When I got the wine I debated whether or not to chill it. It is a wine wine, but if it is supposed to be reminiscent of a Pinot Noir I wouldn't have chilled it. So I decided to put it in the wine fridge for a little bit to chill it slightly, but still allow for the depth of flavor to be prominent.

However, last night when we did a side by side tasting I was a bit taken aback. The white Pinot Noir does not taste anything like a red wine. It reminds me of a Sauvignon Blanc. There was a lot of citrus and it almost made your mouth pucker a bit. It is crisp and fresh and would be a great summer sipping wine, but it did not remind me of a Pinot Noir at all. Especially considering this was an Oregon Pinot Noir. I have always known Oregon Pinots to be a bit on the bold side, a little Earthy, slightly dry and with layers of flavor. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the white Pinot Noir as it lacked any of that complexity. It was ok! And my white hating friend continues to hate whites and he was NOT a fan of the white Pinot Noir.

On a side note we did enjoy the red Pinot Noir from Brandborg. It was a light and flavorful Pinot and it paired well with the Black Bean and Beef Enchiladas I made. Again I probably won't make the effort to mail order it, but it was a good wine.

So although I haven't written off the wine varietal all together I will not continue to go out of my way to search out the white Pinot Noir. If I am looking for a crisp, citrusy summer wine I will probably continue to drink Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier....but that is just me!! Cheers!

So I had two options tonight I could either mope because I am spending Valentine's Day alone or I could do something to celebrate myself and my amazing life. I opted for option B...because seriously whenever I have an excuse to celebrate I am all over it. Tonight I decided to make a romantic dinner for one, light some candles, open a nice bottle of wine and just enjoy my own company. Ok sure the cat is home too, don't worry my cat didn't get a date while I stayed home. That would have been REALLY sad!!

Have you found that sometimes it is the simplest recipes, the littlest things and the slightest gestures that can completely make your day. Tonight I was supposed to make Three Cheese Macaroni, but after a long day of computer training, also known as torture, a spin class, yes another form of torture and a throbbing knee...yet another form of torture...I decided to make a recipe that was easier, faster and required less thought, physical activity and interaction.



Tonight I made Coconut Rice. Let me start by saying I love everything coconut!! The dish can be sweet or savory, but as long as it has some form of coconut in it I am happy. Coconut macaroons make my eyes light up...especially if they are dipped in chocolate. German chocolate cake makes my knees go weak...it is practically eye candy for me. And coconut shrimp...just reminds me of sitting on a tropical beach with a cocktail and gorgeous turquoise blue water. Yes, I know I have quite an imagination.

Brief side note I was definitely one of those kids with a crazy vivid imagination. I had imaginary friends, imaginary pets, imaginary careers and imaginary personalities. There is a picture of me with a stick tied to a post and I truly thought that stick was my horse...duh. I loved the Wizard of Oz and I went through a phase where I went by the name of Dorothy. By the age of 7 I had already opened my own restaurant, built my own house, taught at my own school, flown across the world while I was working as a stewardess (that was before they were called flight attendants), danced Swan Lake and skated in the Olympics with plastic bags over my feet as make shift skates. Yes, yes I had quite the imagination. Thankfully I grew out of that phase because otherwise I would be in a padded room right now instead of writing my blog from the comfort of my own bed.

But ya know in general I have found recently that it is truly the little things for which I am thankful. Too often we get caught up in lamenting over what we don't have and we forget to be thankful for all of life's little blessings. So before I talk about Coconut Rice I just want to mention a few "little things" for which I am thankful:

• Vanderpump Rules...that show is pure trash and I love it with a good glass of wine!! I don't even miss Jersey Shore anymore thanks to this show. It has it all!! Eye candy, tears, fist fights and dudes who tear off their shirts when they get ready to fight. Love it!!

• Ice packs! I am icing my knee every night right now so I can run and seriously this was an incredible invention. I think the blue gel is super cool, it is never too cold and it doesn't break and get you all wet. Shout out to ice packs!!

• Laughter! I love to laugh! I love to make people laugh! I love funny things! I love that awkward time when things are funny and they shouldn't be!! 

• Flannel sheets...especially when they are pink and purple and have owls on them. One of the benefits of living alone is the fact that no one can say "those sheets are so lame." Ok sure they could potentially ruin my game...but so far so good. They are not too hot and not too cold and they are just down right cozy!!