Hot Damn

The best breakfast-brunch-lunch-dinner-ever is a plate of chilaquiles.

I'm not sure where my love affair with chilaquiles came from. I grew up in a community with a fair amount of people from Mexico but had never even heard of them (chilaquiles, not Mexicans). It's one of those home cook secrets/peasant-style dishes found in every culture where you have leftover this and a scrap of that and make something absolutely delicious and comforting. I can't contain how stoked I am.

The first time I heard about this dish, I think, was from an old roommate of mine (of San Diego/Mexican descent) and I decided to try out the dish at Eat Records where I moonlighted as a guest brunch chef on the weekends. I made huge casserole dishes of the good stuff and baked eggs on top. Baking eggs are a little fussy for me on the weekends where I want to cook brunch fast and inhale it even faster. I'm really not a beast, I just love to eat.

The basic elements of chilaquiles consist of torn up corn tortillas (preferably not fresh) fried to a crisp then tossed into a pan with red or green sauce and topped with eggs or meats and little goodies like avocado, cheese, sour cream, raw onions...whatever fits your fancy. I prefer the green variety. There is no science to this recipe just whatever you have around and your personal taste. I guess it could suck if you have bad taste, but that's your problem. Don't blame the chilaquiles.

Chilaquiles Verde
Serves one

2 tablespoons canola or corn oil
2-6 in. corn tortillas (I used blue ones); cut into eight triangles
1/2 small onion, chopped on the fine side, set aside a little more for finishing
1/2 jalapeno with seeds, sliced
1/2 cup - or more - of jarred salsa verde, Goya is always a solid choice
1/2 avocado, sliced or cubed
1/2 cup egg whites (all I had)
small handful shredded cheddar cheese
small handful of chopped cilantro
salt & pepper



Start off by heating a heavy, medium sized pan over high heat. Add oil and test to see if it's hot enough by putting a little piece of tortilla in the pan. If it sizzles then put tortilla pieces in the pan on one layer. You'll probably have to do two batches unless you're using a monster-sized pan. Fry until they poof up and get crispy like chips, then set aside on some paper towels to drain. Next, throw the onions and jalapenos in the same pan but make sure to turn the heat WAY down, to low-medium. Stir around until they soften and then add the salsa. Simmer until everything is nice and hot, and add the chips back in. You want the chips softened with a little crunch left. Put the mixture to one side of the pan, and make a little area to scramble you eggs. Season the eggs with salt and pepper, and cook until they're done to your liking. Take one big stir and then put in a shallow bowl or plate. Top with cheese, cilantro, onions, and avocado. Hot Damn.

Whoa Momma

So, this doesn't really have to do with mom besides the fact that she eats yogurt every morning with all sorts of goodies mixed in (rolled oats, wheat germ, fruit, etc). I had a breakfast that was so good it made me say "whoa momma"...in my head at least (I'm at work). I am attempting to bring my own food to work these days since it's better for my health and my wallet, but I'm lazy about packing it and really enjoy finding food in Soho throughout the work day. It's a welcome distraction from , well, work.

I had leftover sweetened toasted coconut from a Tres Leches cake I made for Helen's baby shower (recipe forthcoming or else I'll forget it and it was GOOD), blueberries and Greek yogurt.

I just mixed the three together and it was so so delicious. You know why really addictive, gourmet-ish or non-gourmet granola tastes so good. Coconut. I went straight to the source and will now be sprinkling it on everything I can.

To toast sweetened, flaked coconut:

In a 350F degree oven, place coconut on cookie sheet, spreading as thin as humanly possible (so it toasts evenly).

Watch it closely and stir it around. Keep watching -- it burns very quickly -- then take out when fragrant and toasty-brown colored.

Muscle Man Greens

I love greens. Spinach, swiss chard, bok choy, watercress and especially kale. Kale is not a wuss. Kale is plentiful in the winter and inexpensive (how many things are plentiful and inexpensive!). Kale is a survivor. You can buy it and throw it in the darkest, most untouched depths of your fridge and discover it a week and a half later -- and it's in mint condition patiently waiting to be cooked. But I digress. These recipes are about eating on a cleanse tonight. I'm doing a week-long detox cleanse and I was hungry. My body was seriously begging for food.

Luckily I could eat a piece of salmon and greens. Hurrah! Real food! If you actually look up this cleanse, you'll find that I totally cheated and didn't follow the rules and only stayed straight by using the salmon and greens. I did discover that I'm a kale genius. Well, I might have been to the point where anything would have tasted like ambrosia, but you'll have to be the judge of that.

I made two courses, and was really only supposed to eat one. Whoops.

Steamed Kale with a Soft Boiled Egg and Chili Oil

1 bunch of regular curly kale, divided
1 egg
A teaspoon of chili sesame oil, or to taste
A dash of soy sauce
A couple squirts of sriracha hot sauce

First off put the egg in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring it to a boil, and once it starts to boil turn the heat off. Let it sit in the water to stay warm while you do other things, or if you want your egg gooier just put the egg on the counter.

Next de-rib the kale, stack the leaves and cut it cross-wise into very thin slivers. Put a few inches of water into a tall saucepan and place the steamer basket in. Dump all of the kale into the pot, packing it in. Cover and let steam for 10-15min, or until it has decreased in size by about half.

Here's where your own personal preference comes in: Using about 3/4 of the kale, put in a bowl and season with the chili oil and soy. Be careful not to overdue it with the oil/soy, as you want the kale soft and fairly dry. Next, place the soft-boiled egg (de-shelled, duh) on top of the kale and halve or smash up so it's insides are showing. Squirt some sriracha on the egg and kale and devour.

Disclaimer: I ate this while I was making the my actual dinner

Salmon with Scorched Scallions and Kale

1 6-8oz salmon fillet, preferably wild Alaskan with the skin on
a couple tablespoons olive oil
mix of dried herbs (parsley, rosemary, thyme, whatever you like)
3 or so scallions, white and pale parts only, cut lengthwise into skinny wisps
A cup of previously steamed kale
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick pan. Throw in the scallions until they sizzle and soften, and throw in the dried herbs. I actually used this "pesce" herb mix my friend brought my back from Rome in an unmarked plastic bag so I'm not totally sure what was in it...sorry. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Make a clearing in the pan and place the salmon skin side down. Turn up the heat a little so the salmon skin gets nice and crispy. Move the scallions around so they don't burn and flip the fillet after 5-10 minutes (depending on the thickness and how well done you want it) and cook an additional 5 minutes. If the skin needs more crisping time, flip it over again and put all of the scallions on top of the fillet to rest. Even if you don't need to crisp it more, do this anyways and just take out of the pan immediately and onto a plate. Next throw in the kale and the vinegar, deglazing the pan and using the kale as your mop. This cleans your pan also. Two in one!

I put the kale on top of the salmon and scallions and enthusiastically dug in.