Salsa Verde Eggs

My friend Katie and I are two of the biggest foodies you'll ever meet. Our conversations are usually a giant verbal recipe swap. Discussing new ways to use seasonal ingredients and sharing tips and tricks for revamping classic dishes are common themes.

Basically, we like food, and we're not afraid to say it.

Recently, Katie and I were discussing eggs.

Eggs are one of my favorite things to eat. They're incredibly versatile, filling, go great with coffee, and cheap cheap cheap.

And fortunately, Katie was kind enough to share with me one of her favorite ways to revamp plain breakfast eggs.

Introducing, Salsa Verde Eggs:

Simple, spicy, and easy, this dish is my new go-to breakfast.

To make one serving, you will need:

dab butter

2 eggs

a dash of milk

salt & pepper

3-4 tablespoons salsa verde

one handful shredded queso cheese

Start by heating a pan on medium heat. Place a dab of butter on the pan.

Mix your eggs in a bowl with the milk, salt, and pepper.

Pour your eggs into the pan and let them cook, untouched. Just as the bottom of the eggs begin to set, sporadically pour your salsa verde into the egg mixture (if you have any on-hand, this is also a great time to add some broken up tortilla chips to your eggs). Scramble your eggs until cooked. Top with cheese.

Spicy. Cheesy. Delicious.

Thanks Katie!

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The Prickly Pear

Despite my bests efforts to tell myself otherwise, the semester is in full swing, job recruiting is at critical mass, and midterms are just around the corner.
So, what better time than to take a night off with your friends?
Clearly, Matt, Maggie, and Sophie all had the same thought.
Our venue of choice was a small stop on the southmost edge of main street: The Prickly Pear.

Any place that serves free chips and salsa is alright in my book.

My friends thinks so too!

Matt and Sophie modeling the menu.

Social media maven Maggie and me (mid-facestuff).

It didn't take too long for us to barrel through two rounds of chips and salsa before our delicious entrees hit the table.

I went for the evening's special: sweet corn tamales half covered in mole sauce, half covered in pumpkin cheese sauce.

Maggie opted for the crab cake meal:

While Sophie and Matt each got the enchilada platter, with one sweet potato enchilada and one spinach and cheese enchilada.

Sophie being an instagram whiz.

We munched on rice, beans, chips, and tortillas and congratulated each other on our recent employments.

While going out to eat on a weeknight isn't always common procedure, I find restaurants to be less busy, which means you and your table have more time to chat and relax. There's nothing I hate more than feeling rushed to leave a restaurant early.

Moral of the story: if you want a lengthy and delicious Mexican meal, Prickly Pear (particularly on a weeknight) is your one-stop spot.

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Isalita

Whew, this post has been a long time coming.
Last week, my friends and I booked a table at a new restaurant in town - Isalita. Owned by the same man who started Mani Osteria, Adam Baru, the restaurant features unique Mexican tapas developed by Mani's original chef, Brendan McCall.

In the spirit of restaurant week, the chef had prepared a special 3-course menu for $28 per person. Eager to sample the spicy goodies that this new restaurant had to offer, my friends and I began pouring over the menu. 
While we waited, we munched on creamy guacamole, fresh pico de gallo, and unlimited homemade chips. 

Needless to say, giving us unlimited chips was a mistake. I easily could have filled up just on those, and almost did, to be completely honest. I have a tortilla and guacamole problem. If it's in front of me, I eat it!

Fortunately for my chip problem, our entrees came out soon. Joanna and I both started with the salad, a crispy, tangy, and fresh dish that took me by surprise due to its taste and size.

Since Isalita is a tapas style restaurant, most of their dishes are quite small portions meant for sharing with the table. This salad easily could have filled me up on its own, though, and Joanna and I both ended up only eating half of ours so we could save room for our second and third courses.

Mallory got adorable little chorizo sopes. So cute and pretty!

For the second round, Joanna and I each went for enchiladas. Hers was a traditional chicken and cheese, topped with sour cream and radishes. 

I took a leap of faith and went for the enchilada verdea - a delicious and melty tortilla filled with lump crab meat, shrimp, cheese, and salsa verde.

I didn't take any pictures of the filling, because it was honestly a gooey mess, but I can say it was delicious and very unique. As a seafood lover, I'm fond of any shellfish, crab, or shrimp dish, but I'm used to them being prepared in a simpler European style. The salsa verde and jalapeno spices took these flavors to a whole new level, and I would come back again just to get these.

Mallory, who seems to have a knack for picking the most attractive food on the menu, got these fresh and colorful fish tacos for her second course. Crispy battered white fish in a small tortilla topped with a sprinkling of radishes and delicately draping avocado - yum!

I'm a sucker for avocado, so these are another dish I'd definitely come back for.

Finally, the dessert, which we were all completely too full to eat but finished anyway (of course).

This tres leches cake was a synthesis of unique but complimenting flavors, including spongey cake, coconut, three different milks, mango, and kiwi. I'm usually a chocolate desserts-only kind of girl, but even I bought into this cake due to its delicate preparation.

All in all, Isalita is the most unique Mexican restaurant in the area. Be aware that portions are small and meant for sharing, so don't come here looking for a quick, enormous, and cheap mexican meal. Also, appearances can be deceiving. Despite the size of the dishes my friends and I were served, we ended up not being able to finish 5 out of the 6 entrees we ordered due to their richness. Don't be afraid to start small, because many of these (like my enchilada) are incredibly creamy and filling. Definitely a good place to head to if you and your friends want to enjoy some drinks and tacos at the bar.

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Crunchy Chicken Tortilla Soup

When winter rolls around, I'm an incorrigible soup fiend. You put everything that sounds good together in a giant pot, let the flavors blend for an hour or so, get creative with your spices, and a end up with a vat of delicious homey flavor. Not to mention, when finals begin kicking into high gear, having an arsenal of frozen soup servings to plop in your backpack and take to the library helps your wallet and your waistline.

Unfortunately, cold weather often gives way to bad eating habits. Walking through a blizzard and settling down to eat a frigid salad always puts me in a bad mood, and I tend to pine for comfortingly warm carbs and butter. However, when you mix veggies in a soup, just like this recipe, you can enjoy a hearty warm meal that doesn't fatten you up.

See! There are green things in that bowl!

To make a pot of this delicious soup for yourself, grab these ingredients and a large pot:

olive oil

3 teaspoons chili powder

1 jalapeño, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cans chicken broth

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

2 chicken breasts

salt

pepper

tortilla chips

1/2 an avocado

Heat your oil in the bottom of the pot. Throw in your jalapeño, your onion, your  garlic, and your chili powder. Cook until your onions are translucent. (This part smokes the chili powder for a great flavor.)

Next, add your chicken broth, corn, black beans, and chicken. Cook on medium-high heat so that the chicken cooks through, about 30 minutes. When your chicken is done, pull them out and shred them with a knife and fork. 

Toss some salt and pepper into your broth for extra flavor and add the chicken back in. Break your tortilla chips into 1-inch pieces and toss them into a bowl. Layer your soup on top of the chips, add another handful, and top with sliced avocado.

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Epic Nachos

Today was one of those days where you come home after a long day of school/work/obligations/whatever else you happened to be doing and find yourself starving. 
I mean literally ready to eat anything starving. 

So, I went to my go-to meal - epic nachos. Named so because they happen to be healthy, filling, and delicious. The trifecta of epic.

Is your mouth watering yet???

To make these delectable nachos, you will need the following ingredients:

1 chicken breast, raw
1 avocado
1 can black beans or pinto beans
Salsa
Handful of tortilla chips
Your choice of cheese
One packet taco seasoning

Start off with a raw chicken breast. Place it on a hot grill, grill pan, or George Foreman, and douse it with your taco seasoning.

I didn't happen to have taco seasoning today, and feared that postponing dinner to run to the store would induce cardiac arrest by starvation. So I settled for some spicy grilled chicken seasoning by Weber.

You could substitute the taco seasoning for any type of spicy herb blend if you're in the same boat as I was. Feel free to experiment! 

While the chicken is cooking, grab your avocado and your can of beans.

Scoop out the avocado innards into a small bowl. Drain the can of beans and gently blend them with the avocado until you have a mushy mixture, but the beans aren't crushed.

At this point, you can feel free to add a drained can of whole-kernel corn as well. I usually do, but didn't have any today. And, as I said, I wasn't about to postpone eating!

Next, grab a bowl and fill it with a handful of tortilla chips (however many you think you'll eat. I always overestimate!)

Add your avocado-bean mixture on top.

Slice up your grilled chicken and throw it on top. Then scoop a dollop of salsa on the concoction and top it off with a small handful of your favorite cheese.

Enjoy your guilt-free nachos!

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