Mexican Adobo Chicken Steamed in Parchment Paper

This meal took me all day to make. It involved over 2 trips to the store, 2 hours of steaming, and 1 sick day at work. That's not to say I was playing hooky, I guess it was just allergies. Here's how it unfolded: I blended a chili sauce with garlic, applecider vinegar, and cumin seeds. Using whole organic chicken legs, I wrapped them into a little pouch of parchment paper with the sauce and bay leaves (I didn't know where to find avocado leaves). I steamed the pouches for two hours. The meat came out amazingly tender, falling off the bones.



On one side soupy black beans, on the other a swiss chard, beet and oaxacan cheese blend with raisins. Each person unwrapped their pouch individual. A fork easily separated the meat from the bone and we wrapped it in corn tortillas with a fresh green salsa made from tomatillos and cilantro. (Also known as "epazote" I recently learned). Delicious and worth the 6 hours of laboring over the stove.

Stuffed Strawberry Bliss

As I was coring fresh strawberries and contemplating what to eat them with, I thought of the creme fraiche in the fridge.  Oooh, sounds delightful.  Stuff the strawberries with smooth, silky cheese and dip it in cane sugar.  Sweet, salty and sour all at once.  For some reason it reminded me of those salted caramels that Franz makes.  Yet less rich and artery-clogging.  It was a complex, fresh bite of bliss.

Fiesta latina de la comida

Yummy, spinach stuffed poblanos smothered in goat cheese and creme fraiche.  The roasted pine nuts and raisins added a nice bite and touch of sweet.  Complemented by soupy black beans, partially seasoned white rice and for the carnivores turkey tacos, all in all it was an enjoyable evening to share with friends and family.  Gluten free and vegetarian, my friend enjoyed a complete meal.  I do have to say, Popeye sure was right about spinach.  Consuming it does make me feel stronger and healthier.  While there's nothing wrong with frozen spinach, I wouldn't choose to eat canned spinach.  I worry about the BPA's from plastic inside the can that are so ubiquitous.  Recently I decided to attempt to rid my life of canned products.  My means of making the change involved buying dried beans and avoiding canned soups.  The one thing that prevented my full adherence to the cause was coconut milk.  I suppose the powder works just as well.  So remember, frozen fruits vegetables good, frozen meals usually not good, cans mostly contaminated, and don't microwave things in plastic.  We have to be aware of and prevent contamination to our bodies from all aspects of our society, including the water and products we wash our bodies with.