Baja Burritos

I love making savory latin dishes with hints of fresh sweetness.  Whether it's a quesadilla with slices of apple or Honduran orange pork, fruit adds a dynamic twist to an everyday favorite.  These burritos are no exception.  Packed with tender chicken, caramelized peppers and onion, highlighted with chunks of sweet pineapple and a BBQ-inspired enchilada sauce, these burritos are spicy and sensual and a welcome summer surprise.  

Baja Sauce:

6 T BBQ sauce

1 Can Red Enchilada sauce

2 T. Worcester sauce

2 t. Cumin

Salt & pepper

Filling:

Onion

Red Pepper

Chicken boobs, in chunks

Pineapple, without juice

1 jalapeño, finely diced, no seeds

Tortillas

Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to low simmer.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Bring a large skillet to medium heat with 1 T. olive oil.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until golden.  Remove and set aside.  

In the same skillet, sauté onion, red pepper, jalapeño and pineapple until slightly charred.  Add the chicken and toss to combine. 

Spoon the mixture into the tortillas and roll to make burritos.  I eat them just like this OR fry them lightly for a crunchy edge.  Serve them with the Baja Sauce for dipping. 

Dinner Across the Country

Sean and I arrived in Ohio on Monday night.  We are currently visiting his family on the border of Ohio and Kentucky and will head up to Columbus later this week.  Our road trip across the country was fun, laughable, educational and delicious!  Even though our days were filled with hours upon hours of driving (you don’t realize how long this country is until you’re trying to get across it), we were able to stop at a few great cities and restaurants across the way.  Here are a few of the dishes we tried from driving across the country!

1.  Frontier Restaurant, Albuquerque, New Mexico

             

             A popular hot spot near the University of New Mexico, this restaurant serves everything from classic New Mexican chile to burgers and sweet rolls.  We rolled into Albuquerque at midnight and this place was still hoppin' with UNM students and locals.  

             Green Chile

             Carne Adovada Burrito with a fried egg

             www.frontierrestaurant.com

2.  Tomasita's, Santa Fe, New Mexico

             I have to say that Santa Fe, New Mexico was my favorite part of our trip.  The town was drenched in vibrant art and history and deliciously spicy food!  We took a couple hours to walk around the city center and to eat lunch, but I easily could have stayed for a week.  I can't wait to go back and explore all the nooks and crannies.  For lunch, we stopped at a restaurant suggested by my friend, Ted.  The food was hearty and so spicy I almost ordered a glass of milk.  I ordered my chile like a local:  Christmas style, with both red and green chile.  We also tried the biggest sopapillas I've ever seen!

             Burrito on a river of green chile

             Sopapilla stuffed with ground beef

             Giant sopapillas with honey butter

3.  Springfield, Missouri

            Our next culinary adventure was in Springfield, MO (sorry Oklahoma - we didn't get to try your BBQ).  When I was planning our drive, I came across several specialties that seem to have originated in Missouri.  One was Brad Pitt.  The other was Springfield-style Cashew Chicken.  Needless to say, we didn't find Brad Pitt.  But, the chicken was pretty good.  Simply put, it was fried chicken in a salty brown gravy.  Later, I'll attempt to jazz this dish up, so stay tuned!  We also found some really tasty toasted ravioli when we visited my brother in Fulton, Missouri, which we scarfed down after a couple hours of bowling.  

             Springfield-style Cashew Chicken

             Toasted ravioli

Along the way, we also stopped in St. Louis and rode the "time capsules" to the top of the Gateway Arch.  The view from the top was breathtaking.  We also learned all about the history of this entry point to the west.  All in all, it was a great trip and we arrived safely in Ohio.  I miss my Arizona friends and my family, but I'm glad to be starting a brand new adventure.  But the cooler weather and all the green seem to be making the transition easier.  Stay tuned for some new, fall recipes on Natural Sugar!