i am a food blog

I Am... 7 Low Carb Keto Friendly Recipes for Your Next Tailgate Party

September 16, 2019 • Leave a comment • Posted in: keto, low-carb, snacks, tailgating

It’s tailgating season! Which means tailgating parties, which means SNACKS! Although, who am I really kidding? I have no idea what the heck tailgating season is. I know it has something to do with football and the fall and I absolutely love fall and I’m in deep with snacks, so I’m all for the tailgating. Really, what I end up doing is just making a bunch of snacks and calling it a tailgate even if there’s no sports involved. Sacrilegious I know, but how could anyone be upset if there are snacks involved?

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I Am... Hatch Green Chile Wonton Two Ways

September 14, 2019 • 2 comments • Posted in: cheese, deep-fry, green chile, hatch chile, hatch green chile, summer, wonton

This is the last of our Hatch green posts for this year, not because we’ve eaten all of our Hatch, but just because maybe kind of there’s too much green chile on the blog?! Anyway, when we were driving through New Mexico a couple of months ago, Mike kept seeing places that had green chile chicken wonton. We didn’t stop into any of those places, but ever since then, green chile wonton have been on my mind.

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I Am... Hatch Green Chile Cheeseburger Fried Rice

September 12, 2019 • 5 comments • Posted in: cheeseburger, fried rice, green chile, hatch chile, hatch green chile, summer, take out

Ever since we bought a 25 pound box of green chile, we’ve been eating green chile everything. Well, let me be a little more honest...Mike’s been eating green chile everything and I’ve just been regretting the fact that I decided that we should get a box of hot instead of a box of mild. Let me tell you, hot hatch chile are are forking hot.

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I Am... 9 of the Best Low Carb Snacks and Snack Recipes

September 8, 2019 • 12 comments • Posted in: eggs, keto, snacks

I’m a snack monster and while on keto, there aren’t really that many snacks you can have. I’m used to reaching for a bag of chips or maybe if I’m feeling particularly healthy, some fruit. Both fruit and chips are a big NO on the keto diet so I had to find myself some snacks that were low carb and keto friendly because me without snacks just isn’t me at all.

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I Am... Friday Finds: 9.6.19

September 6, 2019 • 3 comments • Posted in: friday finds, link love

It’s the first Friday in September and as much as I’m hanging on to the last days of summer I’m all for fall because I’m basic and September is my birthday month and I’m a fall baby even though technically I’m a late summer baby. Give me ALL THE FALL THINGS please. The other day Mike and I were at Target and I picked up a tiny little felt pumpkin and all felt right with the world. I can’t wait until the air starts getting crispy and I can have pumpkin spice lattes without feeling funny that I’m still wearing shorts.

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I Am... 6 Blueberry Recipes to Make Before Blueberry Season is Over

September 3, 2019 • 2 comments • Posted in: blueberries, recipes, round up

Is it already the end of summer where you live? Are you living the pumpkin spice life or are you holding on to the last bits of summer as long as you can? Technically it’s still summer, even though there are pumpkin spice lattes everywhere. To me, late summer always means blueberries, back-to-school supplies, and just the barest hint of chill in the early morning air. Usually I’m all about fall – it’s my favorite season – but this year I’m going to blueberry as long as I can. Here are 6 recipes you can make before blueberry season is over. Blueberry life forever!

Creamy, spicy, comforting hatch green chile mac and cheese. Perfect for warming you up the coming fall days. #macandcheese #dinner #dinnerrecipes #cheese #comfort #comfortfood #hatchchile #greenchile

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I Am... Creamy Spicy Hatch Green Chile Mac and Cheese

September 1, 2019 • 15 comments • Posted in: cheese, green chile, hatch chile, hatch green chile, mac and cheese, macaroni, summer

It’s hatch chile season and as all the posters at the grocery store say, “hatch chile is here, it’s now or next year!” Mike and I are huge fans of hatch chile, especially after our little trip to New Mexico. We even stopped in the tiny town of Hatch, but since it wasn’t quite Hatch season, nothing was going on. We saw all the giant kitschy plastic sculptures and fields and fields of growing hatch plants, but there was no roasting and the one place that we wanted to have a green chile cheeseburger at was closed.

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I Am... How to Cook Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi with Jammy Cherry Tomatoes, Corn and Basil

August 28, 2019 • Leave a comment • Posted in: califlower, cauliflower gnocchi, keto, low-carb

Are you guys busy eating all the corn and tomatoes before the end of summer? It’s hard to believe that it’s the last week of August. Where did the time go?! It’s almost even harder to believe that it’s pumpkin spice latte season. Does PSL season start earlier and early every year? And do people start talking about the end of summer absurdly early? I feel like almost all the posts on Instagram have been talking about the end of summer, but summer isn’t over yet. Technically it’s not over until September 23rd.

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I Am... Vintage Trailer Hotels: The Better-Than-Glamping Camping Experience You Never Knew You Loved

August 26, 2019 • 1 comment • Posted in: camping, glamping, new mexico, travel, vintage trailer

I love camping. I love campfires, being outside, sleeping in a tent and waking up to see the sunrise. But then again, I also love (LOVE!) glamping because it’s all the best parts of camping without any of the inconvenience. So, it should come as no surprise that Mike and I have ascended to the next level of camping. If backcountry backpacking is sleeping in your car at a rest stop, and car camping is a roadside motel, glamping is a regular hotel. Then, there’s vintage trailer rentals: the highest level of luxury in the strange and wonderful world of the nomadic lifestyle.

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I Am... Low Carb Keto Friendly Chicken Souvlaki with Cucumber Salad and Tzatziki Sauce

August 21, 2019 • 3 comments • Posted in: chicken thighs, greek, keto, keto friendly, lemon, low-carb, oregano, summer, yogurt

Have you guys been to Greece? I’ve never been but I’ve always been interested in the azure blue seas, the white washed buildings, and the food. Oh, and the partying. I always think of partying when I think of Greece because when I was in high school I had a pen pal (do they still do that in high school? Pen pal cultural exchange things?) who told me that she would go out with her friends and party until four in the morning and then go out for chicken souvlaki. It sounded so grown up and mysterious to me. At 13 I definitely wasn’t a stay out all night kind of person. And, who am I really kidding, I’m not one now either.

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I Am... Weeknight Thai Curry Stir Fry Udon Noodles

August 15, 2019 • 16 comments • Posted in: curry, ground pork, noodles, quarantine cooking, stir fry, thai, thai curry, udon, weeknight

I love udon noodles so much that Mike and I went on a udon pilgrimage to the birthplace of udon. It did not disappoint. Nor did it do anything to ease my intense craving for udon noodles. Udon noodles are the best: thick and chewy, infinitely slurpable, and so so easy to cook and eat.

10 ingredients or less dinner dinner & chill easy meat

I Am... Oven Baked Carne Adovada Pork Taco Recipe

August 13, 2019 • 2 comments • Posted in: new mexican, quarantine cooking, tacos, weeknight

Whether you spell it chili or chile (you should really spell it chile), a meat and chile pepper stew is one of the greatest food combinations ever invented, especially for weeknights, and especially if it’s authentic. This New Mexican version is called carne adovada and it spells adovada a little different than the usual adobada but whatever the spelling, it tastes phenomenal: a dark, smoky, and complex taste gives way to soft, succulent, and satisfying pork shoulder. Carne adovada is rarely served as a taco - it’s more often an enchilada topping or a burrito/sopaipilla stuffing - but otherwise this recipe comes pretty close to authentic and (I think) rivals some of the best carne adovada you’ll have in Santa Fe or Albuquerque. Realistically, this is one of the best, most authentic taco nights you could make.

Cooking Notes

The pork is definitely cooked through at the 30 minute mark, but if you let it go for 45 min to an hour, it’ll taste twice as good. Easily. Roasting the dried chiles produces a better, smokier, and more authentic taste, but it requires your full attention because dried peppers burn really easily. An easier method if you’re not into paying super close attention is to bring water to a boil, then remove from heat and soak the peppers for 10-15 minutes. If you don’t like spicy food, shake out the seeds from the dried pepper pods before you toss them in oil.

Ingredient Notes

I tried both New Mexico dried red chile pods and the much easier to find dried guajillo chiles. Both taste great; it comes down to what you can easily get your hands on, and how spicy you like it (guajillo chiles are basically not spicy). Most of the time, in New Mexico, the food isn’t very spicy, so don’t be afraid to go the mild route.

What do you need?

A blender and a baking tray.

Garnish

Garnish with chopped cilantro and onions, pineapple, and extra adovada sauce. Alternately, consider topping with our chile verde sauce for a truly New Mexico combination of red and green.

Oven Baked Weeknight Carne Adovada Pork Taco Recipe

This oven baked version of Carne Adovada is the chile stew you never knew you loved.

2 oz whole dried chile pods (New Mexican red chiles preferred)
1/2 medium onion (roughly chopped)
1.5 lb pork shoulder (sliced)
1 cup sodium free chicken stock
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano

Preheat your oven to broil/500ºF. Wash your dried chiles in warm water, then remove the stems and toss in oil. Arrange in one layer on a foil covered baking sheet and roast chiles for 45 seconds. Alternately, just soak them in warm water for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop your onions and slice your pork and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Transfer the chiles to a blender along with 1 cup sodium free chicken stock, garlic, sugar, and oregano.
In an oven proof baking pan or skillet, combine cubed pork, chile sauce, and onions. Allow to marinate for 15-30 minutes.
Broil your pork for 10 minutes, flipping once at the 5 minute mark (stretch goal: broil for another 15-30 minutes)
Enjoy with mexican/spanish rice and refried beans, or as tacos with lime, cilantro, and onion. Also consider roasting pineapples at the same time you roast your pork.

Nutrition facts estimated based on 1/4lb of meat per serving

Welcome to Dinner & Chill, a new series focusing on quick & easy weeknight dinners with easy to find ingredients, no special equipment, low prep, and low effort. Less shopping, less chopping, less mopping, more eating.