A Whirlwind of a Week: Mexican Lasagna, Egg rolls, and Bun Bo Hue

This week has had its ups and downs.  We'll start with the upside of things.  Matt and I went and saw the Rolling Stones at the Staple Center here in Los Angeles.  It was incredible!!!!!  Maybe Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll isn't that bad of a life!  These guys rocked out harder than I could have imagined.  Anyone could only hope to be as energetic and witty as these guys are at what ever age they are.  Loved LOVED! They still have a couple of shows left and if you can make it one, its SOO worth it.  

 

We made a big pot of black bean chili, so we turned the leftovers into a lasagna.  Layered it with crushed tomatoes, pasta, black bean, pasta, sautéed spinach with onions and garlic, parm, pasta, black beans, crushed tomatoes, pasta, black beans and cheese.  Baked coved at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes (until bubbly) and then uncovered at 425 until top is perfectly melty and slight golden on the edges.  

Served with guacamole, pickled jalapeño, and toasted sunflower seeds.  Yeah!! 

Ground chicken egg rolls.  The recipe can be found on the blog.  Go to search on the blog and type in egg rolls.  We are gonna be hitting the road for...who knows what..and who knows for how long.  Its time to clean out the pantry and eat the fridge.  So we've been having pho with our frozen stock and also Bun Bo Hue, a spicy heartier Vietnamese soup that's basically pho with lemon grass, annatto seeds, and chili powders.

On Monday we were glued to the television to stay updated on the children at Plaza Elementary, and to watch in disbelief of what happened to Moore for the second time.  It was comforting to have KFOR talking and broadcasting the updates and the happenings instead of CNN.  Heartbreaking.  Crying and donating was the only thing I've been able to do.  Watching people helping out today put me to tears as well.  So sweet to see everyone helping.  Just awesome.  If you'd like to help but can't physically:

http://www.redcross.org/ok/oklahoma-city

http://www.unitedwayokc.org

FIsh WIsh

Everyday we wake up and open all the doors and windows up and let the jasmine scented air fill our home.  The neighborhood has been really beautiful and quiet lately.  Matt jogged near the old Batman cave and they were filming a music video with a bunch of viking people.  This week we also witnessed the OKC Thunder fall out of the finals.  Nail biters on both games.  Proud to say I was the loudest at the pub on the last game. I had the mouth of a sailor and the spirit of an Oklahoman. 

Last week was filled with outdoor pig eating.  This week we took a lighter route with vegetarian black bean chili and a variety of fish dishes.  

This is a pasta dish tossed with roasted tomatoes, basil pesto (minus the parm), peas, and topped with olive oil packed tuna, and a squeeze of lemon.  Yummy!!!!  

Swordfish seasoned with rendered country ham fat, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.  Broiled for about 5 minutes.  Served with Piri Piri sauce we got form the Hollywood Farmers Market, and a hash of potatoes, jalapeno, onions, and country ham fat.  I guess, the piggy found its way into our meal anyway.  Forgot how wonderful swordfish can be.

Oh! and another thing we just did...we're gonna see the Rolling Stones play Monday!!  Nytimes said the show was incredible and it wasn't like watching a bunch of old dudes rock out. Not a Paul McCartney show. God, do you remember him playing at the super bowl.  What a bummer. 

Put it in a Lasagna

The idea that a lasagna is bad for you is a bunch of bologna!  Why must lasagnas be assumed to have layers upon layers of cheese and ricotta?  Sure its good, but you feel like a brick afterwards,  especially if you have the inability to have self control. 

Lasagnas are good.  Actually, they are great.  Lets face it, no matter how much you messed up on your lasagna, its still gonna be pretty good!  We made this lasagna and almost ate the whole pan.  We didn't feel like a bunch of fat asshole afterwards, because it felt so good to eat and it WAS good for us!  

This lasagna is made with our leftover veggies from the camping trip.  The sauce is made with crushed tomatoes and our homemade guajillo chili sauce.  We start out with sauce on the bottom, pasta, roasted kabocha squash and roasted poblanos, and then topped with sauce.  

Second layer has sautéed spinach, grilled eggplant, Greek yogurt, sauce, and a light grating of Parm.  Last layer is pasta, sauce, yogurt, cheese and parm.

Perfect lasagna.  So good!!!  

Lake Cachuma Feasting

Best part about California is the access to wonderful outdoor excursions.  Camping is accessible anytime!  This weekend we say goodbye to our tent that has been housing Matt's outdoor adventures since he was 18, and has provided us shelter for the past 10 years.  It has been all over the world.  It kept us dry in some of the scariest storms while on a motorcycle trip. That was a damn good tent.  Now we have a new mission to get a tent for the next decade of our adventures.  We'll be taking applications asap.

Our first meal of the trip we stuff a kabocha squash with wheat bulgar, onion, mushroom, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roasted that in the pit for a good hour, and then grilled up some pork chops, along with Matt's famous potatoes.  Simply wrapped up in foil, salt, pepper, and butter.  We think of our friend's daughter Ally every time Matt makes them.  She loves them!  Awesome meal.  Simple, smoky, and flavorful.

Along with a beautiful sunrise reflecting off the lake, we have a breakfast pita stuffed with scrambled eggs, jalapeno, tomato, mushroom, onion, and garlic.  

Lake Cachuma! We rented a lil motor boat for $30!  So much fun. 

Dinner we've got baby back ribs, roasted eggplant, more kabocha squash, and baked potatoes.  Amazing meal.  Nothing like outdoor meals.  Our new hot sauce of the moment is Franks Red Hot.  

We got back on time to watch an incredible Thunder vs Grizzlies game.  CRAZY!!!  For the game we made a Med plate.  Tabouli, baba ganoush, beet puree, and served with olives, pepperoncinis, and toasted pita.  We had an OKC Med Deli flashback and tribute.  One thing I miss most about Okc is Med Deli.  Once you embrace the Med Deli culture and just enjoy what they have, lovable.  We went there weekly for groceries and a salad plate fix. 

The beet puree was inspired from a cook book called "A Year in My Kitchen".  I roasted the beets, and pureed it with horse radish, mint, cilantro, garlic, yogurt, ground mustard seeds, coriander, fennel, cardamom, and cumin seeds.  For the entire recipe for this Med Plate under the Vegetable page, you can find it on the blog!  We Love this kind of food.  I've had a vision for a plate of this goodness for a really long time.  We almost ordered  delivery, but decided..HELL no!