Tag: easy


Piña Colada Pulled Pork Tacos

July 2nd, 2014

Would you believe that I just started using a slow-cooker (ergo crock-pot) about a year ago? And not for lack of having one. Oh no. I had a perfectly good (brand new in fact) one sitting in my kitchen for years before my great pork conversion of 2013.

I think I thought it turned food to mush. Or required (demanded) cream of mushroom soup to function. I don’t know what I thought, but I eat my words.

In the form of tacos.

Sweet, delicious, juicy, piña-colada pulled pork tacos with just the right pickly crunch of cabbage and creme fraiche. I actually coined the term “pork-face” after seeing the look of ecstasy (really I don’t think it’s too strong a word) on my boyfriend’s face the first time I made these.

I now liberally use it to describe the look of satisfaction that good food spreads across your face like naughty errant condiments.

Happiness on a tortilla my friends. And perfect to share with a crowd on the fourth,
because not all of us have yards.

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Pina Colada Pulled Pork Tacos
 
So easy. So tasty. This recipe will feed you for days (depending on your piggy ways) 🙂
Ingredients
The Pork:
  • 3-5 lbs pork butt/shoulder
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • ½ pineapple, chopped
  • 2 inches fresh ginger, chopped
  • 6 whole cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
The Cabbage:
  • ½ green cabbage chopped + piece of beet
  • OR ½ red cabbage chopped
  • ½ onion, chopped in rings
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 10-12 peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
The Garnish:
  • tiny tortillas
  • creme fraiche
  • hot sauce
  • avocado
  • lime
  • cilantro
Instructions
  1. Heat the apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, peppercorns and bay leaves until honey is dissolved, then let mixture come to room temperature.
  2. Pour vinegar mixture over cabbage, beet and ½ onion, stir, cover and refrigerate for 7-8 hours.
  3. Mix the salt, pepper, cumin and coriander together and rub all over pork.
  4. Add pork, onion, ginger, garlic, and coconut milk to slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours.
  5. Using two forks, shred pork in slow-cooker, and allow to cook for another hour.
  6. Place pork on baking sheet, squeeze pineapple over the meat and toss pineapple chunks with meat, then cook at 400 degrees until pork is caramelized and crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside. 10-15 minutes depending on your oven.
  7. Place pork, cabbage and your choice of garnish on tiny tortillas and eat up!
Notes
If you throw together the pickled cabbage in the AM when you put the pork on to cook, you'll have an amazing meal practically jumping in your mouth when you get home from work!

 

 


Miso-Honey Black Cod

June 23rd, 2014

misohoneyfish

aka Nobu’s Miso Black Cod.
aka candy fish.
aka the best thing to serve to guests (so easy/feels fancy).

Of course I should mention that I’ve never had the black cod at Nobu, don’t have the Nobu Cookbook, and don’t use any sugar in most of my food…

…so, this is my own take on a classic Japanese recipe, and humble as I am, I don’t mind saying that it’s fucking delicious. Yep, it merits the f-bomb. It’s that good.

I can only imagine fantasize how amazing the Miso Black Cod at Nobu must be…

misohoneyfish2

But back to my (humble) kitchen. The miso-honey marinade is magic- it soaks into the fish AND caramelizes on the surface, making every buttery bite a sweet/salty treat for your oh-so-refined tongue.

This fish makes you feel fancy folks. Just go with it.

misohoneyfork

The only thing I would change next time is MORE fish. Because as you can see from the pictures, I had quite the petite filet of black cod. Trust me when I tell you, that forkful of fish is not for effect- I’m just pleased I could steady my hand and pause for a moment on the way to my mouth.

Oops. I just ate my model.
And that concludes our photo shoot.

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Miso-Honey Black Cod
 
This simple recipe is equally perfect for week night dinners and fancy dinner parties. Just remember that the fish needs a few days to marinate!
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup sake
  • ¼ mirin
  • 3 tablespoons miso
  • 1.5 tablespoons honey
  • 2-4 black cod filets
Instructions
  1. Bring the sake and mirin to a boil on the stovetop for 30 seconds.
  2. Reduce heat and add miso and honey, stirring until combined.
  3. Remove mixture from heat, pour into a baking dish, and let come to room temperature.
  4. Place fish skin-side up in marinade, cover, and refrigerate 2-3 days.
  5. Broil Fish on each side for 3-4 minutes, then finish in oven for 7-10 minutes at 400 degrees.

 


Greens, Pineapple and Mint Smoothie

April 21st, 2014

breakfast smoothie

“I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.” –Groucho Marx

Hello everyone, my name is Tabitha and I live in Los Angeles.
Hello Tabitha…

In other words, jackpot!

I’m pretty sure this recipe is the golden ticket for hesitant Angelenos like myself to officially join the club.
Not to mention I’ve been here for ten years already.
Now how did that happen?

While I can’t easily explain where ten years went (the hallmark of getting old?!)
I can pinpoint the birth of my love of green juice. And I can blame a New Yorker!

See, whenever my friend would come to town and we’d style commercials together,
she’d insist on lots of healthy juices and luxury health snacks.
Yes, I use the word luxury to describe an eight dollar juice.
Another word would be insanely ridiculous.
Oops, that’s two words.
Choose your own adventure!

Commercial styling is no joke, so the fact that you can turn in receipts for multiple juice fixes a day is definitely a redeeming factor. Oh, and the paycheck. Honesty folks, it’s what’s for breakfast.
And green juice.

But even with my love of green juice, I’d stayed away from smoothies for the longest time.
They just seemed like fruit & ice masquerading as a milkshake, and for $8, I didn’t want any impostors. (or any ice!)

Then I discovered the secret to a great smoothie: frozen bananas.

I should have known, since frozen bananas in the food processor make the best single ingredient sorbet ever! Silly Me! Anyhow, they keep everything nice and cold sans ice, and make your smoothie incredibly creamy.
I quickly moved on to frozen pineapple, and BAM! New favorite breakfast smoothie.

Now I just peel, chop and freeze 6 or 7 ripe bananas and a pineapple every week,
and then these smoothies take no time at all to throw together.
Maybe 2 minutes.

So whether you want to save a buck, or you’ve just been hesitant to say yes please to bunch of kale in your morning milkshake, you should give this recipe a try!

The banana and pineapple are a sweet combo, and the mint is so refreshing that before you know it (or taste it) you’ll have downed an entire cup (or two!) of greens.

It’s quicker, cheaper, and healthier than a cup of coffee,
and seems like dessert for breakfast.
Enjoy!

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Greens, Pineapple and Mint Smoothie
Serves: 2
 
This is my favorite breakfast smoothie! The banana and pineapple are a sweet combo, and the kick of mint is so refreshing that before you know it (or taste it) you’ll have downed an entire cup (or two!) of greens.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup frozen banana (1 banana)
  • 1 cup frozen pineapple
  • 2 cups kale or other leafy green
  • 1- 1.5 cup almond milk
  • mint leaves to taste (4-5)
Instructions
  1. Add banana, pineapple, mint and almond milk to blender and blend on high until creamy. Add more almond milk if necessary.
  2. Add greens to blender and use a spoon to shove them down into the smoothie.
  3. Then blend until they are fully incorporated.
Notes
You don't need a fancy blender to make this delicious smoothie!