La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

Going to New Mexico for a bushel of green chile? If you do, consider recreating my green chile masterpiece for breakfast this weekend. This pizza is variable to your diet, that is, vegan, veggie, lactose free, or carnivore. Another great thing is that there is a shortcut for the dough thanks to Whole Foods.

You will need:
- 1 package of pizza dough from Whole Foods (the pizza dough is premade in their deli section where the sandwiches and pizzas are and sells for $2.50, and you can also purchase a premade dough that is rolled out in the round for you too).
- 1 package of goat cheese (we buy Boulder HayStack Chevre)
- 5 roasted and peeled green chiles, chopped (you can use a small can of Hatch green chile or Bueno frozen green chile)
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 3 eggs, scrambled
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed (add to olive oil)
Optional: chorizo, tomatoes, breakfast sausage. If you add meat, be sure to cook the sausage first, and then add to the pizza before baking.

Step One: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (218 celsius). In a pan, cook your scrambled eggs over medium heat until cooked through. Cook any other toppings such as meat that need pre-cooking.

Step Two: Roll out your pizza dough and brush on the olive oil and crushed garlic. Sprinkle on your green chile, onions, eggs, and goat cheese. Top off with any optional ingredients. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Serve hot.

I recommend browning the top of this pizza for 1-2 minutes under the broiler for an added crispiness. The results of the pizza will vary depending on the pizza dough you are able to procure. I think it is excessively cumbersome to make pizza dough, so the Whole Foods option is really the way to go. And as a final note, you can also eat this pizza with a side of Pato Sauce (my roommate's favorite).

Labels: eggs, goat cheese, green chile, pizza

I can't seem to the put the Jaime Oliver essential family cookbook down lately. This is the latest creation of his that I tried and absolutely loved--especially now in the summer time with the World Cup game in play. While I prepared this dish with goat cheese (soft chevre) I recommend a hard feta unless you don't mind the creamy goat cheese giving way to the liquid of the salad. The output of this recipe is very small, so feel free to double it if you want leftovers for lunch.

You will need:
- 1 can of chickpeas, drained
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 1 vine ripened tomato, diced
- juice of one lemon
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- handful of chopped fresh mint
- handful of chopped fresh basil
- large handful of crumbled feta
- chile piquin for spice, salt and pepper to taste

Just combine all of the ingredients above in a mixing bowl and let rest for 10 minutes before eating. I served these over a bed of organic lettuces. He recommends actually heaitng the chick peas in a pan and mushing about 10% of them up for a creamy texture. I didn't want a warm salad, so I decided to just toss the ingredients around like a loose salad. The result: a light, protein rich summer salad, perfect with a glass of white wine and a side of rustic french bread.

Labels: garbanzo beans, goat cheese, herbs, salad