Let me tell you about a little place called El Gordo. The name means “The Fat One” in Spanish. We regularly drive over 40 minutes just for their tacos. It’s practically in Tijuana and my husband makes me order for him in Spanish because that’s the easiest way to communicate with the cooks. Each precious little taco is about $1.50, so about 4-6 will fill you up with hardly any damage to your wallet. We used to be in the only gringos in the joint, but I think our little Chula Vista jewel has been discovered in recent years by smart and hungry eaters in San Diego county. This hunch also seems to be verified by the fact that the prices have been creeping up as of late.

When you first walk in, you notice El Gordo’s simple menu that includes carne asada and spicy pork (our favorites) and more exotic cuts such as cabeza, tripe, suadero, and lengua.

Then, depending on what you want to order, you approach one of the three counters and place your order. Unless you’re a toddler, there’s no way you’d be satisfied with just one item so stock up and get ready to expand your belly and probably unbutton your pants!

It takes a few minutes for the El Gordo chefs to prepare your food to order right before your eyes. As you watch the food being grilled and prepped, you begin to stare at the chefs longingly with hints of love and definitely affection. These are the magical wizards who are whipping up pure taco-shaped pleasure just for you. They are special people, let me tell you.

Oh! And they make the tortillas and sopes fresh for each order!

Since I don’t tend to like ordering meat in restaurants, I’ve always gotten the quesadillas or sopes sin carne (without meat) on all of my trips to El Gordo. Without fail, this choice meets with much derision and mocking from my meat-obsessed partners in crime, which are usually my husband Daniel and my sister Amy. They don’t understand the point of going to El Gordo and not ordering meat. I’ve been evolving my tastes more towards the meat end of the spectrum in the past couple years, so I can see what they mean.

Last time, I branched out and ordered one of my sopes with carne asada. I found it to be rather fatty. Daniel and Amy agreed and told me that it was really all about the spicy pork. The two of them practically worship at the altar of El Gordo’s spicy pork. So if you go, I’d recommend that you don’t miss out on it. It’s called adobada on the menu and you order it from the chef to the far left.

In case you’re unfamiliar with sopes, they are thicker, moister more substantial versions of tortillas and they pack more tasty corn flavor. On top of the sopes you’ll find fried cheese, fresh guacamole and salsa, onion, and cilantro all topped by a crispy tortilla. You’ll need plenty of napkins as you dig into your seemingly heaven-sent bounty. El Gordo’s flimsy napkins are hardly up for the job and now that I think about it, they could greatly improve the dining experience by upgrading to more sturdy napkins.

Daniel and Amy demand silence as they delve into their El Gordo feast. They basically just stare at each other, rolling their eyes, licking their fingers, eating as quickly as possible, and praising the chefs for bringing such good food into our lives. It’s kind of a dramatic experience, but I think that El Gordo merits the hyperbole.

Then we moan our way out to the car, lamenting our newly fattened stomachs during the lengthy ride north. El Gordo Days only come a couple of times a year for us. But each visit nourishes us in body and soul. Knowing that such heavenly goodness exists less than an hour’s drive from our house keeps us going until the next El Gordo meal.

El Gordo’s also a great place to take out-of-town guests who want more authentic Mexican food. It’s a truly San Diego experience.

Now can you see why it’s called El Gordo?

For All Foodies

San Diego’s very own Lisa from Comfort Food has chosen a new focus and a new name for her food blog. It’s now called “In a Nutshell” and she’s highlighting the world of nuts. I’m so glad that Lisa decided to regroup instead of giving up on food blogging. Yeah!

There’s nothing really shocking on this list, but you might as well check out the 10 Habits that Mess Up a Woman’s Diet.

Recipes on the Radar

Three Bean Tamale Casserole and English Onion Soup from Too Many Chefs

Banana-Cranberry Bran Muffins from Seven Spoons.

Hello Dolly Bars from the Domestic Goddess. In my family, we call these magic bars. Either way, they’re amazing!

Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes from a site that’s new to me… 80 Breakfasts.

Since I tend to want almost every cookbook I see, I’ve gotten in the habit of taking cookbooks for a test drive through my local library. Not only do they have most of the best ones right on the shelves, I can request any other cookbook online and have it sent to my neighborhood branch. Besides saving money, this technique also saves shelf space in my home and spares me some guilt in my mind because I don’t have to feel badly if a cookbook sits rarely used in my pantry. Plus, I almost always return books late which means I give a little in cash fines to the library system. Everyone wins!

The New American Plate: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life has a lot of goodies in it and the book, as a whole, represents what I think is the most sensible and practical, while still delicious, way to eat on a daily basis. It comes from the American Institute for Cancer Research, but that doesn’t mean that it’s bland or boring or similar to hospital food. Basically, the dishes are packed with superfoods, whole grains, lean meats, and fresh ingredients. It reminds me of the healthy philosophy found in Eating Well Magazine. Who can complain about eating like that? At least on the weekdays… right?

Other recipes that caught my eye are Quinoa with Dried Cranberries, Apricots, and Pecans, Pear Salad with Ricotta Cheese and Toasted Pistachioes, and Sweet Braised Lambs with Apricots and Carrots (even though I’ve never made lamb before!).

Roasted Red Pepper and Corn Soup
From The New American Plate Cookbook
Serves 4

2 red bell peppers, seeded and quartered (I used red, yellow, and orange bell peppers)
1 parge sweet onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1/2 t dried thyme
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 can (14.5 ounces) fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can (15.5 ounces) Italian-style plum tomatoes in juice
1 can (11 ounces) corn kernels, drained
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cilantro or coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves, loosely packed, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a 13 X 9-inch baking dish, combine the peppers, onion, garlic, thyme, and olive oil and toss to coat the vegetables. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Cool slightly. Stir in the chicken broth and tomatoes with juice.
3. Working in batches, puree the mixture. Transfer the puree to a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the corn and simmer about 3 minutes, until heated through. Season to taste with pepper, ladle into bowls, garnish with cilantro or basil, if desred, and serve.

Notes: As you can tell, I grated some fresh Parmiggiano-Reggiano on top to play up the Italian flavors. I also considered adding some chopped, toasted pine nuts because I think everything is made better with the addition of nuts!

Warm Banana Bread + Peanut Butter = Count me in!

But…

Banana Bread & P.B. + Too Often = Big Fat Ass for Me

Fortunately, I discovered this recipe for healthy and quick banana bread from the Canyon Ranch Cookbook: Bringing the Spa Home. This 450-page cookbook features spa cuisine for people who still want big taste. I’ve made their banana bread at least 5 times and it’s consistently satisfying while garnering positive reviews from everyone who’s tasted it.

Last year, we ate at the Canyon Ranch Cafe at the Venetian in Las Vegas and everything was so delicious and fresh! It made me wish that more restaurants would adopt this healthy model for serving food. The menu included calories, fat, and fiber information for each item. Normally, I’d prefer to be in the dark on such data, but after a weekend of overindulgence at places like Nobu and Olives and countless bars up and down the Strip, it felt great to be able to order guilt-free food served in smaller portions with wholesome ingredients.

Now make no mistake… I’m not saying that this healthy banana bread tastes as luscious and indulgent as my other banana bread recipe (loaded with buttermilk, sugar, and white flour), but it’s an excellent substitute. The bread freezes well, so just slice it up before freezing and then you can pop it in the micro for 30 seconds or the toaster oven (on low heat) for about 10 minutes.

Canyon Ranch Banana Bread
Makes 16 servings (That’s spa-sized servings, mind you. Regular eaters will get fewer servings out of each loaf…)

3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fructose (I bought it in the bulk section of my Whole Foods)
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 t baking powder
2 T melted corn oil margarine (such as Earth Balance)

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Lightly spray a 5 X 9 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Combine the bananas, vanilla, egg, and fructose in a large bowl and mix well. In another bowl combine the flour and baking powder and mix well.
4. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and mix lightly. Add the melted margarine and mix until just moistened.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

I never post nutritional information, but I touted how healthy this bread is, so here’s the proof…

calores 85 | fat 2g | cholesterol 13mg | sodium 89mg | carbs 15g | protein 2g

For San Diego Foodies

Recently, I was in need of ideas for late night dining… basically places that would seat us around 11pm. If you’re ever in the same boat, keep the following links in mind because I’ve already done the research for you. Late Night Dining in San Diego and San Diego After Midnight. In case you’re curious, it turned out that we didn’t need to quite so late, so we ended up munching at Claim Jumper.

I don’t know how active Yummy Diego is, but they claim to have 42,000 readers per week with new restaurant reviews every Tuesday. Anyone use this site?

For All Foodies

The polls are open for the 2005 Food Blog Awards. Be sure to vote by January 18th. I was surprised how many nominees are blogs with which I am totally unfamiliar. I’m excited to discover new reading material, as if I already didn’t have enough!

Alli from Something So Clever has launched an exciting new online magazine of sorts, devoted to the controversial domestic goddess herself, Martha Stewart. It’s called Good Things and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on it.

Recipes on the Radar

Good for You Granola from Fallen Souffle.

San Francisco Chronicle’s Super Spinach Raita from the Paper Palate.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Spicy Feta-Olive Salad… an oldie but goodie from The Travelers Lunchbox.

Date Squares from the Domestic Goddess.

That’s all folks! Hope you had a great weekend!