Eating like a Southwesterner

I'm currently in Los Angeles, California for an extended period of time.  And it hasn't taken me but a few days to start missing favorite foods from my home town of El Paso, Texas.  I can't deny that California has great food. Everything I have eaten here, in restaurants and from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market, is flavorful.  Plus, with all of the organic labels on packages, I at least have the illusion of eating a healthy diet.

So what do I dream about when I am in Los Angeles eating Organic Stone Ground Blue Corn Tortilla Chips with Sprouted Amaranth, Quinoa and Chia Seeds with my brown rice pilaf?  I dream about...

PAN DULCE  There are plenty of coffee and pastry shops in the neighborhood where I am staying. This morning I bought a slice of zucchini bread but passed on the espresso coffee.  If I were in El Paso, I would buy a sack of pan dulce from a small local bakery and take it home to eat with French press coffee while sitting on our patio in the early morning.  

Conchas (Shells)

Pan Dulce, literally sweet bread, is prepared in many different forms.  The conchas above are my favorites.  Out of pure curiosity, I looked up a recipe for conchas, although I can't imagine making them myself when they are so readily available in my home town.  But just in case anyone would like to try their hand at this yummy breakfast treat,  here is a link to a good recipe.  Recipe for Pan Dulce  

FLOUR TORTILLAS

A couple of places in El Paso still sell homemade flour tortillas.  Even the commercial tortillas sold in supermarkets are good because lots of El Pasoans buy them, so the packaged tortillas are usually fresh. 

Tortillas in El Paso look like this.

Not like this.

 A package of flour tortillas in the fridge can be transformed into any number of snacks or meals.  For instance,

-Warm a tortilla in the microwave and slather it with butter for a quick snack.

-If you have time, put a little cheese in the tortilla before you warm it.

-If you have a few more minutes, cook the tortilla in a comal (griddle) on the stove rather than the microwave.  Much improves flavor and texture.

-Wrap your morning scrambled eggs and sausage or bacon in a flour tortilla to make a breakfast burrito.

- Many leftovers can be given a new life by being warmed and eaten in a flour tortilla.   A zucchini squash dish prepared with cheese and chile is a tasty filling.

-Tortillas can even be a dessert by filling them with a sweetened fruit filling and powdered sugar.  

-And my two favorite fillings for tortillas are either refried beans and cheese or these two ingredients plus a chile relleno. I prepare lots of bean and cheese burritos, but I must admit to buying the chile relleno burritos from a local burrito shop.  

I have admired lots of beautiful, slim people in my time here in Los Angeles. The angelenos appear to eat right and exercise. 

As much as I miss southwestern cuisine, maybe I need to consider supplementing my diet with a few more California organic dishes!  I can always add some long green chile to almost anything, I guess! And I can always up the goal on my Fit Band to over 10,000 steps.  When in Rome...