Cheever Sauce

¿Te gusta la comida Mexicana? Same here. After recently getting back from a work trip in LA, I find the city’s culinary triumphs usually stick with me upon my return. Yes, NYC is home to some of the best pizza, bagels, and pasta in the country, but I have to say, Los Angeles has got its Mexican food down to la perfección. Even the Manhattan favorite La Esquina pales in comparison to the mom and pop restaurants that line the Hollywood hills.

Still in a full craving mode this week, I wanted to cook a delicious Mexican meal, but still keep it CheeverSauce friendly. Also, Mexican food is great to make for dinner because it still tastes delicious (if not better) the next day for lunch. And we all know how I feel about lunch.  I decided going the salad route was the safest bet, but because I sacrificed tortillas and cheese in this recipe, I had to make sure all the other ingredients popped with flavor. This meant sautéing shredded chicken with chili powder and spices, and adding other hearty yet healthy ingredients, like a black bean and yellow corn salsa. I also swapped sour cream for Fage 0% Greek yogurt and I swear (trust me, my roommate was originally skeptical at first, only to completely take back her original doubts once she ate it) you can hardly taste the difference. While completely eliminating the fat, yet still offering a creamy texture and sweetly sour taste, Greek yogurt is the best healthy replacement to sour cream. 

I know a lot of you die hard Mexican fans may think this salad isn’t true Mexican fair and I can’t agree with you more. Trust me, I wanted to melt cheese all over this. But I can promise you it is an amazing healthy alternative packed with authentic flavors, and it completely satisfied my Mexican food cravings until I get to fly back to LA - or even Mexico - for the real thing. :) 

Onward to the recipe:

I’m starting to realize that the more time a dish takes me to make, the longer I take to post about it. It’s like my subconscious can’t handle writing and editing photos around something I already dedicated my night to cooking (and cleaning - the worse) up. Makes you just want to whip this one right up right?! I know, it’s out of character to talk about such things. CheeverSauce is all about the quick! easy! healthy! snap your fingers and your already eating! type meals. Well, everyone has to crawl out of their shell once in a while, which is exactly what I chose to do for this dish. Was it all worth it? Abso-maldita-luty. 

Awhile back, my sister came home with pork shoulder leftovers from a dinner party hosted by her friend Courtney. Pork shoulder? Bleeghh I thought….until I tasted it. It was the most delicious, melt in your mouth, sweet and tender meat I have ever tasted. Since that day I never felt like I could call myself a good cook until I prepared something of that caliber. So last week I invited the photographer I rep and his wife over for dinner, and decided what better way to wow their Mexican food loving palettes, and show off my culinary skills, than prepare homemade carnitas?

Like I mentioned/complained before, the recipe takes some time only in that the meat has to be cooked for about 3 hours. Overall though, the process is pretty easy and straightforward, and once it’s in the oven you don’t really need to attend to it (I know this sounds ridiculous for busy New Yorkers, but I was cooking for my boss! And it’sSO GOOD. Make it on a rainy weekend day when you’re stuck inside). I also made fresh homemade corn tortillas which is a lot easier than it sounds. They’re healthier than flour or store bought tortillas, but you can totally skip that step and buy them pre-made.

I cannot recommend this meal enough. If you love Mexican food and like to indulge here and there on a rich flavor meat…pulled pork tacos is the dish for you. 

Onward for the recipe: