Some things to note:

• to make it vegan, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and leave out the pork.
• I used leftover roasted pork. To start with fresh pork, use shoulder, cut it into cubes, and brown it in batches before the onions. Once the pork is in the pot, simmer until it is very tender; at least 2 hours.
• I buy the chiles (already roasted, peeled and chopped, frozen in a 5-pound bag), mexican oregano, cumin, and other Mexican ingredients at Super Saver.
• You can do all kinds of stuff with it. I like it as a stew with tortillas or corn chips and cheese, used to smother juevos rancheros or burritos, used as an enchilada sauce, pureed with pinto beans as a bean dip, etc.
• the finished chile freezes well.
• you can easily half or quarter the recipe (or double it if you have a really big pot).

ingredients:

• 4 medium onions, chopped
• 1 head of garlic, mashed to a paste by sprinkling with salt and mashing with a fork
• 3 jalapenos, chopped, seeds and ribs added to taste for heat (more seeds/ribs = more spicy)
• 2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano (be sure to find the Mexican kind; the Italian kind will make it taste like green chile pizza sauce)
• 1 tablespoon dried cumin
• 5 pounds green chiles, roasted, peeled and chopped
• 2 cans (4 cups) low-sodium chicken broth (or homemade chicken stock)
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 pounds leftover pork, cubed
• roux of 1/2 cup each: vegetable oil and flour (see step 7)
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

method:

1. in a large pot (I use my favorite big Le Creuset dutch oven), heat  a couple tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onions and a couple pinches of salt; cook, stirring often, until translucent and beginning to brown, 5 minutes or so.



 

2. add garlic and jalapenos; cook until fragrant, about a minute.



 

3. add oregano and cumin; stir well to combine.



 

4. add the chiles; stir to combine (mine were still partially frozen).



 

5. add the chicken stock and bay leaves; stir to combine; bring to a simmer.



 

6. add the pork; bring to a simmer; cook until flavors meld, about an hour. (if using fresh pork shoulder, simmer with the pot covered for at least 2 hours).



 

7. meanwhile, prepare a roux by combining 1/2 cup each of vegetable oil and flour in a saucepan. set over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until it bubbles and “grows” a little. continue cooking and whisking for another minute or 2, then remove from heat.



 

8. once the chile has simmered long enough, whisk in the roux, a little bit at a time (can’t stress this enough; if you add it too fast it will “break” and look yucky), whisking thoroughly and rapidly.
9. add the cilantro and lime juice; stir to combine.



 

10. taste your chile and add salt and pepper as needed. enjoy!



 

Here’s how I used it to make juevos rancheros:

• toast some corn tortillas in the oven at 400 degrees for a few minutes, after brushing with a little oil



 

• poach some eggs



 

• put the eggs on the tortillas



 

• put some chile over the eggs



 

• put some queso fresco or other cheese on top and enjoy!

so here’s what goes in it:

• a banana
• Odwalla Superfood
• Vanilla soy milk
• frozen strawberries
• frozen berry mix

method:

1. put the banana in the blender



2. add Superfood to the 1-cup line



3. add soy milk to the 2-cup line



4. blend that stuff up



5. add 5-7 or so strawberries and a few small hand-fulls of berry mix



6. use the “Frozen Drinks” setting



7. blend it all up nice and smooth, and enjoy!

recipe:

• 1 package extra-firm tofu
• cornstarch
• 2  tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1/4 cup minced lemon grass
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or sriracha (or more to taste; I use considerably more)
• peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch wedges
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Thai basil

First off, the Southeast Asian market is where I get: tofu, soy sauce, lemon grass (it is frozen and ready to use), Thai basil, and I’ll pick up limes and garlic too, if I need some. OK, on to the recipe…

1. thoroughly drain the tofu by putting it between 2 cutting boards, plates, etc. in the sink, and weighting it down with something heavy, like a bunch of cans of food or something. Let it drain for at least 20 minutes or so, while you prep the other stuff.
2. in a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, broth, lime juice, sugar, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.



3. in another small bowl, combine garlic, lemon grass, red pepper or sriracha, and 1 tablespoon oil



4. cut the now-drained tofu into bite-sized pieces. I cut each block into 8 wedges by cutting corner-to corner and side-to-side. Put the tofu in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle liberally with cornstarch. This is the secret to super-crunchy and perfectly browned tofu. Don’t skimp on the cornstarch. gently toss it all up to make sure all the tofu gets fairly evenly coated.
5. heat a few tablespoons of oil in a big nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. use enough oil to coat the entire bottom of the pan. when the oil is shimmering and the pan is nice and hot, add the tofu in a single layer. sprinkle with a little bit of salt. let it cook without moving until the side facing the pan is good and brown, maybe 5 minutes or so. carefully flip each piece, taking care not to break it. Repeat until browned and crunchy on all sides. remove to a plate lined with paper towels. eat a piece now; you know you want to.



6. add a bit more oil to the skillet, to equal about 1 tablespoon. let the pan get nice and hot again, with the oil shimmering and almost smoking. add the green beans and cook, stirring often, until they are brown in spots and almost tender, about 5-7 minutes or so. remove the green beans to a plate or a bowl.



7. add another tablespoon or so of oil and let it get hot again. add the onions and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown and soften, about 2 minutes or so. clear the center of the skillet and add the lemon grass mixture, mashing it with the back of a spatula or tongs or whatever, until nice and fragrant, about a minute. stir to combine it into the onions. add the green beans back to the pan and toss to combine everything.



8. give the sauce a quick stir to recombine. pour it in the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens about 30 seconds. add the tofu back in and toss it all up so that everything is evenly coated with sauce.



9. transfer all to a serving platter and sprinkle with the chopped Thai basil. Serve over rice.