Roy Left His Heart In San Francisco

Recently our friend Roy, who moved to AZ, decided to come back to San Francisco for two weeks to dog sit our honeymooning friends little guy Fig. I asked him what was on his to do list for the duration of his stay and he said "You can cook for me!". Oh, flattery gets you everywhere, Roylet. I was most happy to oblige with Shawn's help. It was a nice small gathering with a few friends (Marisa, Roy, Myself, Shawn, Kundan who brought delicious greens and Abby) - and I even got to cook in McNats kitchen while they were away.

Bacon Wrapped Pork w/a Maple Chipotle Sauce & Baked Corn and Jalapeno Quinoa

Pork & Sauce - Shawn put the pork loins in a brine of water salt and sugar for a bit before wrapping it in bacon and putting on the grill. I am not sure how long he grilled it but while he was doing that I whipped up the sauce. I took 1 small can of chipotle chil's in adobo sauce and pureed it in the blender. Afterwards, I combined it and a cup of water, a 1/4th cup of maple syrup and 1/2 cup of brown sugar on the stove on low for 5 minutes, brought to a boil then let cool. I served this on the side to drizzle!

The Quinoa was the real success in my mind! I had no idea how this was going to turn out because I have never had baked quinoa. My coworker Amy had it and I immediately saw her recipe and took it to the max. :) I love when that happens. If I make it again Id go with jack cheese instead of queso fresco as it was a little too mild for my tastes. I like boldness and robustness.

Baked Corn and Jalapeno Quinoa
2 Cups Quinoa
1 1/2 cans chicken stock
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 can of corn
1 cup shreeded queso
2 teaspoons canola oil
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Step One: Preheat oven to 350. In a saucepan add oil on medium heat. Once hot add the onions, jalapenos, garlic and salt and pepper and cook until soft. 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the quinoa and remove from stove.

Step Two: Pour chicken stock and quinoa into a 13x9 pan and also mix in the corn and sprinkle the top with the queso. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes until all the stock has evaporated.

Serve hot!