"Pork" in Chile Verde

This is based on a pork in chile verde dish my carni-vorous friends enjoy at the Chile Pepper Mexican restaurant in Seattle. (I usually have their excellent chiles rellenos, although their cheese enchiladas in mole are pretty terrific too. But I digress).

I make this dish using either Trader Joe chicken-less strips or Morningstar Farms meal starter chik-n strips. In fact I often use faux chicken strips in recipes calling for pork and even white fleshed fish.

If you prefer not to use meat substitutes, you could use garbanzo beans instead. Or this would be a fabulous brunch or supper dish with hard boiled eggs, chopped, added at the last minute. (Or poached eggs for masochistic cooks.)

4 to 6 ounces faux chicken strips
1 tablespoon butter, oil, or a combination
1 white onion, quartered and sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
4-6 pasilla or anaheim chiles, roasted and chopped
1-1/2 cups salsa verde
1 t dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
3/4 cup broth, water or a combination
chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the strips into fairly uniform chunks. Heat the butter and/or oil in a nonstick frying pan and saute the strips until they are lightly browned. Remove from the pan.

Saute the onion until it is becoming translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a couple of minutes more. Add the chiles, salsa, oregano and broth. Stir well to combine and simmer for ten to 15 minutes. Add the chopped cilantro and the strips and cook until the strips are just heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over white rice.

This makes about three servings. Two if ravenous, four if there is a lot of other stuff going on. If you have the salsa verde already on hand and can buy roasted chiles, this is a pretty quick and easy supper. If you're starting from scratch, better start before lunch.