By July 2041. We've been in Las Cruces for three weeks. The house is unpacked except for the study, which is deep in boxes still because every time I start on it I find notes or photographs from the coaching years and spend an hour not unpacking. Lisa has set up her painting area in the spare room and already two new canvases are leaning against the walls — New Mexico light is different from Colorado light and she is clearly finding it, the different quality of it, the way the late afternoon turns the Organ Mountains that bronze-orange that doesn't exist anywhere else.
I've planted chile. Twenty plants in the backyard, lined up along the south-facing wall like Papá has always had them. I went to the nursery in early July and bought Hatch green seedlings — it's late in the season to plant but the heat here extends things and I wanted to have them in the ground before the end of summer. Papá came over and looked at the planting and said I'd spaced them correctly and the soil needed more organic matter. He disappeared for twenty minutes and came back with a bag of compost from his own pile. That's Papá: no ceremony, no production, just the correct thing done without announcement.
We eat with Mamá and Papá two or three evenings a week. Sometimes at their house, sometimes at ours, sometimes just stopping by in the afternoon and ending up staying through dinner without planning to. This is the rhythm I moved here for. Not obligation — presence. The simple fact of being nearby enough to be present without scheduling it. Last Tuesday Papá called at four in the afternoon and said he'd made too much red chile. I was there in four minutes. We ate standing at his kitchen counter because the table wasn't set and neither of us cared. That was the best meal I've had in years.
That meal at Papá’s counter — no ceremony, no set table, just food that was ready and worth being there for — is the feeling I keep chasing at home now. I’ve been leaning into bowls that hit hard and fast, something with heat and substance that doesn’t ask anything of you except to show up hungry. This high-protein buffalo bowl isn’t red chile, but it has that same unapologetic boldness — spicy, satisfying, the kind of thing you eat standing at the counter because sitting down would just slow you down.
Elise Jesse High Protein Buffalo Bowl
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken or turkey (93% lean)
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
- 1 cup cooked white or brown rice
- 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup shredded romaine or chopped cabbage
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or ranch dressing
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Optional: crumbled blue cheese or shredded cheddar for topping
Instructions
- Cook the protein. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken or turkey, breaking it apart with a spatula. Season with garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook 7–9 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned.
- Add the buffalo sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour buffalo sauce over the cooked meat and stir to coat evenly. Add chickpeas and toss everything together. Cook another 2–3 minutes until the chickpeas are warmed through and slightly caramelized at the edges.
- Warm the rice. If your rice is leftover or cold, microwave it for 60–90 seconds with a splash of water and a cover to steam it back to life.
- Build the bowls. Divide rice between two bowls. Top with the buffalo meat and chickpea mixture. Add romaine or cabbage, cherry tomatoes, and green onions.
- Finish and serve. Drizzle Greek yogurt or ranch over the top. Add crumbled blue cheese or shredded cheddar if using. Serve immediately — standing at the counter is perfectly acceptable.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 580 | Protein: 48g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 980mg