Instant Pot Pozole Verde con Pollo

Dinner, Instant Pot, One-Pot Meals, Quick and Easy, Winter

It’s been raining for four days straight in Los Angeles and while I usually love the rain, it’s starting to get, umm…a bit inconvenient. I feel like this how people must feel about snow: cute at first but then it gets boring, especially when the snow gets all gross and dirty and makes it hard to go grocery shopping and drive to work. I get it.

I can’t say it’s been all bad. There have been plenty of cozy nights like the night I watched the Fyre Fest which was…well, INSANE. It was incredibly entertaining and I found myself laughing way more than I thought I was going to. I’m going to be frank and say that I’m even more excited to see the competing documentary because it looks a lil’ bit sketch and I’m excited about the drama lol. Life if fun if you see the fun stuff!

While rain can be boring, what’s not boring is figuring out food for raining days. Because that’s easy and riveting! I made this on Sunday for a cozy night in and it was so delicious AND easy. Yes, of course, you don’t need an Instant Pot to make this. A regular pot will do.

Now for some history on pozole. If you’ve never had pozole, it’s almost like a cross between a stew and a soup (this iteration is a bit more brothy because I love broth). It has a rich history and is actually pre-Columbian. It was a dish the Aztecs served on special occasions. The main ingredient is hominy (pozole) which is basically shelled corn that’s been dried and then cooked in water and lime juice.

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January 16, 2019 by

Sweet Meyer Lemon Wild Blueberry Cornbread

Desserts, Quick and Easy, Winter

I’m currently doing two things that are very topical: staring at the new Frank Ocean GQ cover and Marie Kondo-ing (yes, her name is a verb now) my entire kitchen. Or at least trying to. I realize that trying to get a totally aesthetically and pleasing organizational space requires a bit of an investment in buying matching containers, dividers, mini shelves, etc. I’m hoping it pays off in the end. At the end of the year last year, I was terrified to open my drawers because after cooking day in and day out for 3 months straight, things had gotten a little disorderly.

But now that I have a bit of time, I’ve been trying to remove things, wipe things down and begin again. New and fresh. You know how it goes.

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January 11, 2019 by

Ginger Shrimp Stir-Fry with Garlicky Bok Choy

Dinner, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Winter

Before the holidays, I ate SO many cookies. Too many cookies. I was feeling a bit sluggish and vowed to eat super healthy at the beginning of the year. Basically, like everyone else in the world lol. But then I went to Peru and drank the water (from a glass of chicha that wasn’t boiled) and couldn’t eat for nearly a week and a half. I’m pretty sure I lost weight and now that I’m back to normal, I feel like my lighter and brighter self haha.

Even though losing weight isn’t the my main goal, I still want to eat healthy. And truth is, I do most of the time. Especially since running this blog does require me to be around so many sweets. And like you all, I struggle to make something for dinner. Most of the time—especially during the week—I want something FAST.

This dish is it! It comes together in literally under an hour. The cooking takes about 30 minutes. It’s from Cynthia’s new book, A Common Table: 80 Recipes and Stories from My Shared Cultures. I cannot tell you how much I love this book. There are tons of recipes I want to try. This one popped out at me because it was something I could see myself making over and over and over.

I love dishes like that!

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January 9, 2019 by

10 Cozy Recipe to Make This January 2019

Adventures

HIIII! It’s 2019. Good gracious. I had a wonderful break full of family, Peru, reflection and rest and relaxation.

I spent the long weekend trying to get my pantry drama together and organize my spices. I always find great comfort in what organizing and a label-maker provide me. Lol.

Now that we’re here and ready for the year, I feel like we can dive into some recipes that belong in our January repertoire. The month of January is always full of healthy-ish recipes and food that brings me comfort because it’s cold!! (even in Los Angeles). Here’s a collection of some recipes that will be on repeat this month.

Aguadito – I always describe this as Peruvian Pho. It’s not exactly like Pho obviously, but it’s similar due to how herbaceous and lime-y it is. It also cures a cold with a quickness! I always make it with rice but you can add quinoa, too.

Creamy Vegan Kale + Mushroom Macaroni and Cheese – If you’re trying to eat less meat but are still seeking something warm and cozy, this is it! The “cheese” doesn’t taste strange either!

Mojito Cupcakes – These mojito cupcakes are so delicious and fluffy. I say go ahead and use any other type of winter citrus, if you’re feeling like it.

Harissa Chicken with Fluffy Couscous – This delicious harissa-smothered chicken is cooked over a bed of couscous. And then drizzled with lemon-y yogurt, pomegranate and tons of Italian parsley. Yum.

Brussels Sprouts Soba Noodle with Miso-Tahini Dressing – I make this salad dressing ALL the time. It goes well on spinach or other types of hearty greens. If you like, you can make this whole sha-bang—it’s delicious.

Citrus Poppy Seed Cookies – Is there anything better than soft cookies? NOO! I know we’re probably all cookie-ed out but these are glorious.

Miso Millet “Polenta” with Green Onion Oil + Eggplant “Bacon” – This recipe comes from Laura’s book (I still use it!) and it’s a delicious “polenta” recipe using millet. The green onion oil is super tasty. It’s a warm comforting healthy meal that makes me feel light and bright.

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas – These enchiladas are super delicious. They’re vegetarian and have the right amount of indulgence; they won’t weigh you down but feel nice on a cold night.

Blood Orange Poundcake – This poundcake has the perfect crumb. The blood orange zest is inside the cake and the glaze makes it super beautiful.

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January 6, 2019 by

Cozy Den Makeover Part II!

Adventures

HI!! I’m finally done with the den and it’s quickly become my favorite room in the house (besides the kitchen, of course). I think in the last 30 days, since it’s been pretty much done, it has become the room we spend the most time in. I mean, can you blame us?

Before we dive in, let’s go down memory lane and take a look at all of the ‘before’ photos. It wasn’t a condemned room by any means. It had recently been fixed. The wall with the French doors was collapsing and had to be completely replaced. After the room was saved (lol) it was passively painted this butter yellow that I don’t think really showed off how wonderful the room really is.

It was empty and needed some furniture VERY badly. I teamed up with Room & Board for this post—they so nicely supplied most of the furniture. Funny enough, I had my eye on this couch for a LONG time. I’m so happy to report that it is as comfortable as I had hoped it would be; I can’t recommend it enough.

Here was my inspo!:

The first step was to get rid of the small amount of existing furniture (true story: we moved that armoire just to the next room lol) and paint the wall a nice warm mauve color. I was a bit panicked at first because the color looked a bit too bit precious (I wanted a bit more brown in the color) but when it was paired with the black elements, it ended up being totally fine.

The second move was to switch out the sconces to these beautiful Camber black sconces. It really took us from 1996 to 2018. I love how modern and sleek they look. And the light they emit is really wonderful. You can position them however you like, we decided to go downward and it gives off a lovely indirect light.

There really is only one place to put the couch because of the door on the east side of the room. Not a huge deal, so it naturally made sense for us to place it on the right side and this beautiful TV console against the opposite wall.

The Cade Sofa is SO comfortable. And while a lot of people were shocked when we decided to go with this light oatmeal color, I only did this knowing that we were committed to Amelia not being allowed on the couch. She only gets up there when she’s on a blanket. And she surprisingly follows the rules. For the record, we got the couch in Orla Ivory.

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December 20, 2018 by