Recipe: Chicken Pozole

My boyfriend love "Diners, Dives, and Drives". We basically spend most of our weekend nights watching it in bed trying to find recipe ideas or vacation food spots.

Today they aired an episode where pozole was featured in cooked. We didn't have hominy, so we basically made our own variation

Chicken Pozole Recipe

Ingredients

1 tbs mexican oregano
1tbs cumin
1 tbs dried hatch chili (optional)
4 chicken breasts
4 32oz of chicken broth
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
1 tbs of canola oil
2 cans of corn
3 small russet potatoes, diced (optional - but so good)

Sauce

1 lb of tomatillos,
1 dried chipotle pepper, rehydrated (basically means bringing it back to life in boiling water)
2 poblano peppers, grilled
3 jalapenos, grilled (optional, can add less or more)
2 small onions, grilled
1 handful of cilantro sprigs
2 romaine lettuce leaves

Get a stockpot hot, add canola oil and wait till it becomes hot. Once sizzling, add your onions and garlic with all the dried seasonings until translucent. Add the broth and uncooked chicken breasts. Let the chicken breasts boil (probably 20 minutes, but this depends on your stove, so keep checking until they are boiled completely) Once, the chicken is cooked, remove them from the soup, shred, and toss back in.

Meanwhile, blend the sauce ingredients until it has a salsa consistency. Put the sauce aside, and get two cans of corn, drained to be put in the soup.

This is optional, but we also diced 3 small russet potatoes (peeled). It adds a great consistency to the soup and makes it heartier (since there aren't any beans in it)

Add the corn and potatoes with 2 tbs of the sauce. Let cook for 10-15 minutes and then add the remainder of the sauce. We added 3 jalapenos because we like our food spicy, but it's really all about preference. Add a dash of salt and pepper and let the soup summer for another 10-15 minutes.

Garnish

1 radish, thinly sliced
1 handful of cilantro
1 avocado, diced
1 slice of lime

Once the soup is done, pour into a soup bowl and add the garnishments. Serve immediately.

Sunday Dinner: Grilled Salmon with Grilled Poblanos, Broccoli Rabe, and Green Beans

This is a very simple dish after a large Thanksgiving meal. Great for after a workout or if you practice clean eating.

Grilled Salmon: Season with your favorite spices and grilled for 7-10 minutes (or to your liking) - what I have found is that mixing some spicy seasoning with brown sugar really adds a great flavor to the salmon

Broccoli Rabe & Green Beans: Saute with garlic, salt and pepper for about 6 minutes

Poblano Pepper: Just place on grill for about 7-10 minutes for the charred flavor

Drizzle some fresh lemon juice and enjoy!

Gruyere and Gouda Mac & Cheese (Jalapeno & Bacon)

I had a hankering for mac and cheese today and decided to make a variation of this recipe from "The Owl with the Goblet"

I'd imagine most people like their mac and cheese really creamy so I would follow the recipe. If you want something healthier, I would use less butter and just a splash of heavy cream/milk. I ended up using panko bread crumbs on top but you can really use whatever you want!


As for the cheese, I bought gruyere and smoked gouda. I probably should have bought more because it wasn't as creamy as I would have liked but it was still really good. Obviously it's not a healthy meal but everyone needs cheat day!

I ended up adding spinach to my dish. Spinach is great because it really doesn't have any flavor but its healthy and adds a great green color to the dish.

Sunday Night - Beef Chili

I love a good Chili! With the cold approaching, chili is the perfect weeknight meal. It's hearty and incredibly easy to make (I just dump mine in a crock pot) My recipe is an amalgamation of a bunch of different recipes I have found throughout the years, but this is just amazing! I add a ton of spices for flavor. You can add more or less if you would like. I just love a ton of different spices!

Recipe

1 lb of Grass Fed Ground Beef (for red meat, I try my hardest to be organic) - brown the beef on a pan for starters with 1 tbs of olive oil

1/2 can of white kidney beans
1/2 can of dark kidney beans
1 1/2 can of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomato
3 garlic cloves, diced fine
1 small green pepper, diced small
1 large onion, diced small
1/4 cup water
3 bay leaves
2 tbs chili powder
1 tsp salt (add more if  desire)
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tbs paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cocoa powder (trust me)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp red pepper flakes (add more or less, depends how spicy you want it)
2 tsp worchestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce
1/8 tsp habanero chili powder (can be purchased at Whole Spice - see post below -- it's optional but add a great smoky flavor)

Add the ground beef and the remaining ingredient. Slow cook on high for 4 hrs or low for 8 hrs.

Quick Weeknight Dinner: Rotini Pasta with Pesto & Chicken

I love an easy weeknight dinner. My work had some pesto from Dean and Deluca that they were going to throw away, so I decided to snatch it to make pasta. (see pesto photo on the right)

Recipe 

1/2 box of gluten free rotini - Let water,1 1/2 cup of broth, dash of salt and olive oil to boil and add rotini for approximately 9 minutes

4 thin sliced chicken tenderloins chopped length-wise

Use good olive oil and cook your chicken in 2 tbs of the sun-dried tomato pesto (here is a recipe in case you don't have a Dean and Deluca store nearby) and one 1 tbs of regular pesto.

Add salt and pepper to taste

Once the pasta is done, add it into the chicken mixture. Add 4 tbs of the pesto (mix and match) and mix. Top it off with some smoked mozzarella or shredded mozzarella.

Side Dishes - Bombay Potatoes

Recipe

15 small red potatoes, sliced in half

2 tbs of cilantro, chopped

1 tbs garam masala

1 tsp of cumin

1 tsp of Shan Tandoori Chicken Spice

2 tbs of tomato paste

1 tsp of ginger paste (can use fresh as well)

1 tsp of garlic paste (can use fresh as well)

1/2 of a small lemon, juiced

1 tbs of canola oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Toss these ingredients in a mixing bowl. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and spread evenly amongst the baking sheet. 

Preheat the oven to 400 and bake for 50 minutes. Toss on the 25 minute mark.

Add some extra lemon juice, salt and cilantro as garnish.

Current Obsession: Dinner Party China

I'm currently really into dinner parties. Having friends over, having wine, a great meal and nice cup of tea to end the evening is just so delightful. I have been recently looking at some nice china to have a more authentic, adult dinner party. My boyfriend built this amazing rustic over-sized table and it's just a shame for me not to have great dinnerware to compliment. I have realized that when it says $200...I means for ONE place setting. What a blow. So I am still researching for a great bargain.

I started my hunt at Bloomingdale (basically my to go for everything and anything). They have this amazing dinnerware link where you can select a dinnerware and it will show you how it will look on a table. I just love it. However, before I commit to anything, I usually try to find the china I want elsewhere to make sure I am getting the best deal. Word of advice: paying retail is just stupid.

I am currently going back in forth with having a six place setting set, having one setting of the same design and switching it up with other different settings to get me to my six, or just buying random consignment place settings and have it look really cottage chic and rustic. The latter seems more along my price range right now but I thought I would post some amazing dinnerware selections in case any of you have a registry that needs to be filled.

Just a word of advice, my tastes maybe not be for everyone but I will try to be as eclectic as possible. I love a good white plate as it really makes any dish pop. If simplicity if your thing, add a nice gold or silver trim for that elegance you may be seeking. If you're in to color, mix and match, or use something floral. Newsflash, floral isn't "grandma like" anymore. Very in and very timeless. Most of these link to Bloomingdale but be sure to Google these elsewhere. There may be some sales and coupons you are missing out on.

Links to browse and purchase below:

Wedgwood Renaissance Gold

Juliska Quotidien

Anna Weatherly

Haviland Symphony

Bernardaud Jardin Dinnerware

Raynaud Cristobal Dinnerware

Weekend Soup: Roasted Red Pepper & Smoked Mozzarella Soup

My current obsession is making soup with my hand blender. I love it. It's such a quick process and I have a gourmet meal within minutes. I found this roasted red pepper soup recipe on Taste of Home and modified to make it healthier and my own.

Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Mozzarella Soup

4 red peppers, charred on the grill
1 32 oz of chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 tbs coconut oil
1 cup of fresh basil
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 jalapeño, de-seeded and diced
1 tbs herb de provence
1 tsp pepper
2 tbs of heavy cream (optional)
1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, shredded fine with a grater (add more if you want)

Directions

With a tbs of coconut oil, cook the shallots and onions till browned.

Add the the herb the provence, pepper and jalapeño.

Mix in the broth and simmer for about 1-2 minute then add the can of tomatoes and basil. Let cook for 5 minutes.

Once you have the red pepper charred on the grilled, chop in half and add to the soup. Use a hand blender (or transfer soup to any blender) till smooth. Then mix in the cream and mozzarella. Let the soup sit for 1-2 minutes so the the mozzarella will melt and garnish with sliced basil leaves.

Sunday Dinner: Giada's Potato Crusted Tilapia, Japanese Ginger Dressing Salad & Green Beans

It's Sunday Dinner! I decided to try something I saw on Giada's show (Everyday Italian) on Food Network. It's her purple potato crusted tilapia. Healthy eating is incredibly costly sometimes, which is why I love tilapia filets. Super inexpensive, healthy and delicious! Now I didn't have purple potatoes, so I just used regular Russet Potatoes and it tasted great! For a side I had a Japanese Ginger dressing salad and oven baked green beans.

Green Beans

Toss green beans in olive oil, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Baked on 350 for about 10-15 minutes.


Japanese Ginger Dressing Salad

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 roma tomatoes sliced length-wise
1/2 english cucumber sliced length-wise
1/2 carrot grated
3 tbs of TonTon Japanese Dressing - Can be bought at Costco (amazing) - add more if you like!

Potato Crusted Tilapia

Recipe link: Giada's Potato Crusted Tilapia

Grilling: Tandoori Chicken Platter

Recipe

1 pack of naan

1 white onion

1 banana pepper

Chicken

3 chicken breasts, diced evenly

1 entire Fage greek yogurt

3 tbs Shaan Tandoori Chicken Spice

1 tbs garam masala

1/2 tbs cumin

1.5 tbs of tomato paste

1/2 cup cilantro

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Mix all ingredients and marinade for 1-2 hrs in the fridge. Once marinated, put chicken on the grill for 4-5 minutes (each side).

Meanwhile, slice the white onion thick and grill in a basket until translucent and charred

Add the naan on the grill till warm and until you can see the char lines.

Slice the banana peppers on top of the chicken and serve with salad and sauce.

Salad

1/2 english cucumber, diced

1 tbs of red onions, chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Toss all ingredients and refrigerate

Sauce

1 tbs Coleman's Mint Sauce 

2 tbs Fage greek yogurt

Mix ingredients and refrigerate

Rainy Day Soup Recipe: Ina Garten's Roasted Tomato Soup

I am so obsessed with soup during the fall. One of my favorite recipes is the Ina Garten Tomato and Basil Soup. So delicious, healthy and easy to make. A perfect weeknight dinner for me and my boyfriend. It has so much flavor that I eventually eat 2-3 bowls. See below for the recipe. Keep warm!

Recipe Ina Garten Roasted Tomato Soup

Recipe: Fattoush Salad

I love Middle Eastern Food! It has so much flavor and I just can't get enough!

One of my favorite dishes is a Fattoush Salad. So rich in flavor and with the crisp pita bread, it's actually very filling.

Spices: Zatar and Sumac are great middle eastern spices. Zatar primarily consists of oregano, dried mint, etc... while Sumac is a lemony, bold red spice. Excellent addition to the salad. Can be purchased at any international aisle in a grocery store. I would say that these are vital ingredients that should be purchased to make this salad what it is.

Recipe

Serving Size: 4

1 large romaine lettuce, chopped
2 tomatos, diced
1 english cucumber, diced
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 tbs mint, chopped
3 radishes, sliced thin
1 small green pepper, diced
1/2 tbs zatar
1/2 tbs sumac
1/2 tbs salt
1 large pita bread sliced

Add all the ingredients (sans pita bread) together and mix.

Dressing

3 tbs fine olive oil
1.5 tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 lemon juice
3 garlic cloves smashed with a dash salt
1 tsp zatar
1 tsp sumac

Mix all the dressing ingredients and whisk. Put in the fridge. 15 minutes before serving add the dressing and toss.

Pita 

Place the chopped pita bread on a baking tray. Brush on some of the mixed dressing and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Top the pita bread on the salad. Serve immediately.

Weeknight Dinner: Stuffed Sweet Potato

Another easy weeknight with my rotisserie chicken. This is so quick to make, tastes delicious and is healthy!

Recipe

1 large sweet potato, microwaved for 15 minutes
1/2 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
1 small onion, diced
1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp salt (add more as you cook and taste)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp of coconut oil

Fire up your pan and add the coconut oil (start with 1 tsp but add more if the pan starts getting dry). Add the onion and cook till transparent and browned. Add the shredded chicken and all the seasonings for about 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another 2 minutes.

Once the sweet potato is done, slice in the middle and make room for all the filling. Serve and enjoy!

(Cheat Day) Weeknight Dinner: Whole Wheat Carbonara with Corn

It's cheat day! I was craving pasta but felt guilty about the massive amounts of carbs I was about to indulge in so I did a modified carbonara.

Recipe

Half of a box of whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup broth
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1 tsp coconut oil
1 small onion diced
2 pieces of bacon diced
3 garlic cloves diced
1 tbs of parsley
2 egg whites
1/2 a can of corn

Put 1/2 cup of water and broth in a stockpot.  Add the olive oil and 1 tsp of salt. Cook the pasta al dente - the best is to boil your water and then add the pasta in for 7 minutes (stirring occasionally).

In another pan, cook the bacon and set aside. Add the coconut oil and cook the onions and garlic in the bacon fat till browned. You can add crushed red pepper if desired.

Add back the bacon and stir.

Once the pasta is done, add it to the bacon, onion and garlic mixture. Add the corn and toss it in the sauce. Finally add the egg whites. Let cook and toss occasionally. Add 1 tsp of salt, some pepper and parsley. Toss again and serve. (you can add more salt and pepper if desired - I always add more if needed later on)

Labor Day Weekend Grill Feast: Red Snapper with Veggies on a bed of Quinoa

Happy Labor Day Weekend all!

Since the warm days are about to turn chillier, we wanted to use our grill to make a Labor Day Weekend Grill Feast. It's a very simple and easy dinner. Grilled red snapper and corn with sautéed zucchini and baby broccoli on a bed of quinoa. Now a lot of my recipes, especially this one, doesn't really give step by step instructions, just a general guide. Everyone has their own preference and some my recipes don't call for exact measurements because I just like going rogue! Makes cooking more fun.

Recipe

1.3 lbs fillet of red snapper
1 bunch of baby broccoli
2 zucchinis cut into circles
1/2 cup of quinoa
1.5 cups of water
Seasonings (your choice)

I first seasoned the fillet of red snapper with a bunch of difference whole foods seasoning from their seafood isle (they have everything!) Put it on the grill for 15-20 minutes.

Baby Broccoli - chop up some garlic in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Put the broccoli in with some lemon juice with the pan cover on. Let it steam for 10 minutes. Soggy vegetables are the worst, so keep an eye on how high the stove is set.

Zucchini - Toss it in olive oil, seasonings of your choice, salt, pepper and cook in a pan for 10 minutes. You want it to remain crispy so make sure it doesn't start getting brown ... it's a sign that it's now overcooked. No bueno!

Quinoa - Boil 1.5 cups of water and 1/2 cup of quinoa. Quinoa to me isn't very good seasoned, so I avoid seasonings.. Don't worry, the other flavors in this meal will compensate. Let it cook for 5 minutes on high, and when the water is bubbling, put the stove on low and let sit. The quinoa will seep up the water and become fluffy.

Corn - Season with your favorite seasonings (I used paprika, dill, garlic&herb, Betts seasoning (all time favorite) and Morton's all purpose seasoning) Cover in foil and grill for 10-12 minutes.

Quick Kale Salad Recipe

I love an easy weeknight salad! I had some kale at home and decided to make a quick salad for dinner. It's healthy and low-carb!

Recipe

1 bunch of kale thinly sliced
1 granny smith chopped lengthwise
1/2 cup of walnuts, pistachios or pine nuts

Dressing

2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs lemon zest
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp pepper

If you don't have time to make a dressing, the Dean and Deluca Pear Vinaigrette is an amazing alternative! I use that if I have a long night at work. However, I do advocate making your own since it eliminates preservatives.

Mix all ingredients together, serve immediately.

*** You can add some fresh grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano to the salad. I'm just not a huge pungent cheese fan since it diminishes some of the healthiness of the salad but it's all preference.

Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze

Recipe (serves 2)

4 vine-ripen juicy tomatoes (the juicier the better!)
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
1 buffalo mozzarella ball (or any type of mozzarella)
1 tbs of olive oil
1 tbs of fine balsamic vinegar
Balsamic glaze drizzle on top
Dash of freshly grounded pepper and salt

Instructions: Dice up your tomatoes and mozzarella. Toss everything together (except the balsamic glaze). Drizzle the glaze at the end.

Fairly simple recipe! The balsamic glaze is sweet and really binds the whole salad together but it's all preference. You can purchase it at any World Market, Whole Foods and/or regular/specialty grocery store.

My Favorite Green Juice

So I'm still not a juice connoisseur and I really am a novice to this. However, there is one green juice that I like and will share my recipe. I had something similar during one my travels but had to figure out the recipe through taste. The excessive amount of vegetables in juices are not my thing... yet...

Below is my favorite green juice recipe. I used a regular juicer, but be aware, I used a ton of kale and and it only amounted to this much juice.

Recipe 

1 bunch of kale leaves (stalk removed)
1 chopped apple
4 strawberries
1 tbs of fresh grated ginger
1/4 of a lemon

Detox Tuesday - Grilled Turkey Salad with Salmon

So I'm still detoxing and decided to post my recipe for this grilled turkey salad with salmon. I know.. salmon again... I just made a ton, its healthy and tastes delicious!

Recipe

1 piece of grilled Alaskan Salmon (6 oz) - I used about half for the salad
1 grilled turkey burger sliced
4 bunches of romaine lettuce leaves (chopped)
1/4 of an english cucumber (sliced thick)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon
1 tbs Coleman's Mint Sauce
Dash of fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup of grilled onions
1 small vine ripen tomato diced
2 hard boiled eggs sliced
4 piece of blanched asparagus spears

Dressing

1 tsp hummus
1 tsp roasted red pepper spread (I used the Trader Joes version)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp Coleman's Mint Sauce (I purchased it from Amazon - Coleman)

Please refer to my previous post for cooking and seasoning the salmon.

Turkey Burger: I would season the heck out of it just like the salmon. I added one tbs of panko crumbs and one egg to bind it all together but I really just added every herb (rosemary, parsley, oregano, sage) in my garden and every seasoning I own. I also added a dash of cinnamon and cumin to help enhance the flavor, but other than than, go crazy!

Boiling the Eggs: The best trick I have found is to boil the water and then toss in the eggs for about 9-10 minutes to get the perfect yellow yolk!

Asparagus Spears: To blanche asparagus spears, boil your water and add in the spears for 2 minutes. You want that bright green color but for it to remain crispy as well.

Once you have all the ingredients above prepared, mix it all together before adding the dressing. Once tossed, add the small amount of dressing and mix (it may seem as if there is not enough dressing but the flavors from everything else will enhance the salad). Add more pepper if you would like and serve immediately.

Sausage and Tomato Bow Tie Pasta

Good Afternoon Readers! Just a quick introduction to this blog. I started out with Instagram but decided to broaden my horizons and create a lifestyle blog featuring fashion, cooking and home decor. Enjoy.

This is a pasta recipe that I came up with one weeknight with some random items in my fridge. As far as recipes go, I will try to be as accurate as I can, but I usually just eyeball.. so my motto is start with less because you can always add more.

Recipe

3/4 Box of bow tie pasta
3 spicy italian sausage links (In case you were looking for a recommendation, Whole Foods has the best italian sausage out there)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves (I'm a huge garlic and onion fanatic --- you can put more or less garlic based on preference)
Salt, italian seasoning, oregano, and pepper, crush red pepper to taste (1 teaspoon each) - add more while you taste - or less based on preference
2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 of a green, red, and yellow pepper
1/2 cup of fresh parsley, basil, and oregano
Olive oil (you can sub in coconut oil)

1. Boil water, with half water and half low sodium chicken broth (1 cup of broth - if you want to be exact). Add a little bit of salt so the pasta doesn't stick. Right when the water is boiling, add your bow tie pasta and cook for about 7-8 minutes; stirring occasionally

2. Meanwhile, get out a large pan with olive oil to cook your italian sausage. (the pan should be large enough to mix your pasta and sauce for later) That should take about 6-7 minutes, but make sure you check the inside so its not pink and cooked thoroughly. I usually chop up the sausage while cooking to make sure everything is evenly cooked. Once the sausage is done, set it aside on a plate with a paper towel on top to soak up the fat and oils.

3. In the same pan, add a little bit of olive oil to cook your garlic and onions. (trick of the trade: if you remove the middle stem of the garlic, it won't be as garlicky tasting, in case you don't to sweat garlic later on). Once the onion and garlic has browned, add the crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of broth, 1/2 cup of wine, and chopped up fresh parsley, oregano, and basil, with all the seasonings listed above. Let it all simmer for about 5-10 minutes

4. Now, time to cut the peppers length wise (thin strips) and toss them with a little olive oil and pepper. Preheat your oven to 400 and roast the peppers. A little char on them is a good thing, as it will enhance the flavor. (You can also do this on a grill, but I used the oven since my boyfriend doesn't let me use the grill when he isn't home.. as he is afraid I will burn the house down #legitimateconcern).

5. Add the sausage and roasted peppers to the sauce. Let simmer for another 5-10 minutes and toss in the pasta and serve immediately. I always add a little bit of fresh basil, oregano, and parsley for garnish. You can add parmesan cheese at the end... but it's all preference.