Blog #39: 5 Ingredients to Dinner





Sometimes, when I want to try something new, I search google for a 5 ingredient meal. Now that I have the insta-pot, I search specifically for quick and easy meals using that! I’ll be honest, the insta-pot is not as “instant” as it claims to be and I am still learning about it, but this recipe turned out really yummy, so I’d like to share it. 


CARNITA’S SOUP


-3 cups of carnitas (you can buy it already cooked from the refrigerated section of Trader Joes)

-1 pound of yukon gold potatoes, diced

-6 cups of chicken stock

-2 teaspoons of cumin

-1 jar of salsa verde (16 ounces)


Options for toppings: avocado, cilantro, jalapeños, shredded, pepper jack cheese. I used all of them.


So, this just couldn’t be easier. Dump it all in the pot and mix. 


Close the lid and set vent to “sealing”. Press “manual” followed by “pressure” until the light on “high pressure” goes on. Then adjust the +/- buttons until you get to 8 minutes. Cook. After it has cooked, slowly turn the vent to “venting” and wait until all of the steam has released (the valve will drop when it is ready). Remove the lid and add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon it up, top it off and enjoy! This is a lovely, warm and comforting dish. It is also very filling without leaving you with that overly stuffed feeling. This makes about 6 servings. 


Side note: If it is your first time using an insta-pot, be forewarned that the times listed on the recipes are not accurate because the pot takes an additional 5-15 minutes to heat up before it starts counting down the minutes to which you have set it. 


For my Vegetarians: I would suggest trying this recipe with vegetable stock and your favorite bean in lieu of the meat! I don’t see why that couldn’t work. The salsa verde gives it such a nice flavor and your whole house will smell like cumin after. 


Give it a whirl. While it doesn’t really feel like it in Las Vegas, it’s still winter for 3 more weeks (my favorite time to make soups). Enjoy!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

  Blog Post #2: Introduction And so it begins. This is not my typical journalling. This is the start of my 100 days of blogging. Even if I am not posting every single day, I am writing everyday. My good friend sent me a link to check out Seth Godin who encourages this pracitce in writing and something about it just really resonates with me. He says (regarding blogging everyday), “You will seek to notice something interesting and to say something creative about it…isn’t that all we’re looking for? The best practice of generously sharing what you notice with the world is exactly the antidote for your fear…outlining what you believe and explaining why.” YES. Yes, yes, yes.  Why, as humans, are we so afraid of judgement? There is absoultely no way that everyone will agree with, support or applaude what you do, so, why aim for that acceptance and recognition? Why not just share what you think and what you know? I’ve often fallen into the trap of thinking that I have nothing of value to
Read more

Blog #24: What Would Dylan Do?

Image
  When I moved to NYC, I was only 17, filled with the biggest of dreams and hopes. I was living in what remains to  be my all time favorite neighborhood in the city, Greenwich Village. I loved nothing more than sitting in a cafe with a good coffee and writing in my  journal. 25 years later, this is still an activity I adore. Living on 5th Ave and 10th St, just a stones throw away from Washington Square Park, put me in an ideal location for my coffee sipping, people watching, unloading by pen ways. I soon came to find out that MacDougal Street, just on the other side of the park, was once a beatnik haven, teaming with all of the best. Apparently, Bob Dylan had made this neighborhood his home and was known for frequenting the places I am about to share with you. In fact, I recall Bleeker and MacDougal streets being called “The 4 Corners”, housing four of the most famous cafes, frequented by well known artists, musicians and writers from all backgrounds. I’d like to share three (plus a
Read more

Blog #13: Fresh out of Water

Image
  I woke up this morning, missing traveling in an aching way. When travel is a part of your work, you don’t consider it a “luxury”. It simply becomes your norm. Not to say that that takes away from the magic of stepping foot on new soil or tasting your first bite of a new culture…just to say that, it’s a part of life, not the one week of life that you work for all year. Sometimes, the first thoughts when I wake up are memories of faraway lands and images of other worlds. This morning, I was thinking of Kerala, India and one of the freshest meals I’ve ever eaten, straight out of the backwaters.   My father is from Thiruvananthapuram (try saying that, three times, fast!), Kerala and although I had visited there 4 times, it wasn’t until the 5th time that we all decided to take a house boat tour through the backwaters. The name “backwaters” doesn't really give you the full picture of the stunning beauty of this maze of rivers and lagoons, lined with palm trees, colorful homes and qua
Read more