I've never been able to understand how some people can wake up in the morning, refreshed and happy to take on the day.
I see and hear about these people who wake up with a huge smile on their face knowing it is going to be a great day. Those people do not make sense to me.
But I guess that makes sense because I have never been, and never will be a morning person.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, making our favorite dishes from Hispanic countries has been top of mind — not to mention if you're anything like me, you've been looking for an excuse to eat more chilaquiles and arroz con maíz.
We could likely find hundreds of recipes online, but digging through the weeds to find one only to realize after you've bought the ingredients and cooked it to find out it's not turned well at all is one of the biggest culinary disappointments.
The recipes below are tried and true favorites from a blend of Hispanic countries, all paying homage to the culturally rich places they come from:
Naturally gluten-free, cheesy bread, think of it like Argentinian pizza.
The fried, stuffed, spicy dough can be easily adapted for vegan or vegetarian diets as a side or main dish with a variety of sauces.
Rice, fried plantain, and meat smothered in savory garlic and cumin.
Spicy beans stewed in a soothing blend of pumpkin, corn, and paprika make this the ultimate fall comfort food.
Cornflour-based pancakes fried and smothered in cheese make the perfect dinner party snack.
These buttery shortbread cookies with a tangy lime twist are begging to be dunked in some warm milk or tea.
Deep-fried carbs fit any mood, but these in particular pair idyllically with a garlic parsley dip or some seasoned rice.
The soul-soothing potato-based soup tastes so good, your guests will have no idea how easy it was to make.
The indulgent, creamy pancakes have a basis of crunchy potatoes blended with cheese, then fried and dunked in a savory peanut sauce.
This fluffy, bean-stuffed masa cake topped with fermented vegetables tastes so good, you won't believe it's actually super healthy, too.
These deep-fried sweet peppers stuffed with your choice of filling are made even more indulgent with the creamy tomato sauce you'll drizzle on top. Pair with some seasoned rice to make it a complete meal.
A fluffy, cookie-like pastry made from corn flour, rosquillas are a naturally gluten-free sweet-salty snack lover's dream.
The beloved Mexican breakfast dish has been replicated many times over, but this recipe, in particular, is super authentic, right down to the seasonings and Mexican cream.
Creamy, tangy, and rich, this soup has an incredible depth of flavors with just a handful of ingredients you probably already have at home.
A traditional rice and beans dish eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Nicaragua, it's all about the seasonings with this one, often paired with eggs or steak and topped with cotija or a drizzle of tangy crema.
Soft potatoes smothered in a luxuriously creamy yet spicy cheese sauce, topped with an egg, you'd be crazy not to lick the plate — plus, you'll find yourself pairing the addictive sauce with nearly everything that comes out of your kitchen.
Probably everyone's go-to tapas dish at any Spanish restaurant or bar, this recipe, in particular, has a spicy brava sauce so good, you may want to double that part of the recipe.
The crispy, fried dough is so dangerously easy to whip in a couple of minutes, once you learn the recipe, you'll have to physically restrain yourself from making it all the time.
The preparation and ingredients of tamales vary in every region — Venezuelan hallacas are renowned for their tender filling, filled with a plethora of spices from cumin to cooking red wine served on fragrant plantain leaves.
In regards to the men posting photos in hijabs to the campaign, she describes, “Most of these men are living inside Iran and they have witnessed how their female relatives have been suffering at the hands of the morality police and humiliation of enforced hijab." Men in Iran have uploaded photos on social media in hijab to fight against women being forced to cover their hair in public. Hijabs have been heavily enforced in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Women who choose to go without a headscarf, as well as women dressed 'bad hijab' by having hair show face punishments from the so-called 'morality police' ranging from fines to imprisonment.
Men and women are continuing to stand against regulations that impose women to wear hijab in the My Stealthy Freedom campaign.
This man [above] sent in a picture wearing his cousin's headscarf. In the caption, he writes, "I think that one should not talk about freedom if she/he supports the idea of restricting other people's freedom. If only hijab were the only problem in our country, as the authorities would like us to believe. It is as if they have hypnotised our brains with a black piece of cloth and they only want us to believe that hijab is the most important issue in our country." For millions of Iranian women, this compulsory hijab is an insult to their freedom of expression.
A compulsory hijab is an insult to both genders. This photo writes, "When the hijab is compulsory, it is not just an insult to women, it is also an insult to men too. Dear men: when the government decrees that the hijab should be mandatory, that automatically means that they see you as unclean, easily provoked and weak. They think that men must be really weak to get excited after seeing just a few strands of loose hair. If you remain silent when women are forced to wear the hijab or when they insult our freedom, then you allow yourselves to be insulted too. Many Iranian men are already supporting us and are fighting shoulder to shoulder with us for women's rights, but we definitely need more of you." Women can't do this alone. It is up to the men to the support women fighting against the practice of compulsory hijab. Hijab is punishing women for men's inability to control themselves, when really, men should just be held accountable for their actions - not women.
While the Iranian men and women involved in the My Stealthy Freedom campaign may seem radical to people in Iran, they are brave and also understand that women deserve to be seen and not hidden. They deserve to be able to dance, sing solo, hold hands with someone they love, and let their hair down, but millions of women in Iran are not free to do these things. Masih Alinejad says, "Women in Iran are breaking the law every day just to be ourselves." In this video, she describes the laws that women have to break just to live. Alinejad says, “I’m a master criminal because the government thinks I have too much hair, too much voice, and I am too much of a woman.” This is exactly the kind of attitude she is inspiring to women in Iran through her My Stealthy Freedom campaign. Removing compulsory hijabs is the first step towards reaching equality and ending the suffering that women have endured in Iran.
