Instant Pot Egg Roll in a Bowl

This is a simple recipe for a healthy low-carb and celiac friendly dish that can be served as is, or over rice, orzo, or noodles.

Main Ingredients:

- 1lb ground pork, beef or turkey
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
- 8-10 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 lbs coleslaw mix, divided in half
- 3-4 scallions, chopped
- 1 small can of water chestnuts, drained (optional)
- 2-3 Tablespoons unsalted peanuts (optional)

Sauce Ingredients:

- 10 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions:

1.  Whisk together the Sauce ingredients and set aside near the Instant Pot.
2.  In a skillet, add the olive oil and the sesame oil.  Heat over medium high heat until the oil is sizzling.  Once the oil is hot, add the meat and brown it for 3-4 minutes, making certain to mash the meat well.  After the meat is browned drain the fat by using a sieve to separate the meat from the fat.  Set the meat aside.
3.  Add the ginger and garlic to the Instant Pot and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Place the meat mixture into the Instant Pot, along with half of the sauce, half of the cole slaw mix, the water chestnuts (if using), and the peanuts (if using).  Stir the ingredients so that they are mixed well.
4.  Lock the lid on the Instant Pot and close the pressure valve.  Set the Instant Pot to Manual for 4 minutes.  When the Instant Pot beeps that the cycle is complete, carefully release the pressure.  Remove the lid to the Instant Pot.
5.  Select Saute and add the rest of the sauce, the rest of the coleslaw, and the chopped scallions.  Saute for 3-4 minutes and serve in a bowl as is, or serve over rice, noodles, or orzo.

Cook's Notes:

When we first made this, we used ground beef and the results were good.  The second time we made this, we used ground pork and it was amazing.  We added the peanuts and water chestnuts the second time we made it and it gave the "Egg Roll in a Bowl" a nice crunch.  Also, we purchased a bag of pre-cut coleslaw, that happened to be 14 ounces, which worked just fine.  Buying the coleslaw pre-cut made making this recipe a breeze.  From start to finish, this meal took about 30 minutes to make and the results were delicious.

The third time I made this dish I drained the fat after the meat had been thoroughly browned.  This removed the greasy taste from the dish.

Cashew Chicken

A few weeks ago, we purchased a wok, courtesy of our friend +Karen Kerr,  from wokshop.com.  We have been experimenting with the wok and last night we made Cashew Chicken.  Here is the recipe:

Serves: 4 

MARINADE:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 teaspoon corn starch

CHICKEN:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

Cooking SAUCE:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
2 tablespoon oyster sauce or hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili sauce (optional)

2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2-3 broccoli florets, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 cup snow peas

1/2 cup salted roasted cashews

Instructions

Marinate the chicken.  In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice wine and cornstarch, until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the chicken and stir gently to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.

Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine, oyster/hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and chili sauce (if using). Set aside.

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the peanut oil and swirl to coat the base. Add the garlic and stir-fry until just aromatic, about 20 seconds.  Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry for until cooked.  Remove the chicken from the wok and keep warm.

Add the onions and cook until translucent.  Add the cashews and cook for 1 minute.  Add the broccoli and the snow peas and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Pour in the sauce and stir to coat the vegetables.  Let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes to thicken and then add the chicken.  Stir fry the chicken and vegetables for 1-2 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Cook’s Notes:

I used dark soy sauce and hoisin sauce making this recipe.  I also used chili sauce for the cooking sauce.  The original recipe used less oyster/hoisin sauce and the recipe could have used more.  When I make this again, I will use the amounts listed above to make more sauce to coat the chicken and the vegetables.

Friday Night's Dinner

Dee and I woke up to our first significant snow fall on Friday morning. 3-4 inches of the fluffy white stuff was on the ground when we awoke. The roads were a little messy Friday morning, so I waited until the afternoon to go shopping for the ingredients I need for making the meals for the weekend. I had set the menus for the weekend, but by the time we approached cocktail hour Friday night, I felt like Chinese food. There is a great Chinese take out restaurant at the Breton Village Mall near our home, Grand Lakes Chinese Restaurant. This is a typical Chinese take out joint, were the man and woman who run the place speak to each other in Mandarin and then speak to you in English. Their menu is extensive and the meals we have picked up there have always been nothing short of fantastic. One recurring theme at Grand Lakes Chinese is that whenever we call or a take out order the voice on the other end of the phone tells us, "Your order will be ready in 10 minutes." Thus, Dee and I adopted the term for a meal from this restaurant as "10 Minute." Last night, we had "10 Minute" which was a euphemism for Hunan Beef, extra spicy, with Boiled Dumplings (also known as Pot Sticker) with Sesame Sauce. Dinner was great and my fortune cookie said, "You will set foot on the soils of many countries." Rather accurate, eh?

And yes, Hunan Beef goes down extremely well with Founders IPA!