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.

Instant Pot Home Made Spaghetti Sauce

Last fall year we bought an Instant Pot.  We have been trying different recipes, and now it is time to share one we have tried, adapted and really like. 

Ingredients:

-  1lb ground beef (or turkey or Italian sausage)
-  1 medium white onion, diced
-  1 cup beef broth
-  1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
-  1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
-  2 tablespoons tomato paste
-  1 bay leaf
-  2 teaspoons dried basil
-  1 teaspoon garlic powder (see Cook's Notes)
-  1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
-  1 teaspoon brown sugar
-  Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE, and when the display says HOT, add the meat.  Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat, and brown the meat for about 5 minutes.  Add the white onions and cook the meat and onions for 3-5 minutes.  Once the onions are softened, deglaze the pot with the beef broth.  Once the pot is deglazed, add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, basil, garlic power, oregano, and brown sugar.

2.  Cover the pot and secure the lid.  Made sure the valve is set to "sealing."  Set the manual/pressure cook button to 15 minutes on high pressure.  when the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes, then manually vent the pressure.

3.  Remove the lid and discard the bayleaf.  Stir he sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook's Notes:

I followed this recipe exactly the first time I made it, and it was fantastic.  I tweaked the recipe a little substituting 3-4 freshly pressed garlic cloves for the garlic powder.  I prefer the taste of the sauce with the fresh garlic cloves over the garlic powder.

From start to finish, this recipe took a little under an hour to make and the taste of the sauce was fantastic.  You could easily substitute ground turkey for ground beef.

Hobo Potatoes

This is a simple grilled potato recipe that Deirdre made up a few years ago.  We titled the name of this dish "Hobo Potatoes," after its similarity to this recipe titled a "Hobo Dinner."  Here is the recipe for Hobo Potatoes:

Ingredients:

- 4-6 potatoes, cut into quarters
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Olive oil
- 2-3 rosemary sprigs

Directions:

1.  Place the potatoes in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes and toss them to coat.
2.  Lay out a piece of aluminum foil.  If you have it, spray that aluminum foil with Pam or any spray oil.  
3.  Place the potatoes in the foil, and place on top of the spuds the rosemary sprigs.  Seal up the aluminum foil pouch.
4.  Place the foil pouch on a heated grill and cook for 45 minutes.  Turn the pouch over about every 15 minutes.
5.  After 45 minutes on the grill, remove the pouch.  Open the pouch and discard the rosemary.  Serve the potatoes and enjoy!

Cook's Notes:

We prefer to use Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe, but any potato will work.

Simple Roasted Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Pan Sauce

Ingredients:

- 2 racks of lamb (1 1/2 - 1 1/3 lbs), frenched and trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 cup (8 oz.) dry red wine
- 2 1/2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary
- 1 cup (8 oz) chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Adjust your oven rack to the lower middle position, and preheat the oven to 425F.
2.  Season the lamb with salt and pepper.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet over high heat until the oil shimmers.  Place the racks of lamb in the skillet, meat side down in the center of the pan, with the ribs facing outward.  Cook until well browned, about 4 minutes.  Using tongs, stand the racks up in the skillet, leaning against each other to brown the bottom of the racks (see image above).  Cook until the bottoms of the racks have browned, about two minutes.
3.  Transfer the racks to a roasting pan.  Roast the racks until the center of the racks register 130F (for medium rare).  Adjust final temperature to your taste.
4.  When the racks are done, remove from the oven and place on a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil to rest for about 10 minutes.
5.  While the racks are roasting, pour off all but 1 1/2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet used to brown the racks.  Over medium heat, add the shallots and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
6.  Add the red wine and the rosemary and cook over medium high heat until the wine is reduced to be dark and syrupy, about 7-8 minutes.
7.  When the wine has been reduced, add the chicken broth and simmer until the sauce has been reduced to about 3/4 of a cup.  This should take 5-6 minutes.  
8.  Once the sauce has been reduced, take the skillet off heat and whisk the butter into the sauce.
9.  After the racks have rested, carve, slicing between each rib, into individual chops.
10.  Serve the chops, and spoon the wine sauce over the chops.

Cook's Notes:

This was an incredibly easy recipe to make and the results were nothing short of outstanding.  The wine reduced quickly, as did the chicken broth.  The resulting pan sauce was thick, but easily spooned over the chops.  I added an addition tablespoon of butter to the reduction.  You can never add too much butter to a reduction.

Total cooking time for the racks was just under 20 minutes.  I roasted the racks to 130F, and they were on the rare side of medium rare.  Next time I make this recipe, I will up the final internal temperature to 133F.  I used my remote sensing thermometer to monitor the temperature of the lamb.  Here is a link to the thermometer I have.  Once you have cooked with a remote sensing thermometer, you will wonder how you lived without it.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

-        -  3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

-        -  1 48 oz. jar of Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

-        -  2 16 oz. jars of salsa (one hot and one medium)

-        - 1 small onion, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon onion powder)

-        - 2 ½ cups chicken broth

-        - 1 tablespoon Cumin

Directions:

1.       Place the chicken breasts and two cups of chicken broth into a crockpot and cook on low overnight.

2.       In the morning, add the remaining ingredients, plus the additional ½ of chicken broth.

3.       Cook on low for 8 hours.

4.       Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired.

    

        Cook's Notes:

        This is an incredibly easy to make white chili.  There may appear to be a lot of liquid        remaining after the chicken breasts have cooked overnight, but do not discard the liquid.  After you add the Great Northern Beans, that liquid will be absorbed. 

      Also, I have used a single jar of Pace Medium Salsa (38 oz.) for this recipe and it was delicious.

Chicken with tomato cream sauce

While looking for something wonderful to make with chicken, I stumbled upon this recipe on All Recipes.  I was intrigued.  And being a P in the Myers Briggs, I can almost NEVER follow directions. It can be a blessing.  Or a curse.

The original recipe called for this:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
3/4 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter

Directions
In a saucepan, saute' onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure it doesn't burn. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes.

I made some changes.

I use two cans of tomatoes, skipped the sugar and the salt, added a tablespoon of chicken base, added a tablespoon of oregano, and upped the heavy cream.

I added cooked chicken to the mix when it was mostly done and let the chicken heat up in the sauce. I serve it over pasta, any kind will do.  For leftovers, I add a little chicken broth and heavy cream while heating it up.

It is utterly amazing.

Easy Rosemary Chicken Skewers

Deirdre found this recipe, and since we both like grilled chicken and almost anything to do with rosemary, we gave it a go.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

- 2 Tablespoon diced fresh rosemary

- 1 Tablespoon spicy mustard

- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce

- Juice of 2 lemons (about 6 Tablespoons)

- 2 cloves garlic minced

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- 7-9 wooden skewers

Instructions

1.  In a medium bowl combine and the ingredients except the chicken.

2.  Place the chicken in a zip-lok bag and pour the marinade over the chicken.  Seal the bag and allow to marinate for 6 hours or overnight.

3.  When ready preheat your grill.  Remove the chicken from the bag and thread the cubes onto the skewers.  5 to 6 pieces of chicken should be on each skewer.

4.  Grill the skewers for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through.

5.  Serve warm

Cook's Notes:

-  Place the wooden skewers into a shallow pan and cover them with water for at least an hour before you grill.  This will help keep the skewers from burning.

- We used Dijon mustard for the "spicy mustard," but I think that any mustard would do.  Next time, I might use a honey Dijon mustard.