Died and gone to foodie heaven Coconut Rice

Amazingly mellow and perfect with any Asian inspired dish. Tonight it was leftover red curry from the Chinese place up the street that I bought too much of a month ago and froze the leftovers.

1 can of coconut milk

3/4 c jasmine rice

1 tsp salt

1 TBS sugar

Mix all in PC, use rice setting.  Mine rice setting is 6 minutes.  Natural release for 5 minutes, quick release the rest if there is any pressure left. 

Try not to devour the entire pot full in one sitting 😋

Quick Pasta and Sausage

 I know I tend to cook a lot of the same type of meals, but what can I say, sometimes I open the pantry and wonder what I can combine to make dinner.  On the up side, my kitchen smells divine.  On the upper side, it was done in 4 minutes, so there is really no complaining from me.

Quick Pasta and Sausage.

1/2 box bowtie pasta

1/2 jar salsa verde

1/2 box (2 c) chicken broth

1 package jalapeño and cheese sausages (4)

1 package frozen peas, steamed for 4 minutes in microwave

1/2 c sour cream.

Cook the pasta and salsa and broth on high for 4 minutes.

Quick release.

Stir

slice sausages, and add with peas and sour cream to pasta.  

voila!  it's ready to serve.  

Green Corn Tamales

Every once in a while I have a strong NEED to taste the food of my teenage years. Having spent my teen years in southern Arizona, Green Corn Tamales were the food of the fall and holiday season.  I seem to remember them with fresh corn, strait off the cob, but I now live in Texas and it is February and a girl does what a girl has to do.  So I have spent weeks perusing various tamale recipes.  And finally decided I was ready to tackle this big project.

Our cast of characters:  Corn Husks.  Masa.  Monterey Jack Cheese.  Corn.  Green Chilies.  Chicken.  Unsalted Butter.

the pieces ready for assembly.  Shredded cheese, masa mix, shredded chicken.

I know it looks gross, but trust me it's important

Lunch is Served!

Green Corn Tamales

20 dry corn husks, soaked in hot water to make pliable

3 chicken breasts

4 medium heat green chiles

Layer in pressure cooker, add 1 c water, pressure high 15 minutes.  Natural release.  When cool use Bosch with paddles to shred. (Chicken and chilies, not liquid)

2 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 c unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

1tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbs sugar

In clean mixer, using paddles whip until fluffy.

Meanwhile in another bowl mix 2 c masa harina (This is the dry stuff, found in the mexican food isle of the grocery...not the dough like I have in the picture...I had to go back to the market)  and 1 can of drained corn (processed in food processor so it's cut smaller, but not paste).  Add 1 1/2 c chicken broth, 1/2 c at a time.  Mix should be pea size, like making piecrust.

Now mix masa mixture into fluffy butter, adding a cup at a time, continue mixing with paddles 10 minutes.  Drop a small peice into a cup of water.  If it floats, you are ready.

Use glad press n seal on counter top to keep mess to a minimum.

Taking a corn husk lay flat and add a scoop of masa.   Spread with rubber spatula keeping about1/3 inch thick.  Put a line of cheese topped with chicken in center.  Pull sides of husk together, then gently open up.  Using the husk, make sure tamale is sealed.  Open husk again, now roll like a burrito, pull top down, roll the sides in.  I left one end open.  

Once all tamales are assembled, stack on steamer close together with open end up.  Add 1 c water, pressure on High for 20 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes.

I served mine with a swizzle of Ranch dressing on top.

Unconsumed tamales may be wrapped in ziplock bags and frozen.

Seriously Yummy Monday Night Pasta

Pasta in the pressure cooker doesn't have to be a hard thing.  Once you know the secret, it's super easy. So here's the secret.  Use a pasta shape that won't stick to itself (like spaghetti or fettuccini)  The more awkward the shape, the better it will work in the pc. And use just enough liquid to barely cover the pasta.  Now turn your pc on high, for HALF the time it tells you to boil it for.  Quick release.  Voila! it's done.

cast of characters

This is a little difficult to see, because I was cooking in the near dark, and using my cell phone.  There's no explaining why I do what I do. Just accept it and move on... But look at the cute message board my daughter-in-law made for me for christmas...

1 lb lean hamburger (please defrost so your won't look brown like it just came out of the microwave)

chopped onion (true there is no picture, but I am assuming you know what chopped onion looks like)

1/2 package pasta

1 jar sundried tomato pesto

fresh mozzarella pearls

brown meat and onions

Brown hamburger and onions... until almost completely brown...since we are going to pressure cook, I left it just a little pink.

place raw pasta on top of meat, cover (just barely) with water or broth

Once your meat is brown, pour the pasta and liquid on top.

pressure on high 6 minutes

Lock the lid in place and pressure on high for 6 minutes (the package directions said to boil 12-14 minutes)

finished product

Once the time is up, do a quick release of the pressure, remove lid.  At this point it was soupier than I wanted, so I drained off my liquid.  Added the jar of pesto and about 1/4 c mozzarella pearls.  Because I love melted cheese, but the man I cook for is not a big fan, so this is a great compromise, I get my melty cheese and he can easily take his and put it on my dish.  Yeah we are a study if perfect symbiocity. *I am almost certain I just made that word up.

Variations on a Theme

So my dear friend sent me a package the other day.  It had two boxes of that lovely Knorr seasoning cubes that my market here doesn't seem to carry (If they do, I sure can't find it!).  And my sweet daughter-in-law called and talked about making beans at her house.  So I knew I needed a pot of beans.  But who wants to wait to soak overnight and all day to cook?  Not me!  So I chose a time when my adult daughter was gone.  She still does not eat beans.  I know, it's a sure sign I failed in the way I raised her.  Or she just doesn't like beans.  Either way, today I am making beans!

I pretty much followed Char's recipe below, only I had Great Northern Beans instead of pintos.  And we are carnivores, so I had to add sausage to the pot.

30 minutes on high with natural release, and then I thickened the juice with a little bit of dehydrated potatoes.   Char was right, they are the best beans ever!

Frogmore Stew

My intentions were good. I took a before picture...then we ate dinner and I forgot to get a picture of the finished product before it was consumed. 

This is also known as 'Lo-Country Boil'.  Whatever the name, we call it delicious.

6 red potatoes cut in half 

2 chicken thighs

3 Cajun sausages

3 ears corn on the cob

10 oz frozen medium size shrimp, cleaned, uncooked

1/4 c Old Bay seasoning

3 c chicken broth 

Brown chicken in a little butter.  

Layer in pressure cooker as follows:

Potatoes

Chicken

Sausage (poke the casing to keep from splitting during pressure)

Shucked corn broke in half

Old Bay

Chicken broth

Pressure on high 4 minutes.  Natural release for 8 minutes, quick release after that.  While waiting for the natural release, sauté the shrimp in a little butter in a separate pan until shrimp is just barely pink.  Open pc cut sausage and chicken into bitesize peices and add the shrimp sausage and chicken to the pot.  Serve in bowls with some rolls on the side.  (Broth is for flavor and cooking, it's too salty to actually eat as a soup).  Enjoy!

Melanie's Creole Buttah Chickee

As I was lookng for something to cook in my pressure cooker a few weeks back, I came across this recipe for Indian Butter Chicken

http://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/2014/04/pressure-cooker-indian-butter-chicken/

It was good, but we have not eaten a lot of indian cuisine, so the flavors went in a different direction than what we are used to. But I liked the process and decided to change it to what we like.  And that is how Melanie's Creole Buttah Chickee was born.  (must be said in a red neck accent)

We had 3 extra adults for dinner, and we still have enought for a 2nd meal this week, and I froze enough sauce (no pasta) for another meal in a few weeks.

 The cast of characters

• 10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cans (14 oz.) diced tomatoes and juice
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 white onion
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup firmly packed minced cilantro

Directions

Cut the chicken pieces into quarters.

Put tomatoes, jalapeno and onion salt, cream and yogurt in a blender or food processor and blend to a fine puree.

Add butter to pressure cooking pot, select Browning. When butter is melted and foam begins to subside, add the chicken pieces, a few at a time, and sear until they are nicely browned all over (about 2-3 minutes per batch). Remove them with a slotted spoon into a bowl and put aside.

Add ground cumin and paprika to the butter in the pot and cook, stirring rapidly, for 10-15 seconds. Add the tomato mixture, and chicken pieces (with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl) to the pot. Gently stir the chicken to coat the pieces. Cover and lock lid in place. Select High Pressure and 5 minutes cook time. When timer beeps, turn off and use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes use a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure.

Stir in the creole seasoning and caraway seeds.  Whisk together cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir in to sauce in the pot. Select sauté and bring to a boil. Turn off pressure cooker and stir in minced cilantro.

Serve over rice or pasta.

The protien

 The final product

Green Chile Venison

I was defrosting my deep freeze the other week and as I was hanging my head upside down in the freezer reaching what was on the bottom, I found some venison that was given to me by a neighbor.   Evidently his 15 year old teenage daughter shot her first whitetail deer, but because she had looked into the eyes of the deer, she refused to eat the venison and begged her father to get rid of it.  So her funny teenage mind blessed my freezer with the ultimate in yummyness!  All of a sudden my memories flased back to growing up in southern Airzona and the delicious mexican food my mother served regularly.  What do other families eat when they don't eat mexican food?   So right then and there I decided I NEEDED a good green chilie in my life.  The only problem was I was still in the middle of freezer defrostation.  I know you are thinking "Dang!  Her life is sooooo hard!"  Thank you for your sympathetic thoughts.    So I finished the freezer and took my venison inside for wonderfulness to hapen.  After scouring my brain for hidden childhood recipes, I finally gave in and went to pinterest where I read multiple recipes for green chile stew, both pork and cicken. Then with that as my starting point, I used what I had and adapted it for the pressure cooker.  

This recipe made enough for christmas eve green chile sourcream enchiladas and a dozen burritos for the freezer 

Green Chile Venison Stew

2 3/4 inch thick venison steaks/chops*

1 lb ground venison**

1 large onion (chopped)

1 garlic clove (chopped)

2 8 oz cans of salsa verde

2 cans green chiles

1 fresh jalapeño, seeded and chopped

6 red potatoes cut in quarters

1 c chicken broth

1 can red kidney beans (drained)

1 can black beans (draied)

Cut the steaks into chunks (like stew meat).  Using the brown function on your pc, brown the chunks and the ground meat (may need a small amount of crisco, depending on the fat content of your venison)  Set meat aside. 

Using the brown function, brown onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Once onion is translucent, add meat back to cooker. Turn off pc.   On top of the meat onion mixture add 1 can of salsa verde, green chilies, chopped jalapeno, potatoes.   Add chicken broth and top with the 2nd can of salsa verde.  Pressure on high 25-30 minutes.  Natural release for 10 minutes.  Quick release after that.  Open pressure cooker and using a potato masher squish all that deliciousness together.  Add the beans and continue to mash.  Eat a big ol bowl with chips and sour cream on top.  Use for enchiladas. Make burritos.  Its very versitile and oh so good!

* may use pork or chicken 

**ground beef or pork may be used

Pressure Cooker:  Brown, High

Natural release 10 minutes, quick release after that

No trivet, food directly in liquid

Meatloaf

Amanda inspired this dinner.  She tried it with her young family and I had to replicate it the next day. Although she browned hers first, I just mixed up my favorite meatloaf recipe, shaped it into a loaf and pressured on high for 17 minutes.  Natural release for 5 minutes and quick release right after that.  The steamer basket was perfect for removing it from the cooker. This meal was a total success.