Instant Pot Saag Chicken

I go through a process when I contemplate buying a new appliance for the kitchen - I ask myself whether I will use it at least once a month.  If not, I won't make the purchase.  With my Instant Pot, I've had to make a bit of an effort to make that stick, but I do find myself using it pretty regularly, especially for Indian curries.  There's something about the way it cooks the food that really does well with Indian flavors, and I've struggled to make great curries without the Instant Pot.

I've seen a lot of incredibly complex recipes for my favorite curry, Saag Chicken, which involve making some kind of extra second mixture ahead of time, or pre-boiling the spinach, etc.  This recipe is healthy, delicious, and relatively simple - it only involves one pot.  I do tend to go on the lighter side with the chiles (wimp!) and I like to sear the chicken on the Instant Pot's Saute setting briefly before cooking, but otherwise, I follow this recipe pretty much to the letter.  A note on Garam Masala - it sounds mysterious and you can't buy a bottle of it in the grocery store usually.  But, you can buy it on Amazon or from an Indian grocery store or - in a pinch - you can make your own.  There are loads of recipes out on the internet and it doesn't contain anything unusual - it's just a particular mix of common spices that is often used in Indian food.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken thighs or breasts, cut into cubes.  You may also add paneer.
• 1 pound spinach
• 2 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger piece or pre-minced ginger
• 1 white onion chopped
• 1-3 green chilies - you can use thai chiles (spicier!), but I usually use jalapenos and only use one or two
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons garam masala powder
• Water
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Instructions:

• Heat up Instant Pot in saute mode and add ghee.
• Saute cumin seeds, ginger & garlic pieces, onions and green chilies.  (I also saute the chicken / paneer briefly at this point to brown the outside a bit.)
• Sprinkle in coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt.
• Pour about ½ cup water.
• Add alternating loads of spinach and chicken pieces into the pot. Make sure to separate the chicken pieces, they will stick to each other when you pressure cook.
• Close lid and cook for 8 minutes in “pressure cook” setting.
• Once cooking time is over, manually release the pressure in the pot with a kitchen towel in your hand. Be careful, the liquids may splutter out while releasing pressure.
• Remove chicken pieces out in a bowl. Blend rest of the ingredients using stick blender into a smooth sauce.
• Add chicken pieces back.
• Sprinkle garam masala and yogurt.
• Simmer for 2-3 minutes with a glass lid to cover (curry sauce will splutter).
• Serve hot with basmati rice or naan.

Nutritional Information (for chicken only, additional calories if you add paneer): 4 servings

Calories: 328, Fat: 19g, Carbs 13g, Fiber 6g, Sugars 3g, Protein 29g

Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary, Tomatoes, Shallots and Polenta

I made this Ellie Krieger recipe for my son and myself this week and DAMN.  It is good.  And, easy for cleanup, as a single sheet-pan meal.  The herbs with the beef are truly kick-butt and, since my son ate all the meat immediately, I’ve been loving the veggies & polenta as a standalone leftover.  I will say the polenta was even better after I pan sautéed it to put a slight crust on it.  Good tenderloin isn’t cheap, but this is a good way to use it if you feel like investing a bit in a great dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ¼ pound beef tenderloin roast
• 2 pints grape tomatoes
• 4 medium shallots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
• One 1-pound tube of prepared polenta, sliced into 8 slices about ¾-inch thick
• 1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the broiler to high. Take the garlic and chop extra finely. Place the garlic paste into a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the rosemary and ½ teaspoon of the pepper and stir to combine. Rub the mixture all over the meat.

Place a metal rack on top of a sheet pan; place the meat on the rack and broil about 2 inches from the flame until the top of the meat is browned, about 3 minutes. Turn off the broiler and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Transfer the meat to a plate and remove the rack.

Place the tomatoes and the shallots on the pan. Drizzle them with 1 tablespoon of the oil and the remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Toss them with tongs, then push them over to one half of the pan. Place the meat, browned side up, in the center of the pan. Brush the polenta slices with the remaining tablespoon of oil and place them on the other side of the meat on the pan.

Cook for 15 minutes, then stir the tomatoes and shallots and flip the polenta slices. Return to the oven and continue to cook until the meat is reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees for medium rare, 10-15 minutes more. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing against the grain into ¼-inch thick slices. While the meat is resting, drizzle the tomatoes and shallots with the balsamic vinegar.

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: 3 slices of meat, 2 polenta rounds and 2/3 cup tomatoes and shallot

Per serving: Calories 420, Total Fat 22 g; (Sat Fat 6 g, Mono Fat 11 g, Poly Fat 2 g); Protein 33 g; Carb 23 g; Fiber 3 g; Cholesterol 75 mg; Sodium 610 mg, Total Sugar 7 g (Added Sugar 0 g)

Blue Cheese Lemon Green Beans

 Now, I like green beans, don’t get me wrong, but it can be really hard to make them anything more than “pretty good.”  Sometimes, a large pat of butter, salt, and pepper is just not enough to make veggies awesome.  This is one of the first recipes that makes the vegetable course the absolute standout of the meal.  I have made this a dozen times now, and it is a beautiful thing every time I make it.  I do use Frank’s Wing Sauce instead of sriracha sometimes, and that is just as good, so feel free to experiment.  Big fan of Cholula or Crystal hot sauces?  See if they work just as well.  Anyway, thanks Ree Drummond, you know how to zazz up green beans pretty darned well.

Ingredients:

• 1 TB Olive Oil
• 8 oz green beans trimmed
• 1 TB Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TB sriracha or other hot sauce (I maaaay have used more)
• Fresh lemon juice as needed
• 2 oz crumbled blue cheese

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. When hot, add the green beans in one layer. When the beans are just beginning to color, stir them around and add the Worcestershire, sriracha and lemon juice. Cook until the beans are crisp-tender, a few more minutes. Transfer them to a plate, crumble over the blue cheese and serve.

Serves 4

Calories: 152

Carbs: 13.7 g

Protein: 5 g

Grape Jelly Crock Pot Meatballs

 This was another appetizer I made for a party I held last night and people were raving about these meatballs.  They kept saying the flavor was so unusual, like nothing they'd had before.  What I did not tell them was that this was 1000% the easiest recipe I've made in forever, because it did not taste "easy."  That's my favorite kind of fancy food!  These soak up more sauce overnight and reheat extremely well.  

Ingredients:

• 2 packages, about 32 oz, pre-cooked frozen turkey meatballs (yes, you can make your own meatballs if you're feeling fancy, but these are really good and a whole lot easier!)
• 1 jar, 15 oz, grape jelly
• 1 jar, 12 oz, Heinz chili sauce

Instructions:

• Put the meatballs, grape jelly, and chili sauce in your crock pot.
• Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2 hours.  Stir every so often.

That is literally, it. 🤩

Serves 10 - 235 calories, 6 g fat, 733 mg sodium, 33g carbs, 1g fiber, 22g sugar, 10g protein

Crab & Cheese Stuffed Mini-Peppers

I made these for a party last night, and MAN, were they good!  Not that hard to make either - the toughest part was slicing & de-seeding all the little peppers.  I did these with dairy-free Boursin cheese, which was kind to my lactose-intolerant guests and had the bonus of giving the peppers a nice roasted garlic flavor.  I might add either a little tabasco to the filling or top the peppers with parmesan before cooking them next time - those feel like they could be fun experiments.  I suspect these will not reheat well, but I'll letcha know because they will be part of dinner tonight.  I'll make these appetizers again for sure.

Ingredients:

• 12-14 sweet mini-peppers
• 1 TB olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 5 oz scallion or garden flavored cream cheese
• 8 oz lump or jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
• Cut the peppers lengthwise and remove the stems, seeds and ribs. If needed, trim a small amount off the bottom of each pepper half so that it will lie flat when cut-side up (making them steady is important so the filling stays intact during baking). Chop the trimmings into small pieces and set aside.  
• Toss the pepper halves in a medium bowl with the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Set aside. 
• Stir together the softened cream cheese and reserved pepper trimmings in another medium bowl until smooth. Gently fold in the crabmeat and season with salt and pepper.
• Fill each pepper half with about 1 tablespoon of the crab mixture so it comes over the top of the pepper slightly. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the filling is beginning to brown, about 18 minutes. Serve warm.  

Serves 6 - 173 cal, 13g fat, 600 mg sodium, 6 g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g sugar, 9g protein

 Chipotle Beef Portobello Mushrooms

This is another Ellie Krieber recipe and, like her others, this is easy, uses easy-to-find ingredients and is really, really good.  It’s just a little bit spicy/tangy but not crazy and all the vegetables in it means it’s pretty low calorie.  It takes less than 30 minutes to cook, and stores & reheats really well.  

Ingredients:

• 4 large portobello mushroom caps (about ¼ pound each)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small onion
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• ½ small canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1 pound ground beef (90% lean or higher)
• One 14-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• One 8-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 2/3 cup corn kernels, from 1 ear fresh or thawed frozen corn
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 thin slices extra-sharp cheddar cheese (2 ounces total)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Brush the mushroom caps lightly with oil, using 1 tablespoon of the oil total, then sprinkle with a total of ¼ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet, gill side up, and cook until tender and juicy, 7 to 8 minutes. When the mushrooms are done, remove them from the oven, keeping them on the baking sheet.

Meanwhile, chop the onion and finely mince the garlic and canned chipotle chile. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften, 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking the meat up with the spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the diced tomatoes with their juice, tomato sauce, corn, chipotle, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 6 minutes. While the mixture is simmering, chop the cilantro.

Preheat the broiler to high.

Stir the cilantro into the beef mixture, then fill each mushroom cap with about 1 cup of it. Top each with a slice of cheese, then broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat source until the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: 1 stuffed mushroom cap

Calories 430; Total Fat 24g (Sat Fat 8g, Mono Fat 9.5g, Poly Fat 2.7g); Protein 31g; Carb 23g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 90mg; Sodium 500mg

Carrot-Ginger Vegan Soup with Roast Veggies

I have a friend who is vegan - we all have at least one, right?  And, every time I have him over, I struggle with what to make that is not going to drive me around the bend with complexity or weird ingredients.  This vegan soup is delicious, colorful, healthy, and relatively easy.  And, when I'm not among vegans, I miiiiiiight throw some sausage in there.  Even my picky son went back for seconds when I made this last night - not a vegan in sight, but it felt like great cold weather food.  It's that good.  Thanks Food Network!

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling or spraying
• 2 scallions, sliced (this works with shallots too, if you have those)
• 2 TB peeled fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed or chopped
• 5 whole carrots or 25-ish baby carrots, chopped
• salt and peper
• 1x 14 oz can light coconut milk
• 1x 15 oz can cannellini beans, undrained
• 3c of water or veggie broth
• 1 tray full of veggies you like to roast, cut into 1" chunks or florets - they recommend acorn squash, but I usually do broccoli & cauliflower, and that's great
• 2 slices crusty bread, cut into 1-in cubes, and more bread to serve with the soup

Put roasting veggies on a cookie tray, spray or drizzle with olive oil, then add salt & pepper.  Put in the oven at 425, and set a timer for 15 min.  Every 15 min, check them and turn them over.  Assume they'll need to cook 45 min, or until they are soft and the edges are a little crispy.  When you hit what will be the last 10-15 min, add the bread cubes, spray with olive oil again, and roast them with the veggies.

Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a dutch oven with the 3 TB olive oil.  Put in scallions / shallots, and cook for a minute, then add garlic & ginger and cook for another minute.  This may spit a little, so be careful.  Then, add the carrots, coconut milk, beans (including bean goo), and water / broth.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 min, or until carrots are soft enough to be cut easily with a fork.  

Take an immersion blender and blend this mixture thoroughly, until there are no more carrot chunks in it.  Put in the roasted veggies and bread cubes, and serve.  Yesssss! 🙌🏽