Instant Pot Asian-Inspired Chicken and Rice

Are you stuck in your house wondering what you can make for dinner? Heading home from work and don't have time to do any grocery shopping? Hopefully, you have some basic ingredients in your house that you can use to cook a quick, delicious meal. I created this Instant Pot Asian-inspired Chicken and Rice recipe during the coronavirus quarantine using ingredients I had in my RV pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. 

Want to give it a try? Go and look to see what you have in your pantries, refrigerators, and freezers that can be thrown together to make a tasty meal. Since I made up this recipe around the basic ingredients I had, you should consider my list of vegetable and spice ingredients as flexible. Feel free to experiment and adapt this recipe to match what you have in your home.

Imagine, you could do Spanish rice by substituting ground beef for the chicken; substitute chili powder, paprika, oregano, garlic powder and cumin for the ginger and Chinese spices; and add a can of minced tomatoes. Just be sure that you have at least one cup of liquid in the Instant Pot when you cook using pressure.

When you cook vegetables, spices, meat, and rice all together in the Instant Pot, the rice soaks up all the wonderful juices as it cooks. When you brown the meat before cooking, it helps to keep the meat moist and increases its flavor.

This recipe takes about 30 minutes from start to eating,; and, I humbly must say I think this meal tastes pretty AMAZING!

Instant Pot Asian-inspired Chicken and Rice

Serves 6 - (2 cups per serving)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can, water chestnuts, sliced
• 1 teaspoon, powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon, Chinese 5 spice
• pinch of salt
• 1 pound, chicken, chopped into 1 " cubes
• 2 cups rice, uncooked
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

1. Assemble all your ingredients before you start. Things will happen quickly once you start cooking.
2. Set your Instant Pot to Sauté.  
3. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and warm. 
4. Add onions, green peppers, garlic, and water chestnuts. Cook until onions are translucent. 
5. Add chicken, Chinese 5 spice, ginger, and salt. Stir till chicken is browned (no pink showing).
6. Turn the Instant Pot off.
7. Add rice, water and soy sauce. Stir till mixed. Scrap any pieces of rice off the inside walls of the pot. 
8. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, turn the valve to sealing. Press the Rice option or set to manual for 12 minutes. 
9. Once the cycle is completed, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. If the pressure indicator is still up, you can carefully move the valve to vent. (I cover the valve with a towel before I turn it so I don’t get burned.) 
10. Stir everything in the pot to ensure the chicken and rice are cooked the way you want. 

If you want things crispier like fried rice, turn the Instant Pot to sauté and stir till everything gets to the crispiness you want. Garnish with a pinch of black pepper, some more soy sauce or the contents of a Chinese sauce packet you may have leftover from your last takeaway order.  Serve with a side of steamed vegetables.

Instant Pot NY Style Cheesecake - So Easy

Looking for a quick and easy dessert for your New Year's Eve party but don't want to have to spend a lot of time? Then, my friend, you are going to love this cheesecake recipe. YES, you can make a cheesecake in your Instant Pot and it will be creamy, tasty and amazingly easy to make! I found this recipe for a New York Style Cheesecake on Twin Cities Adventures' YouTube channel.

I think this version of cheesecake is a little creamier than most of the New York cheesecakes I've had before, but I still really like it. I will warn you. This is not a diet cheesecake. If you cut it into 8 slices, each slice is almost 500 calories. Yup, that is not a typo. Five hundred calories.

Before you make this cheesecake, you need to buy a springform pan that fits in your Instant Pot. Since I have a 6 quart Instant Pot, the 7" x 3" Fat Daddio's pan fits perfectly. I bought mine on Amazon.

Easy Instant Pot New York Style Cheesecake

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS
Ingredients for Crust
Vegetable oil spray of your choice
1 sleeve graham crackers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

Ingredients for Filling
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs, beaten

Ingredients for Topping
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS
Cut a square of parchment paper or foil a little bigger than the bottom of your pan. Wrap the bottom in parchment paper or foil and put the lined bottom back in the pan. Spray the entire inside of the pan with vegetable oil spray.

In a bowl, mix crushed graham crackers with salt and melted butter. It should resemble wet sand. Pour mixture into lined pan. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass, press the crumbs to form the crust. The edges can go up the sides about an inch. This will make it a little easier to remove the cheesecake from the springform pan after cooking. Place the pan in the freezer to cool while you make the filling.

Place all of the ingredients for filling in a bowl and whisk until creamy and smooth.  Pour the creamed mixture into the cooled crust. Smooth the top with a spoon or spatula.

Into the metal pot that came inside your Instant Pot, pour one cup of water. You need this to create steam and pressure.  Place the springform pan on the wire trivet and gently lower this inside the Instant Pot. There is no need to cover the cheesecake pan with foil. We will just blot off any water from the top of the cheesecake after it cooks.

(If you don't have the trivet that came with the Instant Pot, create some way to raise the pan about an inch off the bottom of your Instant Pot's inner metal pot so the cheesecake is not sitting in the water.) 

Lock the Instant Pot lid and be sure the lid is set to SEALING. Press Manual and set the timer to 28 minutes. After the cooking is complete, let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. If the pressure is not completely released after 10 minutes, you can vent any remaining steam.

Carefully lift the lid. Try not to drip any extra water onto the cheesecake. Using a clean napkin or paper towel, blot the edges of the cheesecake to remove any excess liquid.

Mix the ingredients for the topping in a bowl. Immediately spread over the top of the cheesecake. Place cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. After it is completely cooled, you can press the cheesecake out of the springform pan and cut it into slices. I cut mine into 8 generous slices so the nutritional facts below are based on that serving size.

This cheesecake is good enough to eat plain, but I like to top it with just a little bit of cherry pie filling or fruit jam slightly warmed. I freeze individual slices using my Food Saver. Once thawed, it tastes as good as it did on the first day.

Instant Pot Zuppa Tuscano (Whole30 Sausage, Potato, Kale Soup)

This soup is similar to a favorite that I get at a restaurant where I order the unlimited soup and salad. I found a few Whole30 versions online and adapted them for the Instant Pot.  When I am not doing a Whole30, I make a few adjustments. They are in bold italics.

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon fennel seeds

¼ teaspoon black pepper

 [I substitute a premade packaged sausage for above ingredients when not on Whole30]

½ cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. dry thyme (or 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves)

(If using premade sausage, add oregano, thyme, adjust fennel to taste after browning)

4 cups chicken bone broth or other Whole30 compliant broth

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices

1 pound potatoes, chopped (red or russet work)

4 cups chopped kale (or whole baby kale leaves)

Directions

Set Instant Pot to sauté high setting. Heat the olive oil, then add the ground pork, Italian seasoning, salt, paprika, fennel seeds, and black pepper. (or add premade sausage if not on a Whole30) Mix well. Add the onion and garlic. Cook stirring frequently, until the meat is browned.

Stir in broth, canned tomatoes with juices, and potatoes. Switch Instant Pot setting to Manual, high pressure, turn vent knob to sealing, set timer for 5 minutes, close lid. When time ends, quick release by switching knob to venting (be careful – use a wooden spoon to turn knob and cover with a cloth).

Add the kale. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes until kale is wilted. Season with additional salt and black pepper and serve. (If not on Whole30, I might add "half and half" and stir till warmed through.) If the kale isn't wilting in the hot soup or the half and half cooled it off too much, you can reset Instant Pot to saute and simmer for a few minutes. 

Serves 4 - 2 cups servings.  Approximately 400 calories 

To print a "photo-less" version of the recipe, click here.

My Notes:

As a full-time camper who usually has at least an electric hookup, I love my Instant Pot. It makes cooking so easy and clean-up even easier. You just throw everything in and walk away. No more stirring the pot on the stove or having to watch to make sure it doesn't boil over. Since the inner metal pot comes right out, I find it much easier to clean than my old crockpot and rice cooker were.

I make this soup first thing in the morning after I teach my VIPKID classes. After it cools down a bit, I put the soup in mason jars and stick two in the fridge and two in the freezer. (If putting in the freezer, don't fill the jars all the way.  Leave room for the soup to expand as it freezes.)

Do you make soups in the Instant Pot? If yes, do you have a favorite recipe?  Do you have any tips for the newbies about adapting recipes for the Instant Pot?

I enjoy sharing my life with all of you but I love it, even more, when you share your comments and suggestions with all of us.

Wheat-Free Bacon Pancake Breakfast Sandwich From Nom Nom Paleo

I am a big fan of breakfast sandwiches, both the fast-food kind and those you can buy in the grocery store. But, I can't tolerate wheat, refined sugars, and toxic additives. I feel terrible when I eat these pre-made foods.

So, I hunted for a healthier alternative and found this recipe at Nom Nom Paleo. I made a few revisions to Michelle's recipe based on my personal tastes. This is not something I would eat every day, but for a weekend treat, absolutely yes.  Oh, just so you know, my dad said he loved these and he's not a diet food person.

INGREDIENTS
5 cooked bacon strips, thick slice or 10 thinly sliced
¼ cup mashed ripe banana (1 medium banana)
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons full-fat canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill organic coconut flour
1 Tbsp. Bob Mill's organic almond flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
ghee or coconut oil (for frying)
2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided among the sandwiches

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Place bacon strips on a wire rack over a cookie sheet. Place in oven and cook until crisp (about 10 minutes). Remove bacon from the oven and set aside. 
3. In a medium-sized bowl, mash the banana with a fork until creamy. 
4. Add eggs, coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix well. 
5. In another bowl, mix coconut flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.  
6. Add wet ingredients and mix well until there are no lumps. 
7. Preheat a skillet and grease lightly with coconut oils. (I used a nice electric skillet and preheated it to 300 degrees F) 
8. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter into a rectangularly shaped pancake. Cook as you would regular pancakes until the desired brown-ness is achieved on both sides. 
9. Assemble sandwiches with two pancakes, one slice of bacon and about 2 teaspoons of maple syrup on each.

Makes 5 sandwiches: 299 calories each based on my revisions.

Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free Double Chocolate Muffins

I LOVE CHOCOLATE and this "Double Chocolate" muffin recipe adapted from Detoxinista helps to fill that craving without using any wheat or dairy. They taste like brownies and are not too dry.

I didn't put Paleo in the title because we all have different opinions about calling something Paleo and then using maple syrup and/or coconut sugar. I think they are Paleo, but you can decide for yourself.

This recipe makes 12 muffins that are 223 calories each.

Ingredients
1 cup creamy Sunbutter (or other nut butter)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 whole eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (use dairy-free if you need to avoid dairy)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line the muffin pan with baking cups. (I like to put in reusable silicone cups). Adjust temperature for your convection oven, if you have one.

2. In a large bowl, stir together everything but the chocolate chips. Mix until you have a smooth thick batter.

3. Fold in the chocolate chips (reserve some for the tops)

4. Divide batter into 12 cups, top with extra chips, and then bake for about 20 minutes until the muffins have risen and the edges are firm but gentle to the touch.

5. Allow muffins to cool completely before serving.

Store leftovers at room temperature up to 4 days. I portion mine out into food saver vacuum-seal bags and freeze. Remove and thaw whenever you want a treat. Not sure how long they last in the freezer because ours never lasted more than a week. My dad loves these and likes to eat one every day for his afternoon snack. I love that they are healthy for him.

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad: Paleo-Inspired From Whole Sisters

Are you looking for healthy recipes to support your wellness efforts? Me, too! During my repeated efforts to live a healthier life, I tried Whole30, Paleo and Keto-type diets. While none of these "diets" are perfect, they taught me that I feel and look better when I eliminate dairy, wheat, and sugar from my life. When I first tried to eat this way, I found it challenging since I had hardly any recipes that didn't include some kind of flour, sugar, or cheese in the ingredients list.

Thus began the process of scouring the internet for Whole30 and Paleo recipes. Some recipes were disasters and I will never make them again. Others were easy to make and delicious. These are now some of my favorites and I will share them with you in this blog with my campground reviews and some Disney fun.

One of my favorites and a big hit with other family members is the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad. The original recipe can be found on the Whole Sisters website. I adapted it to my own tastes and my recipe is below. My adapted version may not be 100% Whole30 or Paleo, so adjust the recipe for your own needs.

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad Ingredients:

4 cups Napa cabbage, shredded

1 cup red cabbage, shredded

1 cup snow peas, trimmed

1 cup carrots, shredded

1 small red onion, sliced thinly

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1 can mandarin oranges, in juice, drained

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Asian Sesame Chicken Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut amino

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, powdered

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoon light olive oil

2 dates, soaked and then mashed

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all the salad ingredients into a large bowl.

2. Mix dressing ingredients until well incorporated.

3. Pour over salad ingredients.

4. If you like a lightly dressed salad, don’t add all of the dressing.

5. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.  272 calories for the salad without dressing.

Add 161 calories per serving for Whole Sisters' Asian Dressing


Recipe Notes (Adaptations and My Dressing Preference)

As I mentioned earlier, I adjusted ingredients based on what I had in the pantry and fridge, so I only used Napa and the red cabbage. I didn’t have black sesame seeds, and I used a prune instead of a date. I used red onions instead of green, and I don’t like cilantro so I skipped this. I used powdered ginger instead of fresh. I also added a small drained can of mandarin oranges packed in juice (no sugar or sugar substitutes).  

The Whole Sister's salad dressing was okay, in my opinion. Originally it called for 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. I think it should be reduced to 2 teaspoons if you want to make the original recipe's dressing. 

Since I wasn't a big fan of the original dressing, I decided to use a homemade Paleo Hoisin Sauce from my Well Fed cookbook, cause I really love that sauce on everything. (Sorry, the Paleo Hoisin recipe is not online and is copyrighted, so I can't share it here.)  I add the dressing to individual servings and tossed before serving. Much yummier.