Pressure Cooker Chicken

I got a pressure cooker for Christmas - I had never even heard of one before! Of course I was eager to try this new toy. The recipe we used is from Toula Patsalis's The Pressure Cooker Cookbook by way of Recipezaar (here's the link to the original).

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large white onion - I didn't have one but I would use it next time
3 garlic cloves - I used 4 scoops minced garlic
4 skinless breast halves - I used chicken tenders
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
3 cups chicken broth
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fennel - I eliminated
1 bay leaf - The grocery store didn't have, so I had to eliminate this.
16 oz. egg noodles - My 6 oz. pressure cooker couldn't fit this many, so I used only 8 oz in the pressure cooker. and cooked the rest separately.
1/2 cup fontinella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat oil in pressure cooker. Saute chicken, garlic, onions and peppers for about 3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients (broth, tomato sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, pepper, herbs). Add noodles. Secure the lid on the pressure cooker and heat to high pressure (check your cooker's directions - mine has a "rocker" on top that starts to rock at high speed once the pressure is high). Reduce heat to maintain pressure and heat for 10 minutes. Check cooker's directions for how to reduce the pressure (ours included a valve that we could release pressure over time). Mix cheeses and serve with noodles and chicken mixture.

Sausage Egg Casserole

Ingredients

8 slices of bread with crusts cut off
1 lb ground sausage, cooked and drained
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
3 eggs
Dash pepper
1 tsp salt
2 c milk

Note: Must be chilled overnight

Place bread in the bottom of a greased 9"x13" casserole dish. Place bread on the bottom as the crust. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top, then sausage. Milk the rest of the ingredients together and pour into the casserole. Chill overnight. Then, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag hashbrowns
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
1 stick softened butter
1/2 onion chopped
2 c corn flakes
2 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except corn flakes and melted butter. Pour into a 9"x13" casserole dish. Top with cornflakes and drizzle melted butter on top. Cover with aluminum foil for 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbly.

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Beth's Lemon Pepper Fried Shrimp with Tartar Sauce

1 lb fresh shrimp
1 lemon
1 tsp pepper
3/4 c soy flour
1/2 c vegetable oil

1 tbsp sweet relish
3 tbsp mayonnaise

Marinate shrimp with lemon and pepper overnight. When ready to cook, heat oil in a saute pan on medium high. Coat each shrimp in soy flour. Fry, flipping every few minutes, for about 10-12 minutes or until dark golden brown. Serve with "tartar sauce" of sweet relish and mayo mixed together. YUM!

"I have no idea how "low carb" this is so I didn't label as that, but I know its a lot better than most of those frozen prebattered shrimps or fish in boxes at the grocery store. I coated the shrimp very lightly. I didn't have the energy to figure out the carb content though. All I know is that it was totally tasty!!!!"

Beth's Blackberry Brie Chicken

8 chicken tenderloins (smaller strips, not breasts)
1/2 bag frozen unsweetened blackberries, thawed
1.5 c Marsala wine
1 round brie
3 sprigs mint
salt and pepper
1/4 olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place tenderloins in a casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Add oil and 1/2 cup wine to bottom of the casserole dish. Cook for 20 minutes. Place 1/2 bag of thawed blackberries and mint into food processor or blender; blend until smooth (or as smooth as you can get). Put blackberry mix and wine into a small saucepan. Heat on medium low for 15 minutes or less. (Do not overheat - it will boil and spit staining berry juice all over the kitchen - don't ask me how I know this). Cut rind off the brie and slice as well as you can into thin strips. When chicken is done, place cheese slices on chicken and cook for five more minutes or until cheese is melted. Total cook time should be 30-35 minutes. Serve chicken and cheese, and pour small amount of berry wine sauce on top. Decorate with a sprig of mint.

"This is a surprisingly light dish. I had a brie left over from a party when I made that cranberry brie dip. I found a bag of frozen berries in the freezer and wondered what those two might taste like on chicken. I was pretty surprised. I need to call subtitle this blog "Beth's Experimental Recipes". LOL. I might try the sauce over beef for a more hearty taste."

Slow Cooker Indian Curry

This recipe is from Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'Dea. This book is great because all the recipes are online at Stephanie's Web site, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/. So if you check it out from the library, you can just write down the recipes you want to try and then go online to refresh your memory. This recipe was actually given to Stephanie by Rachael Ray, and then I modified it myself to fit my needs.

Ingredients:
4-6 frozen chicken breasts (Stephanie's recipe uses thighs)
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1-inc piece fresh ginger (I eliminated)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-oz can coconut milk
1/2 tsp Tabasco (I eliminated, but might use next time)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 can garbanzo beans (I eliminated, not a big bean person)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 an eggplant, chopped (I eliminated)
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

Stephanie's recipe calls for a 6-quart slow cooker. I'm actually not sure what size mine is, but I think it's smaller than that. Combine spices, ginger, garlic, coconut milk, Tabasco sauce, and tomato paste in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the chicken and make sure it's entirely coated with sauce. Pour in the beans, if using, then add the vegetables. Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or high for 4 to 6. Serve with rice. I found mine was done in about 4 hours - cooked it for a total of 4 1/2 while waiting for the rice to cook. This is a very richly flavored but not spicy dish. My husband wanted it to be spicier, so next time I might add the Tabasco and maybe some more cumin--but I enjoyed it just as it was. Makes a lot of leftovers, too. We should be enjoying this for a few more days.

Sauteed Garlic and Lime Tilapia - Low Carb

Ingredients

3 tilapia fillets
1/4 vegetable oil (or more if needed)
1-2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp sun dried tomato and basil Delallo dipping spices (optional)
1/4 c lime juice
2 tbsp butter

Heat oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add minced garlic and brown lightly. Add fillets and cook on one side for about five minutes on medium high heat. Turn over, brush fillets with butter, and sprinkle seasoning over fillets. Cook until the fillets get a little flaky (check with a fork). Turn over, sprinkle a little more seasoning and brush with butter. Turn down heat and add lime juice. It will start to steam because of the heat. Cook for a few more minutes and serve.

"The lime and crunchy garlic bits are so tasty on this light white fish. I was surprised at the combination. I just like garlic on protein but I know that fish tastes good with a little acidity, and I didn't have any lemon. I definitely could eat this at least once a week!"

Low Carb Pumpkin Mousse

Ingredients

1 sm can pumpkin (not pie filling)

1 container whipped topping

1 cup Splenda

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Mix all ingredients until fluffly. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. "One slice of pumpkin pie has a whopping 40 carbs, which is way over the limit for those on a low carb diet. So, I created a low carb version that is just as tasty, with no cooking needed! Half a cup of canned pumpkin has 6.5 grams of effective carbohydrate and 3.5 grams of fiber. Whipped topping only has 2 carbs per serving and Splenda has none. So, enjoy this holiday treat guilt free! Serving size is about 3/4 cup."

Twisted Taco Bake

This is my variation on a recipe from Taste of Home's Freezer Pleasers, a new book the library recently acquired. I rarely have time to make casseroles ahead--and I didn't with this recipe--but it's nice to know this recipe can be frozen for later use. I really enjoyed this twist on the standard taco.

1 lb. ground turkey (lean or extra lean)
1 small bag Mexican cheese (2 cups)
8 oz. sour cream (reduced fat if desired)
1 bag frozen peppers and onions or fresh chopped vegetables if desired
1 box rotini spiral pasta (whole grain if desired)
1 jar plain spaghetti sauce (about 16 oz)
1 envelope taco seasoning

Cook turkey until no longer pink. Drain fat; add taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water. While that is working, cook noodles. When water has cooked off turkey, add peppers and onions and cook through. Add sour cream to noodles and stir. Preheat oven to 325 degrees; grease a 9x13 baking pan. Add noodle mixture to bottom of pan; cover with a layer of cheese. Cover with meat mixture and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. If desired, remove at 25 minutes and add an additional layer of cheese.