Tag: healthyliving

Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken

Published on by richbLeave a comment

Wanted something quick to make with chicken thighs looked around several recipes and came up with this.

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion rough chipped
  • 3 cloves garlic smashed
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce + 1 tsp of the adobo sauce from the can
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1 bay leaf 
  • 1 tsp chicken bullion
  • 1 cup water
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 lbs chicken thighs (fat trimmed)

Directions

Add all ingredients into Instant Pot. Add chicken and mix around and submerge chicken in liquid as much as possible. Cook on high pressure for 10 mins. Let pressure naturally release. Chop and add on top of rice with salsa. Enjoy

Chinese Green Onion Pancakes

Published on by richbLeave a comment

This is an incredibly simple recipe and easy to make but is enjoyable and satisfying to eat. I first tasted this in a visit to China and wanted to try to reproduce it. Here is the recipe that I have come up with for 3 pancakes, enjoy.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of All Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup of boiling water
  • 4 green onions sliced into rings
  • 3 tablespoons of oil or butter for frying

Directions

Put Flour and Salt into a bowl and mix dry ingredients. Add boiling water and stir and mix together with fork till dough comes together. Separate into 3 balls and let rest for 30 mins. Roll out balls into disks and sprinkle 1/3 of the green onions on each. Roll up into a cigar shape with onions inside, then coil up cigar into a disk. Then roll out into a pancake and fry each pancake in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat till browned and cooked.

Spicy Garlic Bok Choy

Published on by richbLeave a comment
  1. 1 pound bok choy
  2. 1 tablespoon oil 
  3. 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  4. ¼ cup water
  5. 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
  6. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  7. 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (For Vegetarian/Vegan substiture Hoisin Sauce)
  8. 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  9. 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
  10. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  11. 1/2 tsp of corn starch

Directions (Ready in less than 10 mins)

Mix ingredients 3-11 in a bowl. Cut stems off, slice up, and put asside. Cut up leaves. Heat pan and add oil, I used avocado oil since it is healthy and good for high temp. Add stems and fry for a couple of minutes. Add in leaves and fry till wilted. Put aside and pour sauce mixed together in bowl earlier into hot pan. Cook for about 2 minutes and pour over bok choy, then serve.

Leftover Turkey Stew

Published on by richbLeave a comment

This is a great meal to use up the leftover turkey. Tastes great and is pretty healthy.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon of butter + 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons of flour (add for desired thickness of sauce)
  • 5 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 carrots sliced about 1/4″
  • 2 potatoes cut to a small dice
  • 2 stalks of celery diced to desired size (I prefer small dice)
  • 1 med. sized onion chopped into about 1/2 inch pieces
  • 32 oz of chicken broth (I used low sodium)
  • 1.5 pounds of chopped cooked turkey
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons of flour (add for desired thickness of sauce)
  • 1 teaspoons salt (approx 1 tsp. add 1/2 tsp and add more salt to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon of dried minced sage (or 1 tablespoon of fresh minced)
  • 1 teaspoon of black pepper

Directions

Add butter into pan over medium high heat, then add olive oil. When hot add garlic and lightly fry (don’t brown). Add in carrots, celery and onions and fry about 1 minutes more. Add in flour and stir and fry for another 2 minutes. then add in chicken broth slowly stiring and mixing with rue until smooth. Add potatoes, turkey,  about half the salt, sage, curry powder and black pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add as much additional salt until seasoned to your preference. Serve and enjoy.

Simple Healthy Easy Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake

Published on by richbLeave a comment

I wanted a sweet treat that was healthy (like a muffin) to go with my coffee and I came across this recipe. Wow for being healthy (Fruit – banana, egg – protein, cocoa powder – flavor and anti oxidants),  it doesn’t taste like it.

Ingredients

  • 1 egg (beat in mug)
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 ripe banana (smashed  in peal)

Directions

Peal smashed  banana into mug and eliminate large chunks by smashing with a fork then add to mug with egg and  cocoa powder. Mix well.  Microwave for 1 min 30 seconds. Cool for a short time, not too long. Eat warm (maybe after about 1 min of setting).

Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma Wraps

Published on by richbLeave a comment

These were really good a pretty easy to make. The Instant pot made it very tender and quick.

Ingredients Chicken Shawarma (4 servings)
  • 0.25 cup olive oil
  • 0.13 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.25 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 large onion sliced
  • 2 lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley for garnish
  • 0.5 tbsp olive oil
  • Flour Tortillas for wrapping

Toppings

  • Chopped Onion
  • Chopped tomato
  • Chopped Cilantro
  • lettuce
  • Hummus

Directions:

Put Chicken Shawarma ingredients (Except tortillas) into a zip lock bag, mix up, then marinade in fridge at least an hour. Add into Instant pot and set for 8 minutes on high pressure. Let cycle finish and pressure naturally release. Remove from Instant pot and put into a frying pan along with a little of the sauce in the instant pot (The more you use the more flavor however it will take longer for it to reduce) then cook until liquid gone and chicken browned. Put in a warmed tortilla with the desired toppings serve and enjoy.

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

Published on by richbLeave a comment

I recently purchased an Instant Pot. These are really cool cookers that allow you to use one pot to cook in and do it in a very short time using pressure cooking. I wanted to see how it would do on hard boiled eggs and this is what I did to come up with a perfectly cooked egg (yolk just cooked till solid, no more). Additionally the shell of the egg peels off perfectly with no sticking every time.

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs (can use more if you want to cook more)
  • 1 cup of water

Directions

Add water into Instant Pot and put in steamer rack (the one that comes with the Instant Pot). Put on the lid and close the pressure valve set the Instant Pot for pressure cook low and set the timer for 9 minutes and let it start. When done immediately press cancel and release the pressure using the pressure release valve. Take out the eggs and put into cold water. When they are cool enough to eat, enjoy.

RX Bar Copy Recipes

Published on by richbLeave a comment

I wanted to have healthier snack bars to eat and I was told about the RX Bar. These are made from real food, not processed, however these are more than $2 each. So I looked around and found a recipe and found they are very easy to make, no baking. I made up my own recipes from what I learned. So I am making these for my snacks.

Base Bar Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unflavored egg white protein powder
  • 1 cup medjool dates
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 3/4 cup raw cashews
  • 2 tbsp water

Flavorings for different flavored bars

Coffee Chocolate

  • 1/4 cup raw cocoa nibs
  • 2 tsp espresso powder

Chocolate Peanut butter

  • 1/4 cup raw cocoa nibs
  • 2 tbsp PB2 powdered peanut butter

Peanut butter

  • 3 tbsp PB2 powdered peanut butter

Add Base bar ingredients to food processor. Decide on flavor and add Flavorings for bar you want. Process in food processor till it forms a thick paste or dough. Put into a 9×13 pan lined with saran wrap and press or roll out till evenly spread. Cut into 12 bars and wrap in saran wrap or seal with food saver or seal a meal.

Instant Pot Red Chili Beef

Published on by richbLeave a comment

This is a Instant Pot recipe of my Red Chili Beef recipe with coffee added.  I recently bought one and it is really easy and quick to use and clean. This is a spicy no-beans chili made with beef, a few vegetables, and spices. It can be served with white rice if you want some carbs to go with it.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs of sirloin steak (other beef can be used also, just cook longer) cubed in about 1/2 to 3/4″ cubes
  • 1 tablespoon of cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon of new mexico hot chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 cup of coffee (optional) water can be used
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 1 small onion diced finely
  • 5 cloves of garlic minced
  • Canola oil for frying meat (1 tablespoon)
  • 1 teaspoon flour
  • 1 8 oz can tomato sauce

Directions

Put Instant Pot on saute and let heat up for a minute or two, then add Canola oil and fry meat on 1 side till browned, then deglaze with coffee and water and cancel saute setting. Now add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Close lid and pressure valve on Instant Pot. Set for meat/stew setting and select less, then start pressure cook cycle. When done cancel and natural release pressure, now serve and enjoy.

Healthy Great Tasting Whole Wheat Pancakes

Published on by richbLeave a comment

I like the nutrition that comes from less processed ingredients. So I have an inexpensive flour mill (hand operated) and some whole wheat grain that I like to use occasionally since most of the flour bought in the market is heavily processed. You get extra nutrition from the less processed flour. I use the flour in pancakes and tortillas and these pancakes came out great with a deep rich taste.

Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cups of quality whole wheat flour (I ground my own)
  • 1/3 cup of all purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups of 2% milk
  • 1/2 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Butter for cooking

Directions

Put dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until combined. Add eggs and milk to a bowl and stir. Add 1/2 of the eggs and milk mixture along with the vanilla to a bowl and stir till combined, then add the rest and stir again till combined. Heat a non stick pan on medium heat till hot, then a small amount of butter to a pan to coat the bottom, then pour in enough of the batter for the desired size pan cake. Cook till you see the edges are starting to look dry and there are bubbles in the center. Flip the pancake and cook on the second side till lightly brown. Then server and enjoy.