Coconut Rice with Red Beans and Mango (for the rice cooker)

 Ever since I got my rice cooker, I think I cook all my rice dishes in it. Even though I have an Instant Pot, I just like the convenience of my rice cooker better for rice. Dump in the ingredients, give it a swish, close, hit the appropriate button, and wander off to do whatever I need/want to do. One of these days I'll try making grits in it.

Coconut Rice with Red Beans and Mango

2 c. brown rice

One onion, diced

1 t. ginger

One can of coconut milk

2-1/2 c. vegetable broth

1/8 t. cayenne

One mango, peeled and diced

2 cans of red beans, or 1-1/2 c. cooked from dried

Cilantro, chopped

Dump all the ingredients except for the mango, beans, and cilantro into the rice cooker. Stir to mix well. Close lid and follow manufacturer's directions. When done, stir in the mango, beans, and cilantro. Enjoy!

Chick'n Vegetable Spaghetti

 Like I mentioned last week, I have a freezer full of Gardein. My son developed an obsession for the Gardein Chick'n Scallopini, so I wanted to find a recipe for it that did more than just season and grill.

Chick'n Vegetable Spaghetti

One package Gardein Chick'n Scallopini, thawed enough to cut into chunks

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 zucchini, chopped

One onion, chopped

One package sliced mushrooms

One can of sliced black olive, drained

One 15 oz. can tomato sauce

2 t. dried basil

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

One package of your favorite pasta (I like angel hair), cooked according to package directions

Saute the scallopini chunks and garlic in oil until garlic becomes fragrant. Add the zucchini and onion and saute until vegetables are tender. Add the olives and mushrooms and heat through. Add the tomato sauce and seasonings until thoroughly heated. Serve over the cooked pasta. Enjoy!

Hawaiian Porq

 I realized my freezer was being overrun with Gardein products, so I started considering ways to use them.

Hawaiian Porq

One package Gardein Sweet and Sour Porkless Bites

One onion, chopped

One can of pineapple chunks, drained and juice reserved

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1/4 c. brown sugar

One green bell pepper, chopped

2 T. soy sauce

4 T. cornstarch

Saute the porkless bites, onion, and bell pepper until the vegetables are softened. Add the pineapple chunks, vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce, stirring to mix well. I added the sauce packet from the porkless bites, as well. Mix the cornstarch into the reserved pineapple juice until dissolved. Pour this into the pan with the other ingredients and stir until thickened. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Caribbean Rice and Beans (for the rice cooker)

I'm always looking for new recipes to try out in my Instant Pot appliances. I made the blackeyed peas in the Instant Pot, nothing fancy. The rice, however, I did make in my rice cooker. Both the peas and the rice can be easily converted to the usual standard way, I just like to use my appliances.

Caribbean Rice and Beans

Blackeyed peas, cooked from dry or canned
2 t. minced garlic
One onion, diced
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
One green bell pepper, diced
2-1/2 c. water
1-1/2 c. long grain brown rice
1/2 c. dried, unsweetened coconut
1/2 t. thyme
1 t. salt
1-2 very ripe plantains, peeled, sliced, fried

Add everything except for the peas and the plantains to the rice cooker, and cook using appliance directions. When done, serve with the peas and plantains on top. Enjoy!

If you haven't had plantains before, they taste very similar to bananas. If you are concerned it will make the dish too sweet or weird, trust me, they add a very nice flavor to the dish.

Potato Cabbage Soup in the Instant Pot

I had a lot of cabbage left over from the vegetable noodle soup I had made, and I didn't want it to go to waste. We were expecting some heavy rain, which never materialized, but I'd planned this soup, nonetheless. My oldest was coming to visit, so I asked him how he felt about hot soup on a hot day. He was completely in favor of it, so soup it was!

Potato Cabbage Soup

One onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 t. caraway seeds
1 t. paprika
8 c. water (I used leftover vegetable broth and enough water to make up the difference)
4 c. cabbage (I used red, hence the coloring in the picture)
8 potatoes, cubed
3 carrots, chopped
1-1/2 t. dill

I'm not one to saute first if I'm using the Instant Pot, so add all ingredients to the pot. Set timer for 10 minutes and let naturally release. Serve. Enjoy!

I barely had any leftovers, so this was a big hit with my family. I wanted to serve it with some homemade bread, but it was gone! I'll pay closer attention next time.

Chickpea Salad

I thought this dish was an interesting combination of chickpeas and potatoes, two things I have previously mixed together in a hot dish. I hope you enjoy it as well!

Chickpea Salad

2 cans chickpeas, drained
Six potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
One large onion, chopped
1/4 c. chopped garlic
1/2 c. olive oil
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
2 T. dried dill

Boil the potatoes and carrots in water to cover until both are fork tender.. Drain and set aside. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil, and add to the potato mixture, along with the drained chickpeas. Stir in the remaining ingredients. You can serve this warm, but I served it at room temperature. Enjoy!

My youngest thought it was too much dill, but I love dill, so I thought that was perfect. I did, however, think the vinegar overwhelmed a bit, so will reduce that amount next time.

Vegetable Noodle Soup

A rainy day calls for a nice, filling soup. Even in the summer, I like soup - provided I'm indoors with some nice air conditioning!

Vegetable Noodle Soup

One package vegan ground beef (I used Gardein for this)
One onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
One can diced tomatoes
One can tomato sauce
One can kidney beans
2 c. vegetable broth (or more if needed)
1 T. parsley
1 t. salt
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. black pepper
2 c. shredded cabbage
One package frozen green beans
Pasta - your choice

Add all the ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or more, until all vegetables are soft. Serve. Enjoy!

My youngest thought this was too thick to be called soup, and it was a pretty thick soup. I think next time I'll leave out the pasta.