Instant Pot Times

 Potatoes- Nuwave- 1 potato cubed- 1 cup of water- 11 minutes

Chicken 1” cubes- nuwave- try 5 mins- 7 too long

Karla's Mint Tea

 Makes: 2 Quarts of Tea

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Cups Boiling Water
• 4.5 Regular Tea Bags (1 Organic Tea bag for 2 quarts) (2 x Lipton 1 quart bags)
• Mint ( half a handful)
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1/2 Cup - 3/4 Cup Sugar ( depending on your preference)
• 5 Cups Cold Water

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring water to a boil. Turn off heat. Add tea bag, mint, and sugar.
2. Brew 10-15 minutes.
3. Refill pitcher with some ice cubes. Strain tea into pitcher. Add cold water until you have 2 quarts.
4. Chill well before serving.
   

Lo Mein

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

·        1/3 Cup Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce

·        2 TBSP Packed Brown Sugar

·        1 TBSP Sambal Oelek (Chile Paste/ Chile Garlic Paste/Sriracha)

·        1 TBSP Oyster Sauce

·        1 TBSP Freshly Grated Ginger

·        1 tsp Sesame Oil

·        3 Cloves Garlic, minced

·        8 oz Dried Spaghetti

·        1TBSP Olive Oil

·        12 ounces shrimp

·        Snow peas

·        1 Carrot Grated

·        2 TBSP chopped Cilantro

·        Optional: Onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini

Directions:

1.      Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sambal oelek, oyster sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic. Set aside

2.      Cook pasta.

3.      Cook protein.

4.      Cook Veggies.

5.      Add all ingredients to a pan over medium high heat until heated through, 2-3 minutes.

Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

·        1 Tablespoon Butter

·        ½ Yellow Onion, Diced

·        1 Large carrot, sliced into small circles or diced

·        1 ½ stalk celery

·        2 Teaspoons Garlic, minced

·        4 Cups Chicken Broth

·        2 Boneless Chicken Thighs, about 1lb (can use any chicken cut)

·        2 Russet Potatoes, cube 1”

·        2 Bay Leaves

·        2 Cups Water

Seasonings

·        1 tsp Season All

·        1 tsp Poultry Spice (w/salt) (or use ½ tsp thyme, ¾ tsp rubbed sage, and ¾ tsp black pepper)

·        1 tsp Parsley- Dried or 3 tbsp fresh, chopped

Noodles

·        1 Cup Flour

·        1 Egg

·        1 tsp Salt

·        Ice Cold Water (about 3 Tablespoons)

Directions:

1.      Using sauté function, sauté onions, carrots, and celery in butter. Cook about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 more minute.

2.      Add broth, chicken, potatoes, seasonings and bay leaf to pressure cooker and pressure cook for 10 minutes.

3.      Do a quick release and remove bay leaves and chicken.

4.      Add two cups of water. Season to taste. Keep on warm

5.      Prepare Noodles. Mix together flour, egg, salt. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough is stiff but easy to roll. If you add too much water, add extra flour to make it not sticky.

6.      Roll dough out until it is thin. If dough isn’t stay rolled out, let it relax a few minutes and then continue rolling until thin enough.

7.      Cut with a pizza cutter into 1”x1” square. Dust with flour.

8.      Heat broth back to boiling using the Saute Function on pressure cooker. Once it’s boiling, add noodle one my one. Let boil for 15 minutes.

9.      Pull chicken apart and add back in.

10.   Taste and season to your liking. Serve.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons mirin, honey, or agave syrup
• dash of sugar
• 1 tsp shaoixing wine 
• 2 tsp water
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil 

·       6 Cups Cooked Rice

·       ½ lb Shrimp (20 Large Shrimp)

·       3 Eggs, beatened

·       1 Cup mixed Veggies (peas and carrots or corn or green beans)

·       1 small Onion, Diced

·       1 Cup Bean Sprouts

Green Beans 

·       2 Green Onions

·       3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (full strength, not low sodium)

·       2.5 Tablespoons Water

·       1.5 Teaspoons Sesame Oil

·       ½ Teaspoon Salt or MSG

·       ½ Teaspoon White Pepper

Directions

1.    In a large pan over medium high heat, add some oil and cook shrimp until no longer pink 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

2.    Add oil to the pan and cook onions over high heat. Cook until translucent. Remove from pan and set aside.

3.    Add oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add eggs to the pan, cover bottom of the pan. Allow to cook for a minute or two. Scramble the eggs and remove from pan.

4.    Mix soy sauce, water, sesame oil, salt and pepper together.

5.    Add oil to the pan and increase heat to medium high. Add the rice, mixed vegetables, and sauce mixture to the pan. Stir until rice is heated through, about 4 minutes.

6.    Add green onions and bean sprouts and cook for 2 minutes then serve rice.

Tofu Marinade

• 16 ounces extra-firm tofu
• 2.5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1.5 tablespoon water
• 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger, OR 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger

Chick-fil-a Nuggets & Dipping Sauce

Makes: 50-60 Nuggets

Ingredients

Brine

·       1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

·       3.5 Tablespoon Iodized Salt

·       4 Cups Water (or 3 3/4 Cups Water & 1/4 Cup Pickle Juice)

·       1 1/2 lb-2lbs Chicken Tenderloin or Chicken Breast cut into cubes

Spice Mix

·       2 teaspoons paprika

·       1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper (reduce if you don't want very spicy)

·       1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·       1 teaspoon powdered MSG

Milk Egg Mixture

·       1/2 cup milk

·       1 large eggs

Breading Mixture

·       1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·       1 tablespoon Powdered Sugar

·       2 tablespoons powdered non-fat milk

·       1 teaspoon baking powder

·       Remaining Spice Mix (about 2 tablespoons)

Directions

1.     Dissolve 3.5 Tbsp of Iodized Salt (Table Salt) and 1/4 cup of sugar into 4 cups of cold water. Place chicken and brine into a pan that can hold it or ziplock bag. Transfer to refrigerator and let sit for at least 2 or 3 hours or overnight.

2.     Meanwhile, combine paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and MSG (if using), in a small bowl. Set aside

3.     Whisk together milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Set aside.

4.     Remove chicken nuggets from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Season on all sides with spice mixture, will add remaining spice mixture to breading mixture. 

5.     Combine flour, non-fat milk powder, baking powder, powdered sugar, and remaining spice mixture in a large bowl and whisk until homogenous. Drizzle 3 tablespoons milk/egg mixture into flour mixture and rub with fingertips until the flour mixture is coarse like wet sand.

6.   In a large skillet, preheat oil 1" of oil to 350°F.

7.   Dip chicken nuggets into milk mixture and turn to coat. Working one nugget at a time, allow excess milk mixture to drip off then transfer to flour mixture. Turn to coat, pile extra mixture on top of the nugget, and press down firmly to adhere as much mixture as possible to the meat. Lift nugget, shake off excess flour. Repeat with remaining nuggets.

8.    Add chicken nuggets to hot skillet, turn nuggets for about 4 minutes total, flipping nuggets over at 2 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack. 

NOTE: Just like the real thing, this fried chicken is quite salty. If you would like a less salty sandwich, reduce brining time to 1 hour and decrease salt in breading. I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt (1/2 Cup). If you are using Morton kosher salt, use (4.5 Tbsp). If using regular table salt, reduce by 50% (3.8 TBSP).

Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

·       2 Tablespoons Honey

·       1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard

·       2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard

·       ¼ Cup Mayo

·       2 Tablespoons Barbecue Sauce

Directions

Mix all ingredients together.