Instapot Chicken & dumplings

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp butter or olive oil

1.5 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced into 1" strips

1 Medium yellow onion diced

3 Ribs of celery washed and diced

4 Carrots diced

1/2 Tsp poultry seasoning

Salt & Pepper

6 Cups chicken stock

1 Cup frozen corn

1.75 Cups Bisquick baking mix

2/3 Cups milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 Cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Turn Instapot to sauté, add butter or olive oil, chicken, salt & pepper, cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned.  Add in onions, celery, carrots, and seasoning, toss to combine and cook for one minute.  Add broth, lock the lid and cook for 8 minutes.  Perform a quick release.  Set pot to sauté or high and add in corn.  Taste soup at this point to see if it needs more salt & pepper, if so, season to desired taste.  Mix together biscuit dough and drop by rounded spoonfuls into soup.  Let dumplings simmer for 8 minutes.  Put lid on and turn to sauté, let cook covered for 2 more minutes to be sure the top of the dumplings cook.  Release, remove lid, stir in cream, and serve.  

I doubled the biscuit recipe and baked a set of cheese biscuits to serve with it also.  The next day for lunch I found that the dumplings had dissolved over night, so I put the biscuits on top of the soup, inside the kids thermos.

This recipe is adapted from the book (the only thing I added was cheddar cheese), "Great Food Fast" by Bob Warden.  You can get it on Amazon

Yellow curry roasted cauliflower & chickpeas

 I was looking for something new to mix with my lentils this week.  My friend sent me a recipe for a chicken curry that I modified.  This was a quick and easy dinner dish to make.

INGREDIENTS

1 Can chickpeas drained & rinsed

1 Head cauliflower roughly chopped

4 Small yukon gold potatoes quartered

1/2 Can coconut milk

2 Tbsp yellow curry powder

2 Tbsp olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  On a roasting pan combine chickpeas, cauliflower, potatoes, salt, pepper, olive oil & half of curry powder.  Toss until evenly coated.  Roast for 20-35 minutes until tender.  In a large sauté pan combine half can of coconut milk & remaining curry powder over high heat. Whisk until combined.  Continue whisking for one minute.  Reduce heat, and simmer on low.  Once veggies are done, add them to curry coconut milk, and toss until combined.  Serve as is, or on a bed of red lentils.  

This week I made this with my favorite red lentils as a side dish, to pack for lunch.  I added 4 diced carrots to the lentils before putting them in the Instapot, to give the dish a sweet flavor. It's been a great, filling vegan meal.

Find the recipe for my favorite red lentils here

Red lentils

This has become one of my new go to Sunday night dishes that I make to use in a bunch of different ways throughout the week.  I will post the recipe for the lentils and then post the adjoining recipes using the lentils next.  This is a great dish because you can make it ahead, refrigerate it, and eat it all week.  As a bonus it taste super yummy cold on wraps. I would also like to add a disclaimer that I don't really have a picture of the finished product in the pot.  It was really good while tasting, and I kept burning my mouth, plus I was starving, so when it was finished I just put it on a wrap and walked away.  You can kind of see the finished product once it's layered on a wrap, I'll post that below.

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup red lentils (checked for rocks and goodies, then rinsed)

3 Cups water / vegetable broth

1 Rounded tsp cumin

1 Tsp garlic powder

1/2 Tsp sea salt

Pepper to taste

1/8 Cup chopped white onion 

*Optional crushed red pepper flakes

STOVE TOP DIRECTIONS

In a medium dutch oven (or sauce pan) bring water and lentils to a boil.  Once boiling add in cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Stir to get all of the lentils off the bottom of the pan and combine seasoning.  Reduce heat to low and cover for five minutes allowing it to simmer.  Add in chopped onions, stir, once again getting all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Cover and allow to continue simmering for 15-20 minutes until lentils are tender and soft.  Remove from heat and stir one final time checking consistency.  If your lentils seem soft with no bite, they are done.  If not, add a little more water and keep simmering.  Your lentils should have very little left over liquid when done.

INSTAPOT DIRECTIONS
 Reduce amount of vegetable broth by 1/2 cup.  Combine all ingredients in pot.  Set to manual 9 minutes.  Instant release pressure and serve.

If you are more adventurous then me this is when you would add in a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes.  I am not adventurous.  

You can serve the lentils warm as is, or refrigerate them for about three hours and use them as the base for a few types of wraps which I will link to after I post them up.

This recipe has so far made enough for three wraps, plus a good amount just spooned right into my mouth, and it looks like I have enough left for two wraps. If you wanted to feed a family on this I would double the recipe.  This is something I made to have on for lunch and dinner for myself since I am the only vegetarian in the house.

This is how they look the next day after being chilled over night.  Kind of a spreadable wrap filling.  Reheated it will be a nice hearty spoonable texture.