Weight Loss Goddess

Chicken and Spanish Rice - This will quickly become a family favorite once you give it a try.

Ingredients:

·         3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs

·         3 tbsp. olive oil

·         1 chorizo sausage thinly sliced (optional, but it really adds a nice flavor!)

·         1 small onion, diced

·         2 garlic cloves, minced

·         1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

·         1 large ripe tomato peeled

·         1 cup uncooked long grain white rice

·         1/2 cup frozen peas

·         3 cups chicken stock or broth

·         1 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Salt and pepper the chicken and heat olive oil in pressure cooker. Add onion, garlic, red bell pepper and tomato and cook until the onion is soft. Add rice and cook for 1 minute. Add peas, stock, salt chicken and chorizo with any accumulated juices. Stir well.

Lock the lid, bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for 7 minutes at 15psi. Allow pressure to drop by quick release or auto release, then remove lid. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 4 to 6, family size servings.

Chicken Casserole - Casseroles are great for company and the kids love them too!

Ingredients:

·         3 medium potatoes

·         3 to 3-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         Salt to taste

·         2 slices of bacon, cut into 1” pieces

·         1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms

·         12 very small pearl onions, peeled

·         1 tsp. flour

·         1/4 cup chicken stock

Preparation:

Peel the potatoes. Create small balls using a melon scoop. Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Place bacon in pressure cooker and sauté until it has rendered its fat. Remove the bacon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pressure cooker. Add the potatoes to the fat and quickly sauté until lightly brown. Remove the potatoes and set aside. Add chicken pieces and brown on all sides, then remove. Add onions and mushrooms and sauté for one minute. Sprinkle in the flour, then add the stock and return the chicken, bacon and potatoes to the pressure cooker.

Lock the lid in place, bring to pressure. Then lower heat and cook for 8 minutes at 15 psi. Allow pressure to drop by quick release or auto release and remove the lid. A family of 4 will enjoy this yummy casserole as will your guests!

Cooking chicken in a pressure cooker makes the chicken much more tender and juicy than baking it or even cooking it in a slow cooker, not to mention the time you save using a pressure cooker. Here are some favorite chicken recipes you’ll enjoy making and your family will surely enjoy eating.

Chicken Curry - Fast and easy to make, this recipe will surely make your mouth water.

Ingredients:

·         1 cup brown rice

·         1 tbsp. canola oil

·         1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 3/4” pieces

·         4 large onions cut into wedges

·         1-1/4 cups water

·         4 garlic cloves, minced

·         1 tsp. peanut oil

·         1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

·         1 tsp. chili powder

·         1 tsp. curry powder

·         1/4 tsp. turmeric

·         1 tsp. ground ginger

·         2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation:

Cook rice using pot in pot method and set aside in a warm place.

In the pressure cooker, heat oil and sauté chicken and onions over medium-high heat until chicken is lightly browned. Add water, garlic, oil, and soy sauce, then add chili powder, curry, turmeric and ground ginger and stir till well blended.

Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure. Lower heat and cook for 4 minutes at 15psi. Allow pressure to drop by the natural release method for 4 minutes, then release the remaining pressure using the quick release method or automatic release method and remove lid. Stir in parsley and serve over warm rice.

Pressure cooked dry beans and lentils are so much better than canned beans. Here’s why: dry beans cost much less than canned beans; dry beans taste better than canned beans and contain no preservatives; dry beans are healthier than canned beans and more environmentally safe because they don’t require any metal packaging or salt water and preservatives that canned beans are soaked in; and using a new generation pressure cooker is the fastest way to cook beans and rice.

Old Fashioned Baked Beans - Perfect for a family barbeque or Thanksgiving Dinner!

Ingredients:

·         2 cups dry navy beans (aka white beans)

·         3 tbsp. Canola oil

·         1 large onion diced

·         1 garlic clove, minced

·         1-3/4 cups water

·         1 can (2 fl. Oz) tomato paste

·         3 tbsp. brown sugar

·         2 tbsp. molasses

·         1/2 tsp. prepared mustard

·         1/4 tsp. cumin

·         1/8 tsp. chili powder

Preparation:

Rinse and soak navy beans for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse the beans. Add all ingredients except the beans to the pressure cooker and stir thoroughly. Then add the beans. Bring to a boil, then stir and lock the lid in place and bring to pressure. Lower heat and cook for 40 minutes at 15 psi. Release pressure using the quick release method or auto release and remove lid.

Makes 4 servings.

As you can see, making your family favorites is quick and easy using a new generation pressure cooker! Now you can have low-cost, healthy meals in the fraction of the time it would take you to bake, boil or use a slow cooker!

Pressure cooked dry beans and lentils are so much better than canned beans. Here’s why: dry beans cost much less than canned beans; dry beans taste better than canned beans and contain no preservatives; dry beans are healthier than canned beans and more environmentally safe because they don’t require any metal packaging or salt water and preservatives that canned beans are soaked in; and using a new generation pressure cooker is the fastest way to cook beans and rice.

Here are a couple of recipes for you to enjoy using your pressure cooker

Hummus - Healthy, environmentally safe and delicious!

Ingredients:

·         3/4 cup dried chickpeas

·         1/3 cup Canola oil

·         1/3 cup EVOO

·         1/3 cup tahini

·         1/3 cup water

·         4 tbsp. lemon juice

·         2 garlic cloves, minced

·         1/2 tsp. cumin

·         Salt to taste

Preparation:

Soak chickpeas for at least 4 hours. You can put them in water before you head for work to prepare in the evening. Dispose soaking water and rinse. Place chickpeas in pressure cooker with 3-1/2 cups water. Lock the lid and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for 9 to 14 minutes on high (15psi). Use natural release method to allow pressure to drop. Blend cooked chickpeas and all other ingredients until creamy.

Makes 4 servings

Prices for pressure cookers vary greatly depending on brand, size and type. There are duo pressure cookers that cost just over $100, and there are single 4 quart pressure cookers that are under $25. Mirro makes a 22 quart pressure cooker for around $80 on Amazon. I believe you get what you pay for, so therefore I usually choose something mid-range. You can find a wide variety of pressure cookers either online or at your favorite department store. If you’re unsure, I would suggest sticking with a brand you already know and trust.

Another thing to consider when choosing a pressure cooker is functionality. Many recipes call for using a trivet and basket, so you will want to be sure your pressure cooker comes with those, or is available for purchase separately or at a later date.

If you have an older pressure cooker, you should consider replacing it with a newer, more efficient model. Pressure cookers today aren’t the same ones your mom used 30 years ago. Today, pressure cookers are safer and come in a variety of pressures.

Speaking of pressure, that’s another thing to consider when choosing a pressure cooker; what’s the greatest amount of pressure should you choose? Most recipes call for 15psi, so for ease of meal preparation you should choose one at that pressure. If you decide to go with less pressure, you will have to increase the cooking time depending on the amount of pressure your cooker supplies. This could be anywhere from 12% to 20%, so you’ll need to keep that in mind when using a recipe.

There are many things to consider when choosing a pressure cooker that’s right for you and your family’s cooking needs, such as size, price and functionality. In this article, we will cover how to choose a pressure cooker that’s just the right size for your family and visitors. We will also cover how to choose a pressure cooker that has the functions you need for your family’s eating style, and of course the price variations that go along with the different brands and types of pressure cookers.

First off, let’s talk about size. Because there are different sizes of pressure cookers, you need to know which one will best fit your needs. When preparing a meal or dish in a pressure cooker, you need to keep in mind that you can only fill it 2/3 full to allow room for any foam or debris that may build up during cooking. This also prevents the vent from getting clogged.

You can cook small amounts of food in a larger pressure cooker but you can’t cook large amounts of food in a smaller pressure cooker. The 6 quart size is good for just about any recipe that serves 4 to 6 people. However, if you want to cook a whole chicken or a large roast, a 9.5 quart size serves this purpose best.

Pressure cooker sizes range from 4 quart all the way up to 12 quart, so if you have a really large family or entertain guests often, one of the larger sizes will work best for you. Larger pressure cookers can also be used for canning.

Time-Saving

Another advantage of using a pressure cooker over a slow cooker is the fact that you can caramelize onions in the pressure cooker. Again, if you needed caramelized onions in a recipe for a slow cooker, you’d have to prepare them in a separate pan. Not only is this annoying, but it’s also more time consuming. Most of you are rushed in the mornings as it is, and rarely have time to prepare a dish for the slow cooker, but you can have the same great tasting meals, and more, using a pressure cooker.

Energy Savings

Not only will you not have to rush to get it ready in the morning for dinner time, but you’ll also save energy. Instead of having a slow cooker that’s plugged in all day and using energy, you’ll be able to prepare yummy, healthy and delicious meals in just a few minutes time using a pressure cooker.

There you have it. Pressure cookers can actually save you more time and money over a crock pot. For those who’ve swore by a crock pot, why not give a pressure cooker a try next time? You might be pleasantly surprised at how much you like it.

We’ve all heard of a slow cooker (aka crock pot) and we’ve all probably heard of a pressure cooker. While most of you know and probably use a slow cooker, some of you may not know what a pressure cooker is, how it works, or the benefits of using a pressure cooker. While both the slow cooker and the pressure cooker cook foods like meats, vegetables, casseroles and beans very well, pressure cookers can also cook things like cheesecake and oatmeal.

Speed of Cooking

Pressure cookers cook in significantly less time than slow cookers. And, you don’t have to be super organized to prepare a meal in a pressure cooker, where with a slow cooker you do. For instance, using a slow cooker, you have to get up in the morning and prepare all your ingredients and place them in the slow cooker in order for them to cook all day while you’re at work or running errands. When you use a pressure cooker, you can come home from work and in just a few minutes time have a quick, healthy and delicious meal all prepared all at once.

Convenience

Pressure cookers are also much more convenient than slow cookers. For instance, to gain the maximum flavor from meat, it should be browned. When you use a slow cooker an extra pan has to be used for the browning, but you can brown the meat right inside a pressure cooker. If you have a recipe that calls for bacon, you can fry up the bacon right in the pressure cooker as well. So there is no extra washing of a pan using a pressure cooker like there is if you were to use a slow cooker.