Author: Jeannie

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese


1 pound elbow macaroni

Kosher salt 

One 12-ounce can evaporated milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups shredded mild or medium Cheddar  

  1. Combine the macaroni, 4 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt in a 6- or 8-quart Instant Pot® multi-cooker (see Cook’s Note). Follow the manufacturer’s guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
  2. After the pressure cook cycle is complete follow the manufacturer’s guide for quick release and wait until the cycle is complete. Being careful of any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid and switch to the low saute setting. 
  3. Stir in the evaporated milk, butter and 1/4 cup water. Then add the Cheddar, a little at time, while constantly stirring, until the cheese is completely melted. Serve hot.

From: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/5-ingredient-instant-pot-mac-and-cheese-3649854

Gluten free breadsticks

  • 1 cup plus 2 tbsp self rising flour – can use gluten-free
  • 1 cup non fat plain Greek Yogurt
  • cooking spray
  • Lowry’s Garlic Salt* (or a mix of butter, garlic, and herbs)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • In a medium bowl use a sturdy spoon or your dough hook to combine 1 cup of self rising flour and the greek yogurt until the dough begins to pull away from the sides. Sprinkle in extra flour if needed.
  • Dust a piece of parchment paper with self rising flour and gently press the dough into a rectangle shape, about 10 inches long by 5 inches wide. Use a sharp knife to cut at least 8 breadsticks. Spray the tops with cooking spray and sprinkle with the garlic salt to your desired taste.
  • Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden brown. Let cool slightly before enjoying!
Notes

To make self rising flour combine 1 cup all purpose flour with 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.If you don’t have Lowry’s Garlic Salt, simply combine 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp dried parsley and use as desired.

2 Ingredient Dough Garlic Breadsticks

Tiramisu

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk 
  • 1 (1.4-ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (8-ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 cup hot water (might have been a little too much water)
  • ½ cup Kahlúa (coffee-flavored liqueur)
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso or 2 s instant coffee granules
  • 24 cakelike ladyfingers (2 [3-ounce] packages)
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

Directions

Instructions Checklist

  • Step 1Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Cover surface with plastic wrap; chill 30 minutes or until firm.
  • Step 2Remove plastic wrap, and add cream cheese. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Gently fold in whipped topping.
  • Step 3Combine hot water, Kahlúa, and espresso. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise. Arrange 16 ladyfinger halves, flat sides down, in a trifle bowl or large glass bowl. Drizzle with 1/2 cup Kahlúa mixture. Spread one-third of pudding mixture evenly over ladyfingers; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cocoa. Repeat layers, ending with cocoa. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tiramisu-anacapri

Homemade Marinara Sauce

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add 1/2 cup chopped onion stirring often until soft and golden (about 5 min). Add minced garlic and stir 1 min, or until fragrant.

Stir in 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1/2 tsp oregano,  1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to a light boil then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 15 minutes. Add a touch of sugar if needed.

Finally, stir in 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil then turn off the heat.

Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce (VIDEO)

Tzatziki

Ingredients
▢2 cups plain Greek yogurt I used 0% fat Fage
▢2 teaspoons minced garlic
▢1 cucumber seeded and finely shredded
▢Juice of 1 lemon 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice
▢1 tablespoon olive oil
▢½ teaspoon sea salt
▢⅛ teaspoon black pepper
▢1 tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped or 1-1 ½ teaspoons dried dill


Instructions
Slice cucumber in half long ways. Use a spoon to scrap the center of the cucumber and remove seeds. Use a grater to shred cucumber. Place shredded cucumber in a cheese cloth or several paper towels layered together. Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the cucumbers and discard juice.
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together thoroughly. If cucumber dip is too thick you can add 1 additional tablespoon of olive oil.
Notes
Fresh dill will give it a much better flavor, but if you can’t find it dried dill will do in pinch.
Nutrition
Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 25kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 68mg | Sugar: 1g

Quinoa Tabbouleh

1cup quinoa, rinsed well

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more

2tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oilFreshly ground black pepper

1large English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1pint cherry tomatoes, halved

2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

2scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation

Step 1

Bring quinoa, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Step 2

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over.

From:https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/quinoa-tabbouleh

Gluten-Free AIR FRYER FALAFEL

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 small yellow onion, quartered
  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped parsley
  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
  • 1/3 cup chopped scallions
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 tablespoons all purpose flour, plus more for dusting (I used gf)
  • Olive Oil Spray
  1. Dry the chickpeas on paper towels.
  2. Place the onions and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, scallions, cilantro, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes.
  3. Process until blended 30 to 60 seconds, then add the chickpeas and pulse 2 to 3 times until just blended, but not pureed.
  4. Sprinkle in the baking powder and the flour, scape the sides of the bowl down with a spatula and pulse 2 to 3 times.
  5. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, covered, 2 to 3 hours.
  6. Form the falafel mixture into 12 balls, if it’s too sticky add some flour to your hands and your work surface.
  7. Preheat the air fryer 350F.
  8. Spray the falafel with oil. Cook 14 minutes, in batches until golden brown, turning halfway.

These guys were awsome and I served it with Quinoa Tabbouleh and Tzaziki sauce.

Recipe was found at www.skinnytaste.com/air-fryer/falafel

BBQ Jack Fruit

I’m trying to eat less meat for my health. Trouble is – I love meat. The thought of just having a salad for dinner makes me sad. I heard about jackfruit awhile back. While wondering around Whole Foods, I found a can of it. Why not . . .

My son and I tried it out of the can. Not horrible, but didn’t seem like a meat. Tastes like a mild artichoke out of the can. I stumbled upon a few recipes for making BBQ sandwiches out of it and picked a few things from each.

Actually, it turned out fantastic.

1 can of jackfruit (rinsed)
1/2 cup or so of chopped onion
a few dashes of liquid smoke
BBQ sauce

Over medium heat, cook the jackfruit and chopped onion for around 10 minutes. I added water whenever it started to stick – maybe 1/4 cup or so. You can add water as often as you want. You probably could cover and lower the temp, but I never seem to do this.

After the 10 minutes or so, smash the jackfruit with a potato masher or use two forks to give it a stringy pork BBQ texture. Add some bbq sauce and let it heat through. Put on your favorite bun and enjoy!

Meatball Stroganoff

  • 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
    1 egg
    1/4 cup almond flour
    1 tsp kosher salt
    1/4 tsp black pepper
    1/2 tsp garlic powder
    1/2 tsp onion powder
    1 tsp dried parsley
    1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • (I usually just buy meatballs premade and just make sauce)
  • 2 Tbsp butter (for frying)
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms (white or cremini)
  • 1 cup sliced onions
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (or use flour)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • Combine the meatball ingredients (except the butter) in a medium bowl and mix well.
    2.Form into 12 meatballs.
    3.Heat the 2 Tbsp of butter in a large, nonstick saute pan.
    4Cook the meatballs on medium heat in the butter until browned on all sides and cooked through (2-3 minutes per side.)
    Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside.
  • Add the 1 Tbsp of butter and the 2 cups of sliced mushrooms to the pan.
  • Cook until the mushrooms are golden and fragrant (4-5 minutes.)
  • Remove the mushrooms from the pan.
  • Add the onions and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened and translucent.
  • Remove the onions from the pan.
  • Add the beef broth to your pan and scrape the bottom to get all the yummy bits off.
  • Whisk in your sour cream and xanthan gum until smooth.
  • Add the meatballs, mushrooms, onions and garlic back to the pan and stir.
  • Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Garnish with the fresh parsley right before serving.
  1. Combine the meatball ingredients (except the butter) in a medium bowl and mix well.
  2. Form into 12 meatballs.
  3. Heat the 2 Tbsp of butter in a large, nonstick saute pan.
  4. Cook the meatballs on medium heat in the butter until browned on all sides and cooked through (2-3 minutes per side.)
  5. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside.
  6. Add the 1 Tbsp of butter and the 2 cups of sliced mushrooms to the pan.
  7. Cook until the mushrooms are golden and fragrant (4-5 minutes.)
  8. Remove the mushrooms from the pan.
  9. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened and translucent.
  10. Remove the onions from the pan.
  11. Add the beef broth to your pan and scrape the bottom to get all the yummy bits off.
  12. Whisk in your sour cream and xanthan gum until smooth.
  13. Add the meatballs, mushrooms, onions and garlic back to the pan and stir.
  14. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
  15. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  16. Garnish with the fresh parsley right before serving.

I serve with zoodles. I add them the last few minutes of cooking to soak up the flavor . . .

https://mealplannerpro.com/member-recipes/Keto-Beef-Stroganoff-Meatballs-Recipe-829964

Cauliflower Breadsticks

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cauliflower riced, about 1 large head of cauliflower
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese I used a Tex Mex blend
  • 3 tsp oregano
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese or more, for topping

US Customary – Metriclove what you see?Follow @jocooks on Pinterest!

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Prepare 2 pizza dishes or a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Make sure your cauliflower is roughly chopped in florets. Add the florets to your food processor and pulse until cauliflower resembles rice.
  • Place the cauliflower in a microwavable container and cover with lid. Microwave for 10 minutes. Let the cauliflower cool just until there’s no more steam coming from it. Place the microwaved cauliflower in a large bowl and add the eggs, 2 cups of mozzarella, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix everything together.
  • Separate the mixture in two and place each half onto the prepared baking sheets and shape into either a pizza crust, or a rectangular shape for the breadsticks.
  • Bake the crust (no topping yet) for about 25 minutes or until nice and golden. Don’t be afraid the crust is not soggy at all. Once golden, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.
  • Slice and serve.

https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/cheesy-cauliflower-breadsticks/