Category: Sickness

Recipes for Pressure Cooker

These recipes are for beginner cooks, and may come in handy for a young adult who has just moved out or the older adult who suddenly finds that his/her spouse can’t cook anymore.  The amounts can be adjusted according to taste. I tried to keep everything simple here, and this is just to get started. The pot I use is the “Farberware 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker”. I have also tried them in the “InstaPot” though I’m not as familiar with the settings on that pot. If something just doesn’t work for you, please let me know about it.

4 Favorite Simple Recipes

• Chicken and Vegetables
• Navy Bean with Bacon Soup
• Beef Stew
• Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Ingredients to have on hand:

•         Canned Tomatoes (14.5 oz cans of fire roasted or regular)
•         Chicken Broth and Beef Broth (get cans or 32 oz cartons of low-sodium. Most recipes call for about 2 cups, so you’ll have some leftover. Date the carton and put in fridge. Use within 1 week)
•         Cream of Mushroom Soup – one can
•         Can of Evaporated Milk
•         Onion Soup Mix
•         Navy Beans – 1 bag of dried beans
•         Bacon
•         Beef Stew Meat (1-2 pounds)
•         Chicken Breasts – fresh, not frozen (it seems to make a difference)
•         Pork Chops – boneless
•         Potatoes – (bag of medium red potatoes)
•         Carrots – fresh bunch or “baby carrots”
•         Green Beans (whole, fresh or whole, frozen)
•         Celery – 1 bunch
•         Onions (2 -3 small to medium brown onions)
•         Garlic – fresh
•         Prepared Mashed Potatoes (Hormel has nice tubs of prepared potatoes – usually in the deli section.)

Seasonings:

•         Garlic Powder
•         Smoked Paprika
•         Onion Powder
•         Maybe an Italian Seasoning or some other blend that looks good to you

Recipe for Beef Stew

•         2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
•         Beef Stew Meat (approx. 1 lb.)
•         4 potatoes peeled and quartered, unless they are red potatoes, then don’t peel.
•         Carrots – peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces unless they are baby carrots – leave whole
•         Celery – 1 or 2 stalks, cut according to taste
•         Onion – 1/2 quartered or diced
•         1 cup of Green Beans (whole fresh or frozen)
•         1 package of Onion Soup Mix
•         1/4 cup of flour
•         Salt and Pepper (approx. 1 tsp. each)
•         1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
•         1 tsp. garlic powder
•         2 Cups Beef Broth
•         2 Cups Water

Heat oil in pot.

Put flour and salt and pepper into a ziplock bag and shake to mix. Add the beef, shake to coat. Add meat and onions to pot and brown (approx. 5 mins.)

Keep meat in pot and add all vegetables. Sprinkle onion soup mix on everything and stir. Stir in beef broth and water.

Cover and lock lid. Set Menu to Stew setting (02). The default time on that is 35 minutes. You might want to let it sit for a while to release the steam naturally, or just release it yourself!

Enjoy!

Pork Chops

This recipe works for 2 to 6 pork chops                                                                                            Brown meat, sliced onion and 1 cup of sliced mushrooms (optional) in 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

Mix together 1 can of mushroom soup and 1 cup of beef broth or can of condensed milk. Add 1 tsp. garlic powder and pepper.

Pour soup over pork chops and use “Meat” setting on pot.

Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetable

Chicken and Vegetables

2 – 4 half breasts                                                                                                                                               2 cups chicken broth                                                                                                                                         Potatoes (quartered)                                                                                                                                   Carrots (cut into bite sized pieces)                                                                                                    Green beans (fresh or frozen)                                                                                                         Smoked Paprika                                                                                                                                      Pepper                                                                                                                                                    Sprinkle paprika and pepper on both sides of chicken and brown chicken in 2 tablespoons of olive oil (3 mins per side)                                                                                                                     Pile vegetables on top of chicken

Pour chicken broth over all                                                                                                                Season with 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning

Use “Soup” setting

Navy Bean Soup

½ package of bacon or 1 ham hock

1 package navy beans

2 carrots chopped

32 oz. of vegetable or chicken broth

1 can of diced tomatoes (I like “fire-roasted” or “Italian seasoned”)

Thyme – fresh or 1 tsp. powder

4 cups water

If you use bacon, cut it into bite-sized pieces. I use kitchen shears – it’s easier. Cook bacon on highest setting. If using a ham hock, you don’t need to brown it first. Just throw it in with all the other ingredients and turn the pot on “bean” setting.