In Which I Make Vegetables Taste Less Terrible than Usual

There's nothing I love more than a big plate of beautiful, fresh-cut vegetables.  Hahaha, just kidding, I hate vegetables.  I mean, honestly, it's not the vegetables' fault.  Mother Nature made them very important nutritionally, but she also generally made them taste awful.  That's just rude.  So I'm always on the lookout for ways to actually enjoy eating vegetables since I would prefer to not be a fat slob.  One of my favorite ways to do that is with stir fry.  I make a darn good stir fry, but I was looking for a quick, hands-off, less oil-consuming way to enjoy some of the same flavors.  Less splatter on my stove would be appreciated, too.  Sounds like a job for Instant Pot!

In regards to not being a fat slob, I recently started following Weight Watchers.  I did it once before about 10 years ago, and I remember always being hungry and crabby.  But I heard they had made some big changes recently, and I was pretty desperate to not feel like a gross blob anymore, so I jumped in with both feet.  So far, I am liking it a lot.  I feel like it's teaching me to be more mindful about what I eat and drink.  And given how much I love to cook, I needed a plan that let me still have some freedom to cook with all the food groups and be as creative as possible.  Telling me I have to eliminate dairy, or gluten, or whatever is guaranteed to make me cry.  (Believe me.  It's happened.)  So, hey, if you're doing Weight Watchers, this makes 6 servings which are 5 SmartPoints each, according to their points calculator.  Let the good times roll.

I call this dish "teriyaki."  Is that really what it is?  I have no idea.  I think traditional teriyaki sauce has mirin in it, and not pineapple juice.  Probably no lemongrass either.  But the flavor profile is exactly what I was going for, and the little baby cans of pineapple juice in my pantry got a chance to do something other than make cocktails.

 Pressure Cooker Teriyaki Chicken & Rice with Non-Terrible Tasting Vegetables

I used my 6 quart Instant Pot.  You'll need a steamer basket that fits inside your pot.  I have the Oxo Good Grips stainless steel steamer and it's awesome.  Cut the chicken into very thin strips and this will be plenty of time for them to cook through.  I actually started with chicken cutlets, so they were really thin.  If you want bigger pieces of chicken, you should probably brown them on saute mode first to make sure they get cooked through in time.  I like to use the ginger and lemongrass paste that comes in a tube because it's so easy and ready to go.  They will probably be in a refrigerated area of your produce section.

2 tsp. canola oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. ginger paste
2 tsp. lemongrass paste
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 Tbs. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
1 1/2 lb. chicken cutlets (or breasts), cut into very thin strips
1 cup baby carrots, cut into thirds (about 1/2" long pieces)
2 cups small broccoli florets
1/2 cup sugar snap peas, cut in half
1/2 cup red bell pepper strips
chopped green onions for garnish (optional)

Turn the pressure cooker to saute mode and add the oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt.  Cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  If any fond has developed on the bottom of the pot, add about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits.  Then add the rest of the broth, soy sauce, pineapple juice, and brown sugar.  Add the rice and stir everything up.  Scatter the chicken strips over the rice.

Next, put your steamer basket in on top of the rice mixture.  Put all of the veggies except for the green onions in the steamer basket.  Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, then do a quick pressure release.  Carefully dump the steamed vegetables from the steamer basket into the rice mixture and stir it all together.  Serve, garnishing with green onions.  I also added a small sprinkling of chow mein noodles because they look good in the picture.  They taste good on there, too, but if you're counting points like I was, you can't do very many because they add up fast.

Cultural Appropriation: It's What's For Dinner

A few years ago, I asked for an Ancestry.com membership for Christmas.  It didn't take too long before I realized that it wasn't very smart for me to ask for such a thing at that point in my life, when I had a very young child who never slept or sat still, but for a few months I did my best to enjoy it in what little free time I had.  I hope to pick up where I left off with it some day, but in the minimal research I was able to do then, I definitely learned something about myself.  I am white, y'all.  I'm the whitest white girl on the planet.  I'm whiter than rice on a paper plate.  At least that appeared to be the implication from what I've found so far.  I ordered Ancestry DNA kits for my dad and I a few days ago, and I'm really hopeful there will be some kind of bombshell surprise ethnicity in there, but that's probably unlikely, given what recent immigrants most of my ancestors are.  I will admit to being a little disappointed at being so monochromatic.  While I'm definitely proud of the people I descend from, all white is just kind of boring.

So who is this white girl to teach anyone to make Indian food?  Who is she to make Indian butter chicken and serve it over basmati pilaf with naan?  Who does she think she is stocking her pantry with garam masala and turmeric?  What an elitist bitch.

Ok, I'll make you a compromise.  I'll let someone who actually knows Indian food school you on the butter chicken, because hers is amazing and needs no improvement (https://twosleevers.com/now-later-butter-chicken-pressure-cooker/), and I'll handle the basmati.  Ask your friend, Trader Joe, to make the naan for you.  Some day, when I'm feeling like usurping someone's culture again, I'll teach you how to make pressure cooker chicken tikka masala to go with your basmati.  Mmmm....diversity is delicious.

Pressure Cooker Basmati Pilaf

I like my rice to have some chew, so this is not super soft when it's cooked.  I think you'd probably need to add a bit more water and maybe 1 more minute of cook time to get a softer texture.  But that is a guess on my part.

4 tsp. coconut oil
3 whole cloves
1 stick of cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 of a large onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. salt

Turn the pressure cooker to saute mode and add the coconut oil.  Once the oil is melted and hot, add the cloves and cinnamon stick.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until the spices are sizzling.  Add the cardamom and cumin and cook another minute or so.  Add the onion and cook until it is softened, another 2 or 3 minutes.  Stir in the basmati and cook for 2 or 3 more minutes in the hot oil, stirring frequently.  Add the water and salt and give it a good stir.  Lock on the lid and turn the pot to manual on high pressure and set for 4 minutes.  Once the cook time is over, do a quick pressure release.  Serve immediately and try not to bite into those whole cloves. :)