Essential Healthy Living

Thursday, January 28, 2016

One Pot Pressure Cooker Spaghetti And Meatballs - Instant Pot

One Pot Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Sauce With Pasta and meatballs - Instant Pot

The days of 2+ hours, slaving over a hot stove, cooking homemade spaghetti and meatballs with pasta and countless dirty pots are finally over! In about a half hour from start to finish, you can cook everything, including the pasta, in ONE pot. Amazing!

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 Tbls oil {Amazon link}
  • 1 lb meatballs, fully cooked - I only use my homemade meatballs
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic - minced
  • 4 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes {Amazon link}
  • 1 8oz can tomato sauce {Amazon link}
  • 2 cup chicken broth or water - I use homemade chicken bone broth {Amazon link}
  • 1/4 cup of white wine - optional
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary {Amazon link}
  • 1.5 tsp basil {Amazon link}
  • 1 tsp oregano {Amazon link}
  • 1.5 tsp thyme {Amazon link}
  • 1 tsp parsley {Amazon link}
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes {Amazon link}
  • Black pepper and salt to taste
  • 1 lb dry pasta - I used linguine

Instructions

Break the linguine noodles into thirds and set aside. Only use about 5/6 of the package for this recipe, since the full pack will be slightly too much.

Put 1-2 Tbsp oil into the Instant pot and hit the 'sauté' button. Once hot, add in the onions and garlic. Keep stirring frequently until the onions are browned. Turn the Instant Pot off.

Now you will add in all your ingredients in a layering type fashion. The goal is to get the noodles dispersed throughout the pot so they will not clump together while cooking. Put in a handful of noodles, then dump a can of tomatoes, some more noodles, some more liquid... you get the picture.

You need to make sure to add the 2 cups of chicken broth or water to this recipe. That is the liquid that will be absorbed by the noodles but will not make your sauce watery. I personally use my homemade chicken bone broth to get the extra nutrients from the homemade broth. Using chicken broth as opposed to water will intensify the flavor of the dish.

Stir all the ingredients well and make sure the noodles are not sticking up out of the liquid.

Put the lid on and make sure the valve is on sealing (not venting). Hit the 'manual' button and then make sure it is on high pressure, 7 minutes cook time.

When the 7 minutes of cook time is over, do a quick pressure release. Be careful of any splatter coming from the vent. I like to put a towel over the vent just in case that happens. I also use an oven mitt on my hand. Once the pressure has released, open the lid and stir. Let it stay on warming. I like to leave it sitting there, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes. It lets the flavors and liquids really intensify and the noodles to cook just a tad longer.

Ready to serve!

One Pot Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Sauce With Pasta and meatballs - Instant Pot

Some suggested accessories and ingredients for this recipe, see my full Instant Pot accessory list here:

Want to know how I organize and store all my recipes on my computer and share on all my devices? I use the Cookin' software! I can import recipes from the web, add my personal ones, add pictures, print pdfs, and then view them from my iPad, iPhone, etc!



Bridget Davet

Using the affiliate links in this blog to make purchases helps support my site. Thank you in advance!

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Thieves and Honey Lemon Tea Gummies

Thieves and Honey Lemon Tea Gummies with Thieves and lemon essential oil

What happens when you run out of your Thieves Hard Lozenges and you (and the whole family) are sick? Thieves tea with lemon and honey is great, but I need something on the go. While making a batch of Ningxia red, elderberry syrup & kombucha gummies (yes, that is all one gummy - recipe coming soon), I had an idea. I whipped up a batch of these gummies using tea, honey, thieves essential oil, lemon essential oil and gelatin. It was so yummy, I just made a second batch.

You will need:

  • 3oz brewed tea - I used Teavana Maharaja Chai {Amazon link}
  • 2oz raw local honey (Texas) {Amazon link}
  • 3 tsp unflavored gelatin {Amazon link}
  • 5 drops Thieves and 2 drops lemon essential oil by Young Living
  • Robot silicone mold {Amazon link}
  • or Dinosaur silicone mold {Amazon link}

Instructions

Put the brewed tea in a saucepan and turn the heat on medium. Whisk in the gelatin for about a minute. Add in the honey and whisk until melted and combined. Take off heat and add essential oils and whisk.

Place your silicone mold onto a flat plate or cookie sheet. Fill the mold with your mixture. This amount will fill one full robot or dinosaur mold with about 1 tablespoon left.

Place cookie sheet/plate with silicone mold into the refrigerator for about an hour. Pop gummies out of the molds and store in a container in the refrigerator.

If you don't have a silicone mold, pour into a pan, let cool, then cut into pieces with a knife. If you want them not as firm and aren't using a mold, then 2.25 tsp of gelatin is plenty enough.



Want more amazing recipes in a 160 page pdf? Check out my new eBook here.


Bridget Davet

Using the affiliate links in this blog to make purchases helps support my site. Thank you in advance!

Friday, January 22, 2016

Einkorn Flour Chocolate Chip Wolfberry Oatmeal Cookies

POne Pot Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Sauce With Pasta - Instant Pot

What better way to make cookies than with Einkorn flour and organic wolfberries! I took my original chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe and modified it to make these super yummy cookies. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Gary's True Grit Einkorn Flour by Young Living
  • 1 tsp aluminum free baking powder {Amazon link}
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda {Amazon link}
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon - organic {Amazon link}
  • 1 stick of butter - softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla extract - organic or homemade {Amazon link}
  • 1 egg - at room temperature
  • 1.5 cups old fashion rolled oats {Amazon link}
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips - I used dark chocolate {Amazon link}
  • 1/4 cup of organic dried wolfberries by Young Living
  • 1/4 cup of raisins {Amazon link}

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 2 silicone baking mats {Amazon link} onto baking sheets {Amazon link}.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and ground cinnamon. In a separate larger bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and egg with an electric hand mixer {Amazon link}. Add in the dry ingredient mix from the other bowl and mix until combined. Don't over mix. By hand, stir in the rolled oats. Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips, wolfberries and raisins.

Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop {Amazon link}, scoop cookie dough onto the silicone mat. Slightly flatten the dough. The cookie dough will not be able to roll with your hands. Place 12 slightly flatten dough balls onto each cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 - 11 minutes until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack {Amazon link} to cool completely.

Want more amazing recipes in a 160 page pdf? Check out my new eBook here.

Want to know how I organize and store all my recipes on my computer and share on all my devices? I use the Cookin' software! I can import recipes from the web, add my personal ones, add pictures, print pdfs, and then view them from my iPad, iPhone, etc!



Bridget Davet

Using the affiliate links in this blog to make purchases helps support my site. Thank you in advance!

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Ham and White Bean Soup - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipe

Pressure Cooker Ham and White Bean Soup - Instant Pot

Ham and bean soup = comfort food on a cold winter day. However, it is Christmas day in Texas and the weather is a hot 72 degrees outside. But we have air condition right? Between the excitement of using my Instant Pot and then need to get rid of leftover ham, this recipe was created. I hope you enjoy, no matter what the weather.

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 Tbls oil
  • 1 lb dry navy beans
  • 8 cups liquid - (I used 3 cans of reduced sodium chicken broth and 5 cups water)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/3 cup carrots, diced
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 Tbls minced garlic
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup ham, diced (I used my leftover ham from Christmas)

Instructions

You must first prepare your beans before you can cook them. The first way is to soak the beans overnight. Cover the beans with water, let them sit overnight and then rinse them well. The second method is the quick soak method. On a stove top, bring beans and water to a boil in a large pot, turn off heat and let sit for almost 1 hour. Then rinse and drain the beans.

Put 1-2 Tbsp oil into Instant pot and hit the 'sauté' button. Once hot, add in the onions. Keep stirring frequently until they are cooked and browned (about 10 mins).

Add carrots, celery and garlic and sauté 3 mins more.

Add ham and sauté 3 minutes more.

Add in drained beans, black pepper and 8 cups liquid. Stir.

Put the lid on and make sure valve is on sealing (not venting). Hit the 'manual' button and then make sure it is on high pressure, 20 minutes cook time.

I did a natural pressure release after 20 minutes (while I roasted marshmallows outside in 72 degree weather on Christmas day). Open up the vent and let the remaining steam out, then open up the lid.

Take out 1 cup of bean soup. Pick out any ham pieces and throw them back into the pot. Blend the 1 cup of bean soup with an immersion blender {Amazon link}. Put the blended soup back into the pot. This will help thicken it up a bit.

Ready to serve! I normally add a little hot sauce, but it was so yummy, I didn't want to change a thing!

Some suggested accessories and ingredients for this recipe, see my full Instant Pot accessory list here:

Want to know how I organize and store all my recipes on my computer and share on all my devices? I use the Cookin' software! I can import recipes from the web, add my personal ones, add pictures, print pdfs, and then view them from my iPad, iPhone, etc!



Bridget Davet

Using the affiliate links in this blog to make purchases helps support my site. Thank you in advance!

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Pressure Cooker Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya - Instant Pot

Pressure Cooker Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya - Instant Pot

Growing up in south Louisiana, Jambalaya is by far one of my favorite dishes. Not trying to toot my own horn, but I consider myself a great cook, except when it comes to anything that contains rice. Rice is my kryptonite. Yes, it is instant rice at my house I'm sad to report. I did however just learn to make jasmine rice on the stovetop with much success, but that is as far as it goes. I once attempted from scratch jambalaya for my husband when we were dating. 3 hours or so after planned dinner time we ate. It was edible, but that is the best I can say about it. I gave up. Rice is not my thing! Until now. Thanks to the Instant Pot, I can redeem myself as a Cajun cooker and server the most yummy homemade jambalaya around.

I started with a recipe from the book "Electric Pressure Cooker: 365 Quick & Easy, One Pot, Pressure Cooker Recipes For Easy Meals" {Amazon link } and modified it from there. Here's the final result.

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 Tbls oil
  • 8 ounces sausage links, sliced
  • 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 8 ounces raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
  • 1 tsp Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning {Amazon link} or creole seasoning of choice
  • 2 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • 2 dashes cayenne pepper
  • 1 dash Tabasco Pepper Sauce {Amazon link}
  • 1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce {Amazon link}
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 cup chicken broth or homemade bone broth
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced (or 3 tsps dried)

Instructions

To make the seasoning mix, combine 1 tsp Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning, 2 tsp thyme and 2 dashes of cayenne pepper in a small bowl and set aside. To make it have a little more kick, add more creole seasoning.

Put 1-2 Tbsp oil into Instant pot and hit the 'sauté' button. Once it says 'hot', add your chicken. Sauté chicken until cooked, but not over cooked. Then add your sliced sausage and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add your shrimp and half of your seasoning mix. Sauté until shrimp are pink. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon {Amazon link}, leaving any grease in the pot, and transfer to a bowl and cover.

Add the onions, garlic, bell peppers, celery and remainder of the seasoning mix to the pot. Stirring frequently, sauté for about 10 minutes until the veggies are soft and browned.

Stir in rice, tomatoes, broth, Tabasco Pepper Sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Close the lid and make sure the value is on sealing (not venting). Select manual cook time for 8 minutes on high pressure.

Release pressure using the quick release method and remove lid. Stir in the parsley and cooked meat. Close lid and let stand for 5 minutes. Open, stir and serve!

Some suggested accessories and ingredients for this recipe, see my full Instant Pot accessory list here:

Want to know how I organize and store all my recipes on my computer and share on all my devices? I use the Cookin' software! I can import recipes from the web, add my personal ones, add pictures, print pdfs, and then view them from my iPad, iPhone, etc!



Bridget Davet

Using the affiliate links in this blog to make purchases helps support my site. Thank you in advance!