Come to one of our classes and join in the fun. We talk, we learn, we enjoy ourselves. And we have fun while cooking healthy food and even throw in a few time saving tips and tricks of the trade!
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Healthy Version of Arroz
con Pollo
This classic dish is enhanced with the addition of black beans to make it more Cuban than Spanish. Or, leave them out. Either way making it all in the pressure cooker makes for a time saving nutritious dish. To add black beans to the dish start with one pound of black beans, sort them and rinse them well. Add them to a pressure cooker and then add 8 cups water and 2 teaspoons crystallized ginger that you cut into small pieces. (Ginger virtually removes the gassiness of all beans when they are cooked with it) Bring to a boil and cover with the lid and when at 15 pounds pressure, reduce heat and cook 45 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. When cool, remove lid and take out 1 and ½ cups of the cooked beans. Save the rest for other uses like refried beans, salads, pasta dishes etc.
Take 8 chicken thighs and wash and pat them dry. Season well with a mixture of paprika, cumin, ground oregano, and chili powder. Coat the chicken with the spices and then pour 4 tablespoons of good red wine vinegar (or balsamic) over the chicken, coat well and place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Cut up a large bell pepper, a big onion, dice 3 big carrots into 3/8 inch dice. In large pressure cooker heat 3 tablespoons olive oil. Cook the chicken thighs in the oil and brown well on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside. If there is a lot of chicken fat in the pan, spoon out all but about 4 tablespoons. Add and saute the vegetables over medium high heat about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 cups organic long grain brown rice. Saute and coat the grains with the oil. Add 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 2 teaspoons paprika and then add 4 cups water, or better, chicken stock. Bring to a boil and add the pressure lid to pan. Bring to pressure, reduce heat and cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow cool water to run over edges of pan to reduce pressure. When released, remove lid. Add the reserved black beans, about 8 ounces frozen peas, and the chicken pieces. Replace the pressure lid, bring back to pressure and cook for another 8 minutes. Remove from heat, allow pressure to reduce by itself. Remove lid and stir in a cup of pimento stuffed olives and garnish with a ¼ cup chopped parsley.
Apple Bread Pudding
This pudding, like all bread puddings, can be baked in the oven. Making it in a pressure cooker is just faster and keeps the pudding softer and with a more velvety texture instead of a crust on the top. Either way, it is still pretty darn good.
Take about 8 ounces of good whole wheat bread that is several days old. Cut it up into 2 inch cubes or so and allow to sit on the counter for a while, an hour or so is all. Cut up two Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples into ¾ inch dice. Toss with the bread cubes and place in a pan that will fit into your pressure cooker. Mix together 3 eggs, 1 ½ cups milk, ½ cup cream, and ½ cup applesauce with ½ teaspoon cinnamon and a grating of fresh nutmeg. Pour over the bread mix and allow to soak in for a few minutes. Bake in the oven or if using pressure cooker, cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Set on trivet in cooker, add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Place the lid on the cooker and bring to pressure. Cook at pressure for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to reduce pressure naturally. Remove from pan and serve with sour cream mixed with some applesauce.
Take one large jicama and cut in half. Lay flat on cut side and with sharp knife cut the peel off. Slice into 3/8 inch slices, stack and then julienne into 3/8 inch julienne. Cut in half and throw them into a large mixing bowl. Drain a can of mandarin oranges and save the juice. Add the orange segments to the bowl. Slice a sweet onion into ¼ inch slices and separate the slices and add. Cut a green pepper into thin slices, cut in half and add to the bowl. Chop a ¼ cup of cilantro and add. Juice a lemon into another bowl and add the reserved orange juice. Mix in ½ teaspoon each cayenne and cumin. Whisk in a ¼ cup olive oil. Pour over the salad and toss well.
WOW Breakfast Recipes
Stuffed French Toast
- one loaf of good home made whole wheat bread, if you're not sure where to get one, make your own, you can learn how to make it at Austin Healthy Cooking every week!
- part of a jar of Nutella
- 3 bananas sliced on bias
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup Frangelico
- 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
- natural maple syrup, fruit and toasted crushed hazelnuts for garnish
Take the bread and slice it into relatively thin slices, about half an inch thick or so. Lay the slices out to dry a bit, or even stack irregularly on sheet pan and put in warm oven for 30 minutes. Take one piece bread and liberally spread with Nutella. Arrange single layer of banana slices on top and spread thin layer Nutella on matching bread slice and press down on bananas. Repeat for all the bread slices. Beat together items 4 through 7. In large skillet over medium high heat, melt a teaspoon butter for each piece. Dip the bread sandwich in the egg mix and place in the melting butter. Brown well on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes, then turn over and brown other side. Remove from pan, slice on bias and plate with fruit, nuts and serve with real maple syrup. For a delightful treat, add some Frangelico to the syrup as well. NOTE, the class schedule does indeed state cream cheese and Raspberry jam stuffed, but I tried this out and loved it.
Potatoes and Eggs Poached in Salsa
- About 6 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, washed, dried and cut in half longitudinally
- 1 cup medium commercial salsa
- 4 organic free range eggs
- 6 jalapenos, or more as you desire
Take each potato and on the cut side make score cuts in criss cross pattern going halfway up potato. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in bottom of wide body pressure cooker and throw the potatoes into it. Stir around a bit, brown the rounded tops some, not a lot though. After about 6 to 8 minutes, turn onto flat cut side and allow to brown well to develop that nice flavor. about another 8 to 10 minutes. Don't be afraid to let them get dark brown, the darker, the better the flavor. Pour in the salsa, stick the jalapenos on top of the potatoes, bring to a boil and place the pressure lid on, bring to second ring of pressure. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool edge under running water to release pressure. Remove lid, if needed, move potatoes around to make room for adding eggs. Crack each egg into area clear of potato, top with some cheese, add the pressure lid back on and return to heat. Pressure for about 3 minutes and turn off heat. Allow to release pressure slowly. Open cooker, serve the potatoes, eggs, and a few of the tender jalapenos with whole wheat tortillas.
Blueberry and Ricotta Pancakes
- 1 3/4 cup fresh ground whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon each ground allspice and cinnamon
- 2 eggs separated
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- Butter for cooking pancakes
Mix together the first 5 dry ingredients. Beat egg whites until light and fluffy. Mix together the yolks, milk and Ricotta, mix together relatively well, leave small lumps of cheese. Fold into the dry ingredients. Fold in the egg whites. Fold in the blueberries. In large skillet over medium high heat in a bit of butter, cook each pancake until well browned, flip and brown the remaining side. Serve with real maple syrup.
Chef BUBBARoy's Great Granola
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup freshly ground whole wheat
- 1 cup rough chopped pecans
- 1 cup banana chips, broken up a bit
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- some ground spices like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup good oil, like sunflower, safflower or peanut
Mix all dry stuff together and then mix in the oil and honey, maybe add a bit of water to make mixing easier. Place it all in large roasting pan and place in 300 degree oven. Stir every 5 minutes and bake for about 20 minutes or so, remove immediately if it begins to brown. It should just lightly toast, just a light brown only. Remove from oven, and stir a bit while it cools. When cool, break it up and place in airtight container. To serve, pour in a bowl and top with organic yogurt, fresh fruit, Kir, Kefir, or use your imagination.
Crazy Breakfast Stuffed Peppers
- One bell pepper per person. Try for flat bottomed four lobed ones that stand easily
- 2 eggs per person beaten with a tablespoon water and teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 chorizo sausage link per person. Get the GOOD kind, like Johnsonville. Very little fat
- Some diced onions and jalapenos
- 1/2 cup grated cheese per person
- Some leftover home fries, or make them fresh.
Cut the top off each pepper and remove cores and seeds, set aside. Brown the sausages with the onions and jalapenos. Cut up into bite sized pieces. Beat the eggs well with about 1 tablespoon water per person. Fill each pepper with some of the sausage, onions, jalapenos, potatoes and cheese. Fill with the egg mixture. Place the peppers into a steamer basket and put into bottom of pressure cooker with a half cup water on bottom. Put a bowl over the peppers to keep condensation off, bring to a boil and place lid on cooker and bring to pressure. Cook at pressure for 10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to reduce pressure on its own. Remove lid and serve peppers with hot sauce, or whatever toots your horn. And this stuff will help, yeeeooow but they are good!!!!!
Recipes for Carnitas, Tortillas and Salsa Class
Pork roast for Carnitas
Take 8 to 10 dried Ancho chilies and remove stems and seeds. Place in blender with about an ounce of coffee beans, 1 ounce of cumin and dried garlic. Grind until fine. Rub over the sides and ends of a large pork shoulder roast. Place in large bag and marinate at least 4 hours or overnight. In a large pressure cooker heat to medium heat and film with peanut or olive oil. Brown the roast on all sides and place in bottom of pan. Add a sliced onion and some sliced fresh jalapenos. Add one bottle dark beer or a cup and a half of water and bring to boil. Add pressure lid and bring to pressure, then lower setting to low. Maintain pressure for 45 minutes to one hour. Remove from heat and allow to slowly reduce pressure. Remove lid and remove roast and slice or shred. For carnitas, place in baking pan and roast at 450 degrees until top is caramelized and crunchy. In the meantime bring the liquid in the pan to a boil and reduce by half, pour over the baked carnitas and serve. For tamales, reduce the liquid by two thirds and add the shredded pork into the pan and cook stirring frequently until dry.
Real Whole Wheat Tortillas
With flavor
In mixer add four cups freshly ground whole wheat flour with 1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, ½ teaspoon oregano. Mix well. Add ¼ cup olive oil or pork fat from above carnitas. Mix with 1 bottle dark beer, or water until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Allow to rest 20 minutes and then form into small balls. Golf bal size for 10 inch, smaller for smaller tortillas. Cook on tortilla press per directions for appliance. Allow to cool stacked and covered. When cool, pull apart and store in plastic wrap.
Chipotle Salsa
Dice an onion and chop up about 10 cloves garlic. Place in stock pot. Add three cans tomato puree, three cans crushed tomatoes. In blender, chop until fine one 7 oz can chipotle chilies with 6 fresh jalapenos, and juice from 3 limes and one bunch cilantro. Bring salsa to boil and add ¼ cup cumin, oregano and a bit of rosemary. When bubbling, put into jars and seal.
Visiting Chef Roy will teach healthy cooking techniques to you, your group, or your company. Just call to arrange Healthy Cooking!
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