Zupas Copycat Wisconsin Cauliflower Recipe

 I doubled the recipe and it fit inside my instapot still! I used tillamook sharp cheddar and more salt than called for. I used an immersion blender, but I think next time I'll try to get it smoother by using the blendtec. 

https://fabulesslyfrugal.com/recipes/cafe-zupas-wisconsin-cauliflower-soup-copycat-recipe/

 Mark especially liked this. I like using the Instant Pot.  Mark said to make double the sauce next time. 

INSTANT POT RED COCONUT CURRY NOODLES

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

 

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES

 

ADDITIONAL TIME: 15 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
•  16 ounces fettuccine noodles, broken in half
•  1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk, light or regular
•  1/4 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (see note)
•  1 tablespoon fresh ginger or ginger paste
•  1 tablespoon red curry paste (see note)
•  3 cloves garlic, finely minced
•  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  1 cup snow peas, halved or whole
•  1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced into strips
•  1 cup small diced carrots or matchstick carrots
•  Fresh, chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour two cups of the broth into the bottom of the electric pressure cooker. Layer the noodles on top of each other in 5-6 layers, alternating directions (see picture in the post for a visual) so they don't clump together while cooking.
2. Pour in the remaining two cups broth.
3. Whisk together the coconut milk, Thai chili sauce, fresh ginger, red curry paste, garlic and salt. Pour this mixture into the pressure cooker. Do not stir.
4. Secure the lid, set the valve to seal, and set the pressure cooker to cook on high pressure for 4-5 minutes. (The exact time will depend on the brand of noodles - take the al dente cooking time, cut it in half and subtract another 1-2 minutes.)
5. Quick release the pressure. If liquid spurts through the valve, close the valve and wait 5 minutes before trying again. It's ok if there is remaining liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker - it will continue to absorb into the noodles for perfect sauciness.
6. Give the noodles a good toss with tongs and add the vegetables. Close the pressure cooker and let sit for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables steam in the residual heat. Toss until combined. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
7. Serve the noodles with chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro, if desired.

NOTES

Noodles: the fettuccine noodles are obviously not authentic to a curry noodle dish like this, but they work great. You can try subbing in rice noodles or other noodles if you're ok experimenting with the cooking time/method.

Curry Paste: I almost always use the Thai Kitchen brand of red curry paste. It has a mild kick to it. You can dial the amount of red curry paste up or down depending on the brand or how spicy you want the noodles.

Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: I usually have the Mae Ploy brand of this sauce in my fridge, so that's what I use.

Vegetables: you can increase the veggies and customize what kind you use - zucchini, broccoli, etc.

Quinoa Salad

 This tasted fresh.  The dressing needed a kick and a bit of caesar dressing got added in.  It made a good combo. I used garden tomatoes instead of mini ones and used a quinoa grain mix from Costco. 

https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/detox-quinoa-salad/

Quinoa Recipes: Healthy Quinoa & Veggie Salad

A delicious and healthy quinoa recipe made with all-natural ingredients.

CourseMain Course

CuisineHealthy

Keywordquinoa recipes

Prep Time15 minutes

Total Time15 minutes

Servings6 servings

Calories131kcal

AuthorChelsea Lords

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa thoroughly rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 3-4 ounces spinach, stems removed and coarsely chopped
• 1 can (15 ounces) corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 5-6 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 large limes, juiced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Follow package instructions to cook the quinoa. Transfer to a large bowl and aside to cool completely.
• To the bowl with the cooled quinoa, add the chopped spinach, rinsed corn, rinsed black beans, cherry tomatoes, chopped green onions, and finely chopped cilantro.
• Toss together.
• In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, ground cumin, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the salad and toss to coat.*
• Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.

Notes

*Only add dressing to what you plan on eating in the same day. Unfortunately, this salad doesn’t sit super well with the dressing. If you are planning to have leftovers, toss only what you’ll being eating on day 1 with the dressing. Other than that, this salad can store in the fridge pretty well for up to 3 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 131kcal

Thai Mango Chicken Red Curry

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/thai-mango-chicken-red-curry/

This is HEAVENLY.  I made it with the suggested coconut rice.  And 10 oz of frozen mangoes, thawed a little.  I also opted for the cilantro on top.  So easy and so good (if you like Thai food and curry).

Shepherd’s Pie Bake Potatoes

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/shepherds-pie-baked-potatoes/

Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken and potato Curry

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/instant-pot-butter-chicken/

This was a good one that we will make again. I thought maybe I could lessp the tomato sauce next time but Mark lived it. I thought carrots chopped might be a good addition to the sauce. 

Baked Southwest Eggrolls with Sauce

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/baked-southwest-egg-rolls-with-creamy-chipotle-dipping-sauce/

My kids really liked these but next time I am going to be very careful about the spicy things I add. It was too much for me. I accidentally left out the chicken but my kids didn’t mind and probably liked them more.

Oven Baked Chimichangas

These were so good. A big hit at my house. I think I used the Costco uncooked tortillas. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/oven-baked-chimichangas/

One Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/one-pot-creamy-tomato-basil-pasta/

This was a good easy, fast dinner that I could use summer garden veggies for.

BBQ chicken bread braid

my family loved this. It was really easy too because I already had leftover bbq chicken frozen from making bbq chicken taquitos. I added red onion to serve with.

This was fun mess kitchen cafe
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/bbq-chicken-braid/

Instant Pot Ziti

this was a good easy one from Mel’s. I sautéd ground beef in the first step. 

Easter Funeral Potatoes

I made these for our Easter dinner and loved them.  I cut up ham that we had frozen and mixed it in and also chose frozen hashbrowns instead of shredding my own potatoes. It made it a lot easier. 

Yield: 6-8 servings

Cheesy Funeral Potatoes {Au Gratin Potatoes}

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

Potatoes:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon if you want more thyme flavor)
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
• 5-6 large russet potatoes (about 30 ounces), peeled, cooked and shredded or small diced or a 26-ounce bag frozen shredded hash browns (see note)
• 1/2 cup light or regular sour cream

Topping:

• 3 cups cornflakes (3.75 ounces), lightly crushed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Combine the chicken broth and milk in a liquid measure and slowly whisk in the mixture. Stir in the salt, pepper and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
3. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream and mix until combined.
4. Mix in the frozen hash browns or cooked and shredded potatoes, lifting and folding the mixture until well combined.
5. In a medium bowl, toss the lightly crushed cornflakes with the butter until evenly combined.
6. Evenly spread the potatoes into the prepared 9X13-inch baking dish and top with the buttered cornflakes.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until hot and bubbly around the edges. If baking the potatoes with a ham (my ham recipe bakes at 300 degrees), bake the potatoes for 90 minutes at 300 degrees then crank the oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes for 10 minutes more.
8. Let the potatoes rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

My preference is to use cooked potatoes for this, but frozen hash browns definitely work in a pinch. As noted in the ingredients, I use 5-6 medium russet potatoes (about 30 ounces). I peel them, boil them (the Instant Pot makes quick work of this; high pressure for a 4-ish minutes with enough water/broth), drain, and let them cool completely (if I have time to chill them, even better, as it makes shredding or dicing so much easier without them falling apart). 
Make ahead: these potatoes do very well being made ahead of time. I often make them 1-2 days ahead of time, covering and refrigerating (storing the cornflake topping separately in a bag). If chilled, I bake the potatoes, covered with foil, for 15-20 minutes, then uncover, top with the cornflake mixture and bake for another 30-35 minutes until hot and bubbly. I have not tried freezing them, but I believe many in the comments have done so (read through for their experiences).

Easy Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

 I used a few different recipes and my own instructions to create this.
 Ingredients
 1 tablespoon olive oil
 1 onion diced
 3 carrots peeled and diced
 4 stocks of celery diced
 1 teaspoon of thyme dried  or three sprigs fresh thyme
( optional other pinches of spices of garlic, lemon, rosemary and bay leaves or can leave it out altogether)
 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast( about two or three breasts)
1 teaspoon of salt
 1 teaspoon of pepper
 6 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
 12 ounces farfalle pasta
1 cup frozen corn kernels

 Directions
 Put the Instant pot on sauté setting. Add olive oil, onion, carrots,  and celery, and thyme.  Cook stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes.
 Cook pasta on stove.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
 Add chicken, chicken broth, and water To instant pot.
Set instant pot on high for 10 minutes  then quick release.
Remove chicken and shred using blendtec.
 Add frozen corn to instant pot. Select high sauté setting on instant pot. Bring to a boil then turn off.
Stir in pasta, chicken, and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

This is the second recipe I tried of mac and cheese.  I loved it much better than the first. It was easy too. I used evaporated milk at the end even though she recommended not. https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/instant-pot-mac-and-cheese/

Ingredients

• 16 Ounces Uncooked Elbow Macaroni
• 4 Cups Chicken Broth
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 -1 Cup Milk

Instructions

1. Add the uncooked macaroni, chicken broth, butter, hot sauce, garlic powder, pepper, and salt to the Instant Pot. 
2. Place the lid on the pot and set to sealing.  Cook on manual function, high pressure for 5 minutes.  Then, do a quick release.
3. Stir in the cheeses and milk until smooth.  Season as necessary to taste.

Recipe Notes

NOTE:  The cheeses listed in the recipe have produced the best flavor that I have found.  Feel free to use your family's favorite cheese combination.

NOTE:  For the milk, start with 1/2 cup and add up to one cup if you find it needs to be thinned out a little bit more.