Friday in the Kitchen



Friday in the Kitchen is about sharing some of the food I've been cooking in my kitchen recently.



Homemade Food
Years ago while I was raising my 8 kids I cooked and made everything from scratch. It was how we kept the food costs in budget. It was great. I taught my kids how to cook, how make anything they wanted. I taught them they did not have to depend on a box or can or bottle of anything. They could always make it themselves.

As the kids left home and the budget issues eased, I found I was exhausted from all the cooking and food making. I began to rely more on store bought options.

I've slowly been making my way back to cooking and making many of the foods we eat. Why? Well, first it is better on the grocery budget. But it also tastes much better. And it is healthier for us.

So this week I ran out of ranch dressing. We love ranch dressing and I was not planning on going to the store for a few days so I made a batch from my tried and true recipe. The one I'd made for years when my kids were growing up. It was so good. I realized how much better I like my own ranch.



You can find my recipe.. HERE



Buddha Bowls
Once again I'm slow to come around to the latest things.. Buddha Bowls would be an example of this. I have no idea why they are called this, but to me they are pretty much like a rice bowl.

You start with a bowl, add some type of grain, top with veggies, beans, meat or whatever you want. Add some sauce of choice.. and you have lunch or dinner.

I gave it a try and I loved it. So easy to make, so healthy, so good.

I started with the bowl..


Added about ½ cup of quinoa (rice would work too)..


Then I sautéed some veggies. In this batch I sautéed onions, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach. I spooned out those on top of the quinoa...



Then, I had some black beans in the fridge. I heated them up and put those on top...



Finally, I had ¼ of a small sweet potato (already cooked in the fridge). I cut that up and added it on top..



I sprinkled it all with soy sauce..



And have the most amazing lunch. I was stuffed when I was done. Kept me full all day....


You can be as creative as you want with a Buddha Bowl.. add whatever kind of grain you want, veggies, beans, meat (or not, your choice).. sauce of your choice.. and have an easy fantastic lunch or dinner.



Cooking Quinoa in the Instant Pot
Quinoa is abour as easy as rice is to make on the stove top. I wanted to see if I could make it in my IP. And yes, I could! And sooooo easy.


Here is the basic directions...

You will need quinoa and water in a one to one ratio (like 1 cup quinoa to 1 cup water).

Rinse the quinoa under cold water in a strainer.

Put it in the Instant Pot.

Cover with equal amount of water.

Salt to taste, if desired (I used 2 cups of quinoa, 2 cups water, 1t salt)

Stir..

Put the lid on the IP

Set the knob to “Sealing”

Set to “Manual”

Set time to 1 minute (yes.. just 1 minute)


Walk away.. :)


When the IP beeps and lets you know the cooking time is done, don't do anything.. just let the pressure drop on it's own. This will take about 10 minutes or so.


Remove the lid and you will fluffy, perfectly cooked quinoa..


 
 
 

Comments

  1. I had to laugh when I read your comments about serving more prepared foods once your children left home. I did the same thing when my last ones left, and I'm now getting back into preparing the tasty, healthy, and economical food I used to make. Taking that little break has made it seem more a joy and less a chore.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

All messages are moderated. After approval your message will be posted. Thank you for your comments!! Crystal :)

Popular posts from this blog

Canning Cabbage

Canning Chicken Noodle-less Soup

Dishwasher Soap Sub