Black Bean Salad with Mango, Cilantro and Lime

Ingredients

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 C lime juice

2 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoon ground cumin

2/3 cup olive oil

a bit of salt and pepper to taste

2 small ripe mango, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces

1 or 2 bell pepper, cut into small dice

1 C corn (or zucchini for corn free salad)

3 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced (or 3 chipotle pepper in adobe sauce chopped)

1 C onion, cut into small dice

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Combine and let marinade for 30 minutes, enjoy.

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Taco Meat

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CHICKEN:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic — minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 chipotle peppers in adobo — individual peppers, NOT 3 cans, finely chopped (if you love heat, feel free to add an extra pepper or stir in a few teaspoons of sauce from the can)
1 can diced tomatoes in their juices — (14 ounces) For extra heat, use Rotelle with peppers
1/4 cup lime juice

FOR SERVING:
Corn tortillas, lightly brushed with olive oil and heated in skillet on both sides - can be a little charred.
Any other bonus toppings: fresh cilantro — diced onion, cheese, additional salsa verde, diced avocado (either in place of or in addition to avocado sauce above), plain greek yogurt

INSTRUCTIONS

With the Instant Pot on sauté, the olive oil, onion, garlic, chili powder, and salt. Let cook 3 minutes, until the onion beings to soften. Turn the Instant Pot off (on my model, I hit CANCEL). Stir in the chipotle peppers, tomatoes, and chicken. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer (a little overlap is OK, and the chicken will be touching). Pour the lime juice over the top.

Lock the lid in place. Cook on manual pressure for 15 minutes. As soon as the time is up, vent immediately. Once you can open the lid, turn the Instant Pot off. Turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, breaking up the chicken, until the liquid reduces by about half. 

To serve: Fill the shells with the chicken and add any desired toppings. Enjoy immediately.

RECIPE NOTES

Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of chicken stock or extra salsa to keep it from drying out.

Based on https://www.wellplated.com/instant-pot-shredded-chicken-tacos/ with my changes

Pressure Cooker Lentil Soup

Soup is all ready for this weeks lunches.  This recipe made three and a half quarts.

Ingredients

2 cup lentils
1 onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 carrots (sliced into 1/4 pieces)
2 celery stalks (diced (optional))

1 cup chopped meat optional - ham, sausage, chicken
1 bunch Rainbow Chard or similar greens (chopped, such as kale)
8 cups water or broth
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

Set to Saute function on Instant Pot.
Saute onions, garlic, spices, carrots, celery, and meat while adding ingredients.  Stir in the lentils to combine.  Add water/broth to cover.

Lock the lid into place and bring to high pressure. Once at pressure, reduce heat to maintain pressure and cook for 3 minutes.
Use the quick release method to release the pressure until it is safe to unlock the lid.
Stir in the chard/kale, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.  Top with green onion optional.  Keep instant pot on warm or saute to desired consistency. 

based on https://passtheplants.com/pressure-cooker-lentil-soup/

Lasagna with or without meat

Lasagna by memory

• 10 ounces, Lasagna Noodles- cooked al dente
  ************
• 1-1.5 pounds of ground beef or bulk Italian sausage (half of each) browned/drained
• 1 whole Onion Chopped ~ 1 cup
• 4 cloves Garlic (or 4 Tb minced garlic)
• 1/4 cup Italian Seasoning
• 1 whole Bell Pepper, Diced
• 8 ounces, White Mushrooms, Chopped (Optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped Celery
• 1/2 cup White Wine as needed to saute veggies 
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt (more To Taste)
• 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 1 large can (28 Ounce) petite diced Tomatoes
• 1 quart favorite spaghetti sauce - or enough to make sauce right consistency
  *************
• 24 ounces, Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped (more To Taste
  ******************
• 12 slices Swiss Cheese
• 1 pound Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

(for veggie lasagna, replace meat with 8 cups of zucchini/summer squash/mushroom/carrots combination of your choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Brown the meat in a large skillet and drain. Add onions and garlic and cook for a minute. Add diced peppers and celery and saute for another minute or so. Add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Pour in wine, add salt, pepper, and seasoning and stir.  Pour in tomatoes and sauce. Stir to combine and let simmer for 20 minutes or so.

In a separate bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and  chopped parsley.  Stir well..

To assemble, spread a little of the vegetable/tomato sauce in a lasagna pan. Layer four cooked noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping them if necessary. Spread 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture on the noodles. Top the cottage cheese mixture with swiss slices and sprinkle with mozzarella. Spoon a little less than 1/3 of the meat sauce mixture over the mozzarella.

Repeat the layering two more times, ending with a large helping of sauce and a sprinkling of Mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees, for 60 minutes?  When the sauce is bubbly and cheese is slightly brown (thermometer for above 185 degrees in the middle)  Cover with tinfoil if the top is getting too brown.  Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10-30 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.  It's actually better the next day....