• Chickpea Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing

    Ingredients

    Chickpea Salad

    AmountIngredients
    180gchickpeas, dry*
    320gcucumber, diced
    45gtomatoes, diced
    22gshallots or red onion, finely diced
    20gcilantro, chopped
    *Can replace with ~2 15oz cans of chickpeas (drained), or 450g cooked & frozen

    Citrus Tahini Dressing

    AmountIngredients
    75gtahini
    50glime juice, fresh
    40glemon juice, fresh
    26gwater
    ½ tspsumac
    to tastesalt

    Process

    1. If using dry beans, add them to instant pot, cover with water by several inches, add salt and seal lid.
    Pressure: High
    Time: 40 minutes
    Release: Quick
    1. Prepare all the ingredients (chop, dice, juice, etc.)
    2. Toss everything together and taste for seasoning

    Notes

    • This dish is best served cold, so if using dry chickpeas, prepare them in the morning or the night before and refrigerate
    • Shallots are milder than onions but super expensive; use red onions if you’re not a Rockefeller
    • Can use all lemon juice or all lime juice, if that’s all you have on hand
    Chickpea Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing
  • Black Bean Burger Salad

    Ingredients

    AmountIngredients
    1tomato, diced
    ½cucumber, large, diced
    66gsalsa
    2black bean burgers, toasted
    15gcheese, shredded, Mexican blend
    38gsour cream
    3 leaveslettuce, iceberg, chopped
    to tastecilantro, fresh

    Process

    1. Prepare black bean burger however you like (airfryer, stovetop, George Foreman grill or panini press, toaster oven, etc.)
    2. Chop tomato and cucumber; toss with salsa and layer on bottom of a plate
    3. Crumble black bean burger over salad base
    4. Sprinkle cheese immediately on top so it melts a little
    5. Add sour cream, lettuce, and cilantro

    Nutrition

    640 calories

    Notes

    • Can mix sour cream with salsa to make a kind of sauce
    • Use whatever brand of black bean burgers you like, except the Don Lee Farms ones, which are bland with no flavor.
    Black Bean Burger Salad
  • Midwestern Caprese

    Layer tomatoes and cucumbers on white bread and top with a slice of American cheese.

    Nutrition

    240 calories for 1 sandwich

    Notes

    • Don’t discard the tomato seeds, let the tomato juices drip onto the bread to hydrate it and keep from having a dry sandwich without the need for mayo
    • Add Sriracha or hot sauce of choice for a kick of heat
    Midwestern Caprese
  • Caprese Panini

    Ingredients

    Makes 1 large panini

    AmountIngredients
    98gBread, Italian, sliced (Pane Turano)
    93gMozzarella, fresh, sliced
    55gtomatoes
    3 leavesbasil, fresh, torn
    1 Tbalsamic vinegar (or reduction)

    Process

    1. (Optional) Spray one slice of bread with spray oil and lay it oil side down (see notes)
    2. Layer on the rest of the ingredients
    3. Add the other slice of bread and spray top with oil, if using
    4. Heat in toaster oven, panini press, or George Foreman grill, or press on a dry pan on the stove

    Nutrition

    493 Calories

    Notes

    • If calories aren’t an issue, you can drizzle the outside of the sandwich with olive oil on both sides, or spread with butter instead of using the spray oil
    • You can also drizzle some olive oil on the inside of the sandwich, but I find it’s not necessary
    • If using the toaster oven, it’s fine to take the sandwich out halfway through and press it down a bit.
    • Pane Turano is my bread of choice for paninis, but any nice sourdough bread should work fine. Other breads like ciabatta or foccacia will work, too, but the calorie count will be different.
    Caprese Panini
  • Egg & Cheese Quesadilla

    Tuck a 2-egg omelette into a 10″ flour tortilla and add 2 slices of melting cheese (I like American). Warm in toaster oven, airfryer, or in a dry pan on the stovetop until cheese is melted.

    Nutrition

    481 calories

  • Burrito Bowl

    Ingredients

    AmountIngredients
    196gSimple Rice & Potatoes
    76gsalsa
    30gcheese, shredded, Mexican-style
    110gMexican chicken
    50gsour cream
    4 leaveslettuce, torn

    Assembly

    1. Top rice with salsa, sprinkle a little water over it and heat in microwave for ~2 minutes or until piping hot
    2. Add cheese and heat for 30 seconds, removing halfway through to stir and insure even melting
    3. Add chicken on half of the hot rice mix and cover with the other half (to heat through)
    4. Add sour cream and lettuce

    Nutrition

    Calories: 688

    Notes

    Microwaved chicken has a bad smell and worse taste. Covering the chicken with the hot rice helps mitigate that. You can also heat the chicken, rice, and salsa in a dry pan on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, then fold in the cheese.

    Burrito Bowl
  • Simple Rice & Potatoes

    Ingredients

    AmountIngredients
    360grice, basmati
    2 cupswater + Mexican chicken reserved liquid
    50goil, vegetable
    150gonion, sliced
    360gpotatoes, Yukon gold
    1 tspsalt
    1 tspcumin seeds

    Process

    1. Wash the rice and cover with water to soak; set aside
    2. Set instant pot to sauté mode, add oil, onions, half the salt, and cook until nicely browned; add a tablespoon or 2 of water if onions start browning too quickly or unevenly
    3. Add potatoes, cumin seeds
    4. Add rice, water / liquid, and the rest of the salt; stir to combine; close lid and seal
    Pressure: High
    Time: 7 minutes
    Release: 10 minute natural
    

    Nutrition

    100g = 153 calories

    Notes

    1. This recipe uses the leftover liquid that’s drained from the Mexican chicken recipe. Use as much of the liquid as you have, then add water until you have 2 cups of liquid total.
    2. If you do not have the reserved liquid or you did not make that recipe at all, use all water.
    3. I prefer to add half the salt to the onions while browning in step 2, but you can add it all.
    4. The flavor is somewhere between Mexican rice and Pakistani pulao.
    5. Can be enjoyed as-is, or you can pair it with all the fixings of regular chicken tacos to make a taco rice bowl: fajitas, Mexican chicken, and any sauces.
    Simple Rice & Potatoes
  • Chicken Quesadilla

    Assembly

    1. Layer Mexican chicken onto one half of a large, 10″ flour tortilla
    2. Top with shredded, Mexican blend cheese and fold in half
    3. Toast in a toaster oven, panini press, George Foreman grill, or on a dry pan on the stove

    Nutrition

    Calories: 457 (68g tortilla, 73g chicken, 42g cheese)

    Chicken Quesadilla
  • Shredded Chicken Tacos

    This “recipe” brings several several others together into a complete meal. You can also think of it as building with leftovers.

    Recipes

    Nutrition

    323 calories, as pictured (including sauce)

    Notes

    The sauce was a new recipe I’d tried but it wasn’t what I was looking for and didn’t add to the dish. Plain sour cream would have been better.

    Shredded Chicken Tacos
  • Mexican Shredded Chicken

    Credits

    Recipe adapted from Carlsbad Cravings

    Ingredients

    AmountIngredients
    10goil, vegetable
    770gchicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw
    100gsalsa, medium
    12gsugar
    4ozdiced jalapenos, hot, canned
    10oztomatoes, diced, with chilies, drained
    1 Tchili powder
    1½ tspsalt
    1 tspground cumin
    1 tspgarlic powder
    1 tsponion powder
    ½ tspblack pepper
    ½ tspsmoked paprika
    ½ tsporegano, Mexican, dried
    1 tspliquid smoke

    Process

    1. Add the oil to the bottom of the instant pot, swirl to coat
    2. Add all other ingredients, seal lid
    Pressure: High
    Time: 13 minutes
    Release: 15 minutes natural
    
    1. Open instant pot and shred the chicken; mix it all together to rehydrate and seal the lid again
    Pressure: High
    Time: 5 minutes
    Release: 10 minutes natural
    
    1. Drain excess liquid and serve (see notes)

    Nutrition

    100g (drained) = 124 calories

    Notes

    This is a base Mexican chicken recipe, which can be used:

    Keep the strained liquid from Step 4 and make rice, beans, or any other dish where these flavors will shine.

    • Can sub regular oregano in place of Mexican
    • Shred chicken using 2 forks or by pressing chicken pieces against bottom and sides of pot; they should fall apart
    Mexican Shredded Chicken

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