#1,747: Black Bean Sweet Potato Quinoa Turkey Chili

I was supposed to use my new pressure cooker with this recipe, as it seemed the least intimidating to try using it with, but I chickened out.  So I decided to throw it in my crockpot instead.  I LOVED this recipe.  It was healthy, and comforting and filling.  I will definitely be making this recipe again and is a great meal to make on the weekend and then have for lunches and/or dinners during the week.  I'm a big fan of this one!

1 tablespoon olive oil (I omitted)

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (I used 1/2 jalapeno)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock

1 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup quinoa

2 large boneless skinless chicken breast, uncooked and diced (I used cooked ground turkey)

1 tablespoon lime juice

avocado, cilantro, sour cream, cheese, optional (I omitted)

If using the pressure cooker, here are the instructions.  I however put the sweet potato, onion, garlic, chili powder, jalapeno, cumin, salt, broth, black beans, diced tomatoes and cooked (crumbled) ground turkey in a crockpot and cooked on high for about 3-4 hours (until the sweet potatoes were done).  Then I added the cooked quinoa and the lime juice. 

Saute and add oil to the pressure cooker pot. When oil is hot, add the sweet potato and onion and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Stir in chili powder, chipotle, cumin and salt. Add chicken broth, black beans, tomatoes, quinoa, and chicken and stir to combine.

Lock lid in place, select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time and start. When timer beeps, turn off pressure cooker, wait 5 minutes, then do a quick pressure release.

Stir in the lime juice and add additional salt as needed. If necessary, let chili rest unplugged for several minutes uncovered and the quinoa will absorb additional liquid.

Garnish individual bowls with avocado, cilantro, sour cream or shredded cheese.

Pressure Cooker French Dip Sandwich

It's my first pressure cooker recipe and I'll admit, I was petrified to try it.  I got a pressure cooker for Christmas (it's probably the only kitchen gadget I don't/didn't have!), and have been putting off trying to make something in it for fear that I'm going to kill myself or destroy my kitchen.

I got a pressure cooker for Christmas from my husband (or maybe I bought it for myself and then told him to wrap it and put my name on it?!) and have been dying to use it since I got it in July off Amazon's (pitifully sad) Christmas in July sale. 

Dinner was really late this night as I apparently was supposed to test the pressure cooker first.  Whatever, I just gave the kids and hubby a snack...everyone was ok!  And thankfully the roast I used was less than 2 lbs, so it wasn't supposed to take as long to cook. 

This recipe was a total bust for us.  I don't know if it was operator error, the cut of meat I got, or not using the pressure cooker correctly but this recipe was AWFUL.  After 45 minutes in the pressure cooker the meat was still super tough.  As in inedible tough.  So we threw a pizza in the oven and I threw this into the crockpot to finish cooking and planned to eat it the next night for dinner.  This recipe did NOT taste good.  It was so bad, I had to pitch it (what a waste!).  I'm thinking it was the meat we got/used becasue even after cooking an additional FOURTEEN hours in the crockpot (on low) this should have been super tender but it was stringy and smelled weird (not rancid weird, just unappealing).  I'll probably give this recipe one more try but I'm certainly not in a rush to do so! 

Here's the original recipe if you want to try it (I know I'm making it sound so wonderful).  If you do try it, or have tips for how to use a pressure cooker please let me know!!  What did I do wrong?!?! 

6 pounds chuck roast (frozen or thawed)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1/2 cups beef stock

1 loaf french bread

provolone cheese for topping

Place chuck roast, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion powder and beef stock in a 4-6 quart pressure cooker.

Bring up to high pressure (15 pounds pressure), and  cook for 1 1/2 hours if roast is frozen, and 1 hour if roast is thawed.

Place a mesh strainer over a pot and pour contents of the pressure cooker into the strainer separating the meat and juices. Set meat in a bowl and shred with forks to desired consistency.

Bring juices to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer the juices until reduced by half, skimming off fat as it rises to the top. Do not boil as this will cause the au jus to become cloudy and lead to a greasy mouth feel.

Once the juices are reduced in half, season the Au Jus to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut your french bread loaf into desired sandwich sizes and split down the middle.

Place your shredded beef onto your bread, topping with a slice or two of provolone. Place on a cookie sheet and melt you cheese under a broiler until bubbly.

Serve with remaining au jus sauce if desired.