The Broke Baker

Author: kaypea

  • Pressure Cooker Chocolate Stout Molten Pudding

    Pressure Cooker Chocolate Stout Molten Pudding

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    I had experimented with making molten puddings (AKA lava cakes) in the Instant Pot for a while.  This chocolate stout molten pudding is the result of such experiments.

    I was not on board with making lava cakes in my electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot) when I first heard that this was a thing.  Truth be told, I tried it.  In fact, I invited a few friends over to my house and we made a batch of lava cakes in the oven and nother batch in the Instant Pot to see which ones we liked better.  The decision was split fairly evenly, but I was firmly on Team Oven.  What finally changed my mind was a trip to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival last year, where the Ireland station was serving up “chocolate pudding” that was basically a lava cake.  But, that was when it hit me that what was REALLY bothering me was that I associate a certain texture to “cake.”

    When I stopped thinking about Instant Pot lava cakes as “cakes” and instead thought of them as “molten puddings,” I quickly warmed up to them.  It’s important to make the distinction, because molten puddings/lava cakes made in the Instant Pot do have a very different texture than their oven counterparts.  The exterior is more smooth and custard-like.  The oven gives you a drier, brownie-like crust.  You can also bake these in the oven if that is the texture that you prefer.

    Start by melting your chocolate and your butter, then set it aside.  Whisk the eggs with the sugar until foamy, then whisk in the flour until there are no clumps.  Slowly which the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.  I did it in 4 rounds so that the heat from the chocolate mixture didn’t curdle the eggs.

    Once the chocolate mixture is thoroughly combined, gradually add the stout.  Doing it little by little ensures that it won’t make your batter separate.  After that is done, pour it into greased ramekins, then cook uncovered on High Pressure for 7 minutes.  When the timer is up, use Quick Release to release the pressure and remove the ramekins.

    Invert each pudding on a plate to serve.  You could eat it as is if you want.

    Since I was sticking to the St. Patrick’s Day theme, I served them with an Irish Cream Creme Anglaise.  The rich sweetness of the cream sauce paired perfectly with the bitterness of the chocolate and the stout.  Of course, this would also go great with ice cream.

    Because these stout molten puddings use both bittersweet chocolate and beer, the pudding itself does have some bitter notes.  You can use semi-sweet chocolate for a less bitter taste, or add more sugar to suit your taste.

    Pressure Cooker Chocolate Stout Molten Pudding

    Ingredients

    For the puddings:

    • 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or semi-sweet chocolate)
    • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
    • 4 whole eggs
    • 1/2 cup Stout beer (I used Guinness)
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 5/8 cups flour

    For the Irish Cream Creme Anglaise:

    • 1 cup milk
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 1 tbsp cornstarch
    • 1/4 cup sugar, divided
    • 1/2 cup Irish Cream liqueur (I use Kerrygold)

    Directions

    Make the Creme Anglaise:

    In a small saucepan, heat the milk and half of the sugar over medium heat  Whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining sugar and set aside.

    When the milk starts to simmer, remove from heat.  Slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, a little bit at a time.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens (about 2-3 minutes).

    Remove from heat and strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer, then stir in the Irish Cream.  Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate until ready to use.

    Can be made a day in advance.

    Make the molten puddings:

    Grease 6 4oz ramekins and set side.  Pour 1 cup of water into the liner of your pressure cooker.

    Melt the chocolate and the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-30 second bursts until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Set aside.

    Whisk the eggs and the sugar together until combined, then add the flour and whisk until few clumps remain.  Gradually whisk in the chocolate mixture, then the stout.

    Divide the batter evenly among the 6 ramekins.  Arrange them in 2 layers on a trivet in the liner of your pressure cooker, then cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 7 minutes.  When the timer is up, manually release the remaining pressure.

    Remove ramekins from the pressure cooker and serve by inverting the puddings onto a plate.  Serve with Creme Anglaise.

    Makes 6 servings.

  • Passion Fruit Ice Cream (Egg Free)

    Passion Fruit Ice Cream (Egg Free)

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    I snagged a ridiculously good sale on passion fruits recently.  So good, in fact, that I drove to four different participating store locations to grab up whatever passion fruits I could.  Worth every penny, and it gave me room to start making things with passion fruit that I have wanted to make for a while, but haven’t because they are so expensive.  Passion fruit ice cream was one of them.

    Passion fruit is quite an acidic fruit.  I noticed that my ice cream mixture thickened up considerably before I even put it on the stove to make the custard the first time I made it.  So, for my second batch, I decided to skip the stove step.  Using condensed milk also helps with giving the passion fruit ice cream the creamy, custard-like consistency without the need to add eggs.

    The end result is a creamy ice cream that is the perfect balance of sweet and tart.  While freezing your passion fruit ice cream in the ice cream maker, start checking it after about 15 minutes of churning.  Because the mixture is so thick, it sometimes freezes faster than normal ice cream, and you don’t want to overchurn.

    Passion Fruit Ice Cream

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups heavy cream
    • 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
    • 1 1/4 cups passion fruit pulp (with seeds)
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

    Directions

    Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes, then strain to remove seeds.  Cover and refrigerate until very cold.

    Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.  Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm.

  • Rose Entremets

    Rose Entremets

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    For this month’s meeting of the South Florida Baking Club, I decided on “Flowers and Chocolate” as the theme.  Basically, your creation should incorporate flowers or chocolate.  Since I’m a little nuts, I decided to do BOTH.  And, before realizing how I had shot myself in the foot with that idea, these Rose Entremets were born.

    The rose entremets are made up of four components: A genoise sponge as the base, bavarian cream, a truffle center, and colored mirror glaze.  As the name implies, the entremets incorporate the flavor of rose in two of the four components.  The bavarian cream is flavored with rose syrup, and the truffle center has rosewater added to it.

    I wasn’t really expecting to post this so soon, so I don’t have pictures of the entire preparation process.  I will try to come back and update when I make these again!

    Once all of your components are prepared, the rose entremets are assembled in half-sphere molds, then frozen until solid so that they can be glazed.

    I highly recommend living the pan under your glazing tray with parchment paper.  It makes for much easier cleanup!

    My mirror glaze turned out a bit less opaque than I would have liked.  I think that I would add some white gel food coloring next time to make it less translucent.

    From start to finish, they took me three weekday evenings to make.  But oh, were people IMPRESSED!  I finally found a use for my gold mini cake circles that have been sitting in my pantry for AGES.

    You could definitely taste the rose, but it wasn’t overpowering.  Rather than tasting like you got smacked in the face with a bouquet, it was more of a subtle floral tone that came in at the end.  I would call these a resounding success!  The subtle rose tone in the creamy bavarian cream balanced out the indulgent and rosy truffle center.

    These are best eaten within a day after assembling, as mirror glaze doesn’t keep well.

    Rose Entremets

    Ingredients

    For the rose truffle:

    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    • 4oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
    • 1/4 tsp rose water

    For the chocolate genoise sponge:

    • 3/8 cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
    • 3 eggs, at room temperature
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly

    For the vanilla rose bavarois:

    • 5 egg yolks
    • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
    • 3/4 cups heavy cream
    • 3 tbsp rose syrup
    • 2 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tbsp gelatin powder
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract

    Additional ingredients/materials

    • 1 batch of mirror glaze (I used this recipe)
    • 1 set of 2 1/2in silicone sphere molds (I used these)
    • 1 set of 1 1/2in silicone sphere mold (I used this one)
    • A 2 1/2 inch diameter cookie or biscuit cutter

    Directions

    Make the rose truffles

    Please the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.

    Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it’s almost to a boil.  Pour over the chopped chocolate, then stir gently until all of the chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.  Add the rose extract and stir to combine.

    Divide evenly among the cavities of your smaller sphere mold.  Cover and refrigerate until set.

    Make the Chocolate Genoise

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.  Sift the flour and cocoa together and set aside.

    Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture quadruples in size and turns pale yellow.  This will take about 5-10 minutes. Gently fold in the melted butter.

    Sift the flour mixture into the egg mixture and gently fold it in until no streaks remain.

    Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

    Make the Vanilla Rose Bavarois

    In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin in the rose syrup.  Set aside.

    In another bowl, whisk the sugar and the egg yolks together and set aside.  Heat the 1 1/4 cups of cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it starts to simmer.  Remove from heat and very slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture.  Do this a little at a time, or you will scramble the eggs.  Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickly coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat.

    Melt the gelatin mixture in the microwave by microwaving in 10-second intervals until all of the gelatin is dissolved.  Pour gelatin mixture into the cream mixture, then stir in vanilla.  Strain into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer, then let mixture cool to room temperature (place it over an ice bath to speed up the process).

    Whip the 3/4 cup of cream until it reaches stiff peaks.  Fold the whipped cream into the custard mixture.

    Assemble the entremets

    Fill each cavity of the large half-sphere molds about halfway with bavarois.  Place one truffle dome, flat side up, in the center of each.  Cut 12 rounds of chocolate genoise sponge and place one disk in each cavity.  Press it down gently to get it as flush with the tops of the cavities as possible.  Cover and freeze until solid.

    *Note: You will likely have Bavarois and truffle left over I poured the extra into small glasses and served as Bavarian Cream desserts.

    Glaze the entremets

    Place your frozen entremets on a wire rack with a parchment-lined baking sheet underneath.  Pour the prepared mirror glaze over each entremet, slowly and evenly so that it produces an even coat.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Makes 12 entremets

  • Thai Red Chicken Curry

    Thai Red Chicken Curry

    Thai food is one of those things that I THOUGHT that I dislike, until friends started dragging me to Thai restaurants with them.  This was before I figured out that I don’t hate coconut milk when it’s in curry form, but Thai food eventually grew on me.  Now that I’m back on a diet and watching my carb intake, one of my go-to entrees is this Thai Red Chicken Curry.  It’s not insanely high in fat or carbs, so you can probably fit it into most meal plans.

    After posting a picture of my weekly meal prep, I got a lot of requests for the recipe for the Thai Red Chicken Curry.  So, happy to oblige!  Though, since I wasn’t expecting to post this, there are no pictures of the step-by-step process.

    This recipe is actually pretty flexible.  You can increase or reduce ingredients to suit your tastes without much of a fuss.  If you want to add vegetables to it, I recommend cooking them separately and then adding them at the end.  In previous experiences, the addition of vegetables made my sauce too watery.

    If carbs are not your enemy, then feel free to serve this with a side of white rice.  Yum!

    Thai Red Chicken Curry

    Ingredients

    • 1 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken (I used breast, but you can also use thighs), cubed
    • 1 tbsp oil
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 2 tbsp minced ginger (add more or less to taste)
    • 2 tbsp red curry paste (I used this one)
    • 1 can full-fat coconut milk
    • 4 oz onion, chopped
    • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
    • 1/2 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Directions

    Season chicken with salt and pepper and set aside.

    Head oil in a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, until they start to turn translucent.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute or until fragrant.  Add the red curry paste.

    Add the chicken pieces, stirring to coat all sides with the seasoning mixture in the pan.  Add the coconut milk, stirring until the seasoning has dissolved in the liquid.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer.

    Reduce heat and cook, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce is the desired thickness.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed before serving.

    Makes 4 servings.

  • Pressure Cooker Bacon and Cheese Bites

    Pressure Cooker Bacon and Cheese Bites

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    I know, I know…there are a million and one recipes out there for egg bites.  This was why I hesitated to post a recipe for a while.  But, last week a coworker forgot her breakfast at home, so I offered her some of my egg bites.  She recently started a diet, and I had actually made some adjustments to the popular egg bite recipes to make them a little bit healthier.  She liked them so much that she asked for the recipe, so here it is!

    I use the silicone egg bite molds that are popular for egg bites nowadays.  I have tried in mason jars and cupcake molds to make the egg bites, but they do not come out the same. The texture is different.

    Crumble 1/2 strip of cooked bacon in each cavity.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender, then blend until smooth.  Pour into the egg mold cavities.  Cover, then place on a trivet in your pressure cooker and cook on the Steam setting for 8 minutes.  After the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.

    Your egg bites might explode a little bit sometimes, but that’s okay.

    The egg bites can keep in the fridge for up to one week.  I hear that you can freeze them also, but I have not had any luck with that (they get all weird and watery for me).  I may try it again eventually, and will update this post accordingly if it works.

    Pressure Cooker Bacon and Cheese Egg Bites

    Ingredients

    • 4 eggs
    • 1/2 cup cottage cheese
    • 2 oz shredded cheese (I use cheddar)
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 3 1/2 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked
    • A dash of hot sauce (optional)
    • Equipment used: Silicone egg bite mold (such as this one)

    Directions

    Crumble 1/2 strip of bacon into the each cavity of the egg bite mold.  Set aside.  Add 1 cup of water to the liner of your electric pressure cooker.

    Combine the eggs, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, salt, and hot sauce (if using) in a blender.  Blend until smooth.

    Divide the mixture evenly between the 7 cavities.  Cover with foil, then place on a trivet in the liner of the pressure cooker.  Cover, seal, and cook on the Steam setting for 8 minutes.  When the timer is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes before removing the remaining pressure.

    Makes 7 egg bites

  • Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

    Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

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    Meatloaf is not really a big thing in Hispanic households.  Growing up, my exposure to meatloaf was mainly through frozen dinners or from visiting American friends’ houses.  In fact, here I am at the ripe old age of 37 and had NEVER even made a meatloaf before.  But, because I’m me, I couldn’t settle for just any meatloaf.  It had to be buffalo chicken meatloaf.  This is a great recipe for when you’re trying to eat low-carb, because there is no flour or breadcrumbs in the meatloaf mixture.  And, you get all of the delicious flavors of buffalo wings without the guilt.

    I got the idea while I was following a low carb diet and came across a recipe for buffalo chicken meatballs.  I tweaked a few things on that recipe, but I still found it a little tedious to try to form that wet, sticky mixture into balls.  The most obvious solution to me was to make it as a meatloaf instead.  Less work, and less mess.  I can dig it.

    There are not a whole lot of ingredients, so this recipe is pretty straightforward.  Combine all of your ingredients in a bowl.  It mixes best for me when I use my hands (I wear gloves to keep my hands clean for this).  When everything is good and mixed, gently pat the mixture down into your meatloaf pan.  If you’re using a pan with a perforated bottom, make don’t press it down too hard or you might push the mixture down through the holes.

    After that, bake it until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees.  That took about an hour and 10 minutes for me, but start checking the meatloaf after an hour.  You don’t want it to dry out.

    After the meatloaf is done, let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before you take it out.  Since there are no breadcrumbs in this meatloaf, it will crumble easily when you slice it if you’re not careful.

    I like to serve it drizzled with some additional buffalo sauce.  Add a steamed vegetable as a side, and you’ve got a healthy and delicious meal!

    You can use

    Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

    Ingredients

    • 2-2 1/2 lbs ground chicken (or ground turkey)
    • 4 oz finely diced onion
    • 4oz crumbled blue cheese
    • 3/4 cup hot sauce or buffalo sauce (can be homemade or store-bought)
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 eggs
    • Recommended materials: meatloaf pan (I used this one)

    Directions

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients.  Gently pat down into your meatloaf pan.  Bake until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees (about 60-70 minutes).

    Allow meatloaf to cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Slice and serve drizzled with extra hot sauce, if desired.

     

  • Pressure Cooker Rice with Noodles (Arroz con Fideos)

    Pressure Cooker Rice with Noodles (Arroz con Fideos)

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    Arroz con Fideos (rice with noodles) was something that my mother used to make all of the time when I was growing up.  It was a staple at our Thanksgiving table every year.  Eventually, she also started making it outside of holidays because we liked it so much.

    Making rice was never my strong suit.  In fact, before my Instant Pot, I avoided making rice as much as possible.  I just could never get it to turn out the way my mother’s did.  But, since I finally upped my rice game, I decided to try the noodle version in there.  My stovetop rice pot quickly became obsolete.

    The only real difference with making arroz con fideos vs regular white rice is that you brown some dried noodles in your pot before adding the rest of your ingredients and proceeding with your rice-making as usual.  My mother always added a green onion to her rice.  She said that it gave it a nice flavor.  If she didn’t have any green onion, then she would add a slice of white onion.  You don’t have to use it if you don’t want, and it gets thrown out at the end anyway.

    This rice goes great with entrees that are served in a creamy sauce or gravy.  We used to eat it the day after Thanksgiving with leftover turkey gravy.  Maybe it can become a family tradition for you, too!

    Pressure Cooker Rice with Noodles (Arroz con Fideos)

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups white rice
    • 2 cups dried thin egg noodles
    • 1 green onion (optional)
    • 1 tbsp oil
    • 4 cups water
    • salt to taste

    Directions

    Heat the oil in the electric pressure cooker on the Saute/Browning setting.  When hot, add the dried noodles and cook until they turn brown.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

    Cover, seal, and cook on the Rice setting using the pre-programmed time.  When the timer is up, allow the pressure to release naturally.  Discard the green onion and then fluff with a fork before serving.

  • Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog)

    Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog)

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    The name Coquito literally translates to “Little Coconut.”  In Miami, though, Coquito means “Christmas is here.”  This coconut-based alcoholic drink originated in Puerto Rico.  It’s a popular drink to have around the holidays, and pretty much all Latinos in Miami have adopted it as a holiday staple.  If I’m ever a loss for what to bring to a holiday party, I can rarely go wrong if I show up with a bottle of homemade coquito.

    Old-school coquito recipes are made with egg yolks, hence why it’s often referred to as “Puerto Rican eggnog.”  They both also use cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg as flavorings.  The recipe that I use is egg-free, as are a lot of the more modern takes on this holiday beverage.  This means that it comes together fairly quickly.  However, if you really miss the extra thickness that the eggs provide, you can always add them to your liking.

    To add some extra depth of flavor to the coquito, boil water with some cinnamon sticks and cloves.  Let the water reduce, then set it aside to cool while you prepare everything else.

    Meanwhile, grind another cinnamon stick with more cloves.  You can use pre-ground spices if you like, but the fresh ground spices add more flavor.  For extra oomph, toast your spices lightly in a pan before grinding.

    Combine all of your canned milks/creams, ground spices, rum, vanilla, and the spiced water (discard the whole spices) in a blender and blend until combined.  Taste your coquito and adjust any spices if you wish.

    Store your coquito in the refrigerator and serve it cold.  Bottled coquito makes a great gift.  It is very rich, so a little goes a long way.

    You can also make coquito ice cream using this same recipe, but reduce the amount of rum to 1 cup.  Most recipes recommend to use white rum to make coquito, but I prefer to use spiced rum.  I think it adds a little something.

    Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog)

    Ingredients

    • 3 cinnamon sticks
    • 20 whole cloves
    • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
    • 1 12oz can evaporated milk
    • 1 14oz can cream of coconut
    • 1 13.5oz can coconut milk
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 cups Puerto Rican rum

    Directions

    In a small saucepan, combine the water 2 cinnamon sticks, and 10 cloves.  Bring to a boil and cook until the water has reduce to about 1/3 cup.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool, then discard the whole spices.

    Grind the remaining cinnamon stick and cloves (toast them beforehand if you like) using a coffee or spice grinder.

    Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender.  Add the ground spices and the spiced water.  Blend until combined.  Pour into bottles or jars and refrigerate until ready to serve.

  • Homemade Irish Cream

    Homemade Irish Cream

    For years, I have been making Irish cream around the holidays and giving it away as gifts.  I don’t remember how exactly it is that I happened across the original recipe.  But, over time, I tweaked the Irish Cream recipe to suit my own taste buds, and it always well-received by the recipients.

    This holiday, I figured that I would give one additional gift along with the Irish cream: the recipe!  As you can see, it is deceptively easy to make.  Additionally, it is much cheaper to make your own than buying the popular brand- name versions.

    You can also use half-and-half instead of heavy cream to make this.  It won’t be as thick, but it will still taste great.

    I use Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey, but you can use whichever brand you prefer.

    Irish Cream

    (Adapted from this recipe)

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
    • 1 cup Irish whiskey
    • 2 tsp instant coffee granules
    • 3 tbsp chocolate syrup
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract

    Directions

    Combine all ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Store in a container in the refrigerator.  Serve cold.

  • Pressure Cooker Turkey Meatball and Spinach Soup

    Pressure Cooker Turkey Meatball and Spinach Soup

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    After I learned how to make turkey stock using my Instant Pot, I was thrilled.  At the time, though, I had no idea what to do with my newfound stash of turkey stock.  I came across a turkey soup recipe that caught my eye.  I had been low-carbing it for a while, and it seemed easy enough to adjust to cut out some of those pesky carbs.  That’s how this turkey meatball and spinach soup came to be.

    Truth be told, I never did learn how to make anything else with my homemade turkey stock.  Anytime I get my hands on some, I wind up making more turkey meatball and spinach soup.  And, it’s super easy to make!  The hardest part is forming the meatballs.

    Mix your meatball ingredients together, either by hand or using a wooden spoon.  Once everything is combined, form your meatballs.  I used a cooker scooper to scoop the meat mixture and get them to be close to the same size.

    Brown the meatballs on both sides using butter or ghee in the liner of your electric pressure cooker.  You will have to do this in batches.  Once they are all brown, set them aside.  Sometimes, I saute a little bit of onions and garlic after this part, but this is entirely optional.  The soup still tastes good without them.

    Add about 1 cup of the turkey stock and stir it around to loosen the browned bits at the bottom of the liner.  Add the rest of the turkey stock, along with the meatballs.  Cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure.  Stir in the mushrooms and let them sit for about 5 minutes or until they’re cooked.  Your soup should still be plenty hot enough to cook them.  After they’re cooked, stir in the spinach until it’s wilted.

    Your turkey meatball and spinach soup is now ready to serve.

    This turkey meatball and spinach soup is great for so many reasons.  It is low in carbs, so it’s great for people watching their carb intake (or who just want something lighter after a Thanksgiving binge).  It freezes wonderfully, so you can make a big batch and save some for a rainy day.  And, it tastes almost too good to be good for you.  I call that a win!

    Pressure Cooker Turkey Meatball and Spinach Soup

    Adapted from recipe at Savory Lotus

    Ingredients

    For the meatballs

    • 2lbs ground turkey
    • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
    • 2 eggs
    • 4 gloves garlic, crushed
    • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
    • 1 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper

    For the soup

    • 3 quarts turkey stock (you can also use chicken or vegetable stock)
    • 10 oz spinach leaves
    • 16oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
    • 2 tbsp butter or ghee
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 1/2 cup diced onion (optional)
    • 2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)

    Directions

    In a medium bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients.  Form the mixture into balls, approximately 1in each.

    Preheat your pressure cooker on the Saute/Browning setting.  When hot, add 1tbsp of butter or ghee and brown the meatballs on both sides, working in batches and adding more butter/ghee as needed.  When the meatballs are browned, set them aside.

    Quickly saute the onions and garlic (if using) until fragrant, then add 1 cup of turkey stock.  Stir to loosen the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the liner.  Add the remaining turkey stuck.

    Return the meatballs to the pot. Cover, seal, and cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 10 minutes.  When the timer is up, manually release the pressure.

    Stir in the sliced mushrooms and let sit for about 5 minutes.  The soup should be hot enough to cook the mushrooms through.  Stir in the spinach until wilted.

    Makes 6-8 servings