Instant Pot Steak Fajita Chili

I already have a go-to quick-and-easy taco soup, so this Steak Fajita Chili from Cooking Light magazine seemed perfect to round out my options (excepting the 1 1/2 hours of cooking time). Enter my Instant Pot...to save the day (or the night, usually).

First, with the Instant Pot on saute, add the olive oil, beef, and garlic. Next, add the seasonings, chili powder through cumin. Then add the black beans, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Cook on Manual in the Instant Pot for 20 minutes.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 pounds beef chuck-eye steak, cut into 1-inch pieces8 garlic cloves, minced2 tablespoons chili powder1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 (15 oz.) can Bush's seasoned black beans, drained

1 (28-oz.) can unsalted diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups unsalted chicken stock

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

Once you have the Instant pot set, start chopping the fajita vegetables - one red onion, fajita style, and three bell peppers of your choice, fajita style. (I used a three-pack of different colors.) Put a tablespoon or two of olive oil in the pan and saute on medium-high until the vegetables are how you like them. (I like mine almost blackened, but you may prefer yours crunchier.)

The fajita vegetables will be done around the same time that the Instant Pot is through. Do a quick release and add the veggies to the Instant Pot.

Serve with guacamole (or sliced avocados, if you prefer), sour cream, diced red onion, and Fritos.

Instant Pot Shrimp Sauce Piquante

Have you ever made an Instant Pot recipe out of desperation? We did tonight. We have been working through our stash of community cookbooks and decided to try this recipe for supper - but read the "simmer for an hour" at 6:30 p.m. That was not going to happen. Completely winged this recipe but it came out wonderful!

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tbsp olive oil

8 oz mushrooms

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. chopped bell pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

3 oz. tomato paste

1 tsp garlic powder

1 cup white wine

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/3 cup hot water

Saute the mushrooms, onions, celery, and bell pepper in oil. Add tomato paste, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper once the veggies are soft. Once mixed together, add wine. Cook on high pressure/manual for 10 minutes. While the Instant Pot is cooking, saute the shrimp in 1 tbsb of butter and 1 tsp garlic powder. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and whisk vigorously. Quick release after the pressure cooker is through and then add the cornstarch/water mixture to thicken the sauce. Let simmer for about two minutes. Add sauteed shrimp and simmer for two more minutes. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.

The original recipe is from the Firehouse Kitch'N, a cookbook of the Jackson Mississippi Firefighters from the 1990s.

Low Carb Shrimp-stuffed Bell Peppers

I have been buying too many old(er) cookbooks at estate sales lately. It's interesting to me how little directions some of the recipes give, but then I realized that I was experimenting much more with the recipes - and that was most likely the point.

This month's experiments have come from Bayou Cuisine, published by St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Indianola, MS. in 1970. The original recipe that mine was inspired by came from Dr. J. Malcolm Leveque of Lake Charles, LA.

Here's the original inspiration:

Shrimp-Stuffed Bell Peppers
6 medium bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. bread cubes
1 lb chopped or ground shrimp
1 small can tomato paste
1 bay leaf
Salt, pepper, red pepper

Fry onions, celery, shrimp, and garlic in butter until wilted. Add bread cubes blending together, adding a little water. Season well - stir lightly and cook until dressing is ready to put in peppers. Keep 1 tbsp dressing aside to use in sauce. Clean and remove seeds from peppers, stuff with dressing. Bake 30 minutes in a 350-degree oven. While the peppers are baking, make highly seasoned sauce with can of tomato sauce, bay leaf, onions, and remaining tbsp of dressing. Let simmer a few minutes - remove peppers from oven, drain water, and add sauce. Bake 10 minutes longer. Serves 6.

Here's my new recipe:

Low-Carb Shrimp Stuffed Bell Peppers

Low-Carb Shrimp-Stuffed Bell Peppers
3 medium red bell peppers
1/3 cup purple onion, diced
1/2 cup Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1 pkg. cauliflower pearls
3/4 lb shrimp, peeled and diced
1 can crushed tomatoes
Salt, pepper, smoked paprika
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup French's crispy fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in fry pan or cast iron skillet. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Drain as much water from cauliflower pearls as possible, then add to pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then season to taste with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.

Cut only the tops from the peppers, then clean and remove seeds. Put peppers in a microwave-safe glass baking dish with an inch of water in the bottom. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes. Once finished, take off the wrap and drain all water.  Put peppers to the side.

Add shrimp to fry pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste again. Add just enough of the crushed tomatoes to meld the mixture together (1/4 to 1/3 cup). Put the remaining crushed tomatoes at the bottom of the glass baking dish, then add bell peppers back. Stuff peppers with cauliflower mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.