Categories: "Ingredients"

Curried broccoli with carrots and sweet red bell peppers — Ninja speedi

by Don  

Ingredients

  • Two 13.5 oz cans of coconut milk, plus half a can of water to rinse them out
  • One heaping tablespoon of Mae Ploy Thai Green Curry Paste... the heapinger the better
  • One freakishly enormous carrot, the kind you can get in an Asian grocery store in the US (or any farmer's market in Kyrgyzstan), sliced into diagonals cuz we're fancy
  • A pound or two of frozen broccoli flowerets
  • 3 small red bell peppers (or two medium ones), cut into one-inch chunks

Method

  1. You will not use the crisper tray for this recipe.
  2. Pour coconut milk, water, curry paste, and carrots into the pot.  Set to "sear/saute" at Hi5 with the pot covered for 10 minutes.
  3. Pour in enough brocolli flowerets to fill the pot.  Continue at same heat uncovered for 10 minutes.
  4. Check to see whether the brocolli is tooth-ready, per your preferences, but I think it's best to leave the broccoli with just a bit of crunch.
  5. Toss raw bell peppers with everything else.  Yup, we want those in there raw.

Notes: 

You can serve it over rice, just like any other unimaginative chef, or better yet in a bowl as a soup, or, since we want to explore other grains, serve it over boiled wheat berries (for digestive health) or boiled millet or even quinoa, but if you use the latter make sure you look up how to pronounce.  For years I said "quinn-OH-uh."  Pretty damn embarrasing.

This is one of those recipes that really prove that simple cooking can be excellent.

Spicy white bean stew with broc rabb — Ninja Speedi

by Don  

Source:  Alison Roman's recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch (or 2 small bunches) broccoli rabe or kale, thick stems separated from the leaves
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 medium red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons harissa paste
  • Three 15-ounce cans large white beans, such as cannellini, butter or great Northern, drained.  Try a mix of all three if you can.
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 preserved lemon, thinly sliced, or 1 fresh lemon, halved, for squeezing
  • Mix in 1 cup of chopped parsley, leaves and tender stems
  • Serve up, sprinkling each bowel with some crumbled feta or other salty cheese, such as queso fresco or pecorino.

Method

  1. This recipe does not use the crisper tray.
  2. Tear broccoli rabe or kale leaves into bite-size pieces and set aside. Chop the stems into about ¼-inch pieces; set aside.
  3. Set Speedi to sear/saute Hi5.  You will maintain this heat for the whole cooking process. 
  4. Cook onion in pot with ¼ cup of olive oil the until onions are transparent.
  5. Add garlic, and pepper.  Stir occasionally until the garlic and pepper are fragrant, 1-2 minutes
  6. Add harissa paste  and stir to coat in the oil. Cook until the harissa is a nice brick red color, the sugars start to caramelize and the oil turns a nice vibrant fiery orange color, about 2 minutes.
  7. Take 1/2 cup of the white bean mixture and mash them in a bowl.
  8. Add mashed and whole beans to the pot.
  9. Add the broth and reserved broc rabb stems. Bring to a simmer and cook for ten minutes.
  10. Add brocc rabb and preserved lemon (or lemon juice).  Stir.  Cook 10 minutes or until the greens are wilted.
  11. Add broccoli rabe or kale leaves and preserved lemon or lemon juice, and stir to wilt the greens. Season with salt, pepper and more red-pepper flakes if you want it spicier.
  12. Serve with crumbled feta and parsley, and with sliced, hard-boiled eggs, if you like.  Drizzle on some more olive oil.  

Notes

2002-02-20:  This is my first attempt at this recipe, and I made the following changes.

  • I'm cooking for Julie, who does not like bitter greens, so I used broccoli instead of broc rabb.  Yup, I did chop the stems up into quarter-inch rounds.  Yes, in step 9 I added the sliced broccoli stems since they take time to cook, and then in step ten I simmered an additional 10 minutes so that the broccoli crowns were fork tender.
  • I didn't have harissa paste, so instead I used two tbsp of ground harissa and three tablespoons of tomato paste.  Alternatively one could use 3 tbsp of tomato paste plus red pepper flakes to taste.
  • The store didn't have butter beans, so I substituted a can of garbanzos.  When I did the mashing step, I didn't include the garbanzos, just the white beans.
  • This came out good the first time.

 

Wheatberry and mushroom pilaf — Ninja Speedi

by Don  

Adapted from:  www.vkusnyblog.com

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups of dry red wheat berries
  • 1 or 2 cubes of vegetable bouillion
  • Olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped coursely
  • 1 pound of fresh mushrooms
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1/2 tsp of pepper
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2/3 of a cup of half and half or heavy cream
  • 10 tbsp of coarsely chopped parsley


Method

  1. You will not use the crisper tray for this recipe.
  2. Pour 4.5 cups of water in the pot along with a cube or two of your favorite bouillion.  Add dry wheat berries.  Steam for 30 minutes, but check them at 20. If you like their texture already, dump into strainer and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
  3. Slice the mushrooms in 2-4 pieces, depending on how big they are.
  4. Pour in enough olive oil to barely cover the bottom of the pot.  Add the onions and mushrooms.  Saute/sear on Hi5, stirring every 3-5 minutes until the onions are almost translucent and then add the mushrooms and continue with the lid down until the mushrooms are soft.  
  5. Add salt, pepper and garlic.  Cook for about a minute so that the garlic becomes fragrant.
  6. Add boiled wheatberries and parsley to the pot, mixing occasionally until they are heated through.
  7. Pour in cream and mix.
  8. Serve promptly.


Notes

  • The wheat berry and water quantities will vary depending on the type of wheat berries you use.  Read the box instructions to get it right, or try my timing first with wheat berries from the bulk bins at Sprouts.  You can also find wheat berries in some Middle Eastern stores and probably among Bob's Red Mill products as well, but I bet they are pricier.
  • If you are salt/spice sensitive, reduce the salt and pepper to 1/4 tsp each.
  • If you think the pilaf will be in the fridge for more than a day, I might skip the cream.  Milk products go bad faster than milkless grain dishes.  That said, I've had a batch in the fridge for two days, and I see no sign of spoilage.


Next variation

  • Next time around I would like to get some additional mushroom flavor, so I might steam the wheat with some type of dried mushroom... maybe ground dried mushrooms.
  • I think I'll add a cup of shredded carrots to the onions and mushrooms as they are cooking, as well as a cup of thinly sliced celery.

Lemon braised cabbage — Ninja Speedi

by Don  

Ingredients

  • 1/2 medium-size head of cabbage, chopped coursely
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil for braising
  • about 1/2 cup of water, optional
  • 1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste
  • 1/2 pepper, or more to taste
  • juice of one medium-size lemon

Method

  1. Remove the crisper tray from the Speedi. This recipe is made just using the pot.
  2. Set the Speedi to Saute/Sear on level Hi5, and sauté the cabbage in olive oil until soft. Stir every 3-5 minutes so that the cabbage softens evenly and doesn't brown.
  3. If it is taking longer than you like, heat the optional water in the microwave to nearly boiling and add the water to the pot. Put the Speedi's lid down so it steams. Of course, keep on stirring every three to five minutes.
  4. When the cabbage is soft, add the salt and pepper. Stir and cook for a minute.
  5. Taste the cabbage. Add more salt and pepper if it suits your taste buds.
  6. Add lemon juice and serve.

Note:

I'm single, so this recipe only produces about two servings for a man of my appetite, but the recipe should double, triple, or quadruple easily.

Roasted potatoes & curried broccoli — Ninja Speedi

by Don  

Inspired by: Peggy Putman

Ingredients

  • 4 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” chunks
  • Frozen broccoli florets, enough to cover the bottom of the pot
  • 1 tbsp Mae Ploy green curry paste, which should be available in the Asian section of huge gringo grocery stores or the Thai section of Asian grocery stores
  • 4 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” chunks
  • Frozen broccoli florets, enough to cover the bottom of the pot
  • 1 tbsp Mae Ploy green curry paste, which should be available in the Asian section of huge gringo grocery stores or the Thai section of Asian grocery stores
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Spices:
    Garlic powder
    Onion powder
    Pepper
    Chives
    Parsley
    Salt
  • 4-6 cups of water

Method

  1. Remove tray. Pour 2 cups of water in the pot. Add green curry paste. Whisk until the paste is dissolved in the water.
  2. Pour broccoli into pot. Add enough water so that it comes half-way up the broccoli.
  3. In a separate bowl toss the potatoes with the olive oil.
  4. Sprinkle the spices all over the potatoes and toss the potatoes so that they are all coated.
  5. Put tray in upper position. Place potatoes on tray in a single layer.
  6. Set the Speedi to Speedi meals at 400°F for 11 minutes.

Note: This turned out very tasty, but the broccoli was softer than I liked. Not sure how to get around that.

 

Coconut curried lentils with fresh apple — Ninja Speedi

by Don  

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry green lentils
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped 8.5 oz
  • 1 can of coconut milk, about 13-14 oz.
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small banana, 4 oz, sliced into coins
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2.5 cups of water
  • 1 tbsp hot curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 fresh apple, chopped roughly

Method

  1. Remove the crispr tray.  For this recipe we will cook directly in the pot.
  2. Set the Speedi to sear/saute Hi5.  This portion of the recipe we will be working with the lid up, not down.
  3. Olive oil and onions into the pot.  Cook until translucent.
  4. Add the curry powder and minced garlic and mix a bit.  Cook for a minute or two.  If the garlic becomes fragrant, that's enough time, but with the curry smell you might not be able to notice that.
  5. Add coconut milk, water, banana, and salt.  Stir occasionally until the liquid starts to simmer.
  6. Add lentils.  Stir occasionally until the mix starts to simmer again.
  7. Turn off the Speedi.  Close the lid.  Set to steam for 25 minutes.  Check for doneness.  If the lentils are still too hard (unlikely), then give them another 5 minutes on steam.
  8. Once cooking is done, mix chopped apple in with lentils and serve.

 

Plain white rice — Ninja Speedi

by Don  

This approach comes from Sirkristof's suggestion in a Reddit discussion of making rice in the Speedi/Foodi ( source and discussion of variations ), although, truth to tell, it's exactly the same way my mother always used to cook rice on the stovetop.

  • Remove tray from Speedi
  • Pour 1 cup of long-grain enriched rice in pot
  • Pour 2 cups of water in pot
  • Put Speedi on steam setting for ten minutes

Obvious variations:

  • Add a quarter teaspoon of salt at cooking time; or
  • use broth or bouillion instead of water.

And the other obvious stuff:

  • If you use a different type of rice, the time and water content may need to be adjusted.
  • You may also have to adjust time or water content according to elevation.  I'm cooking at about 1200 feet above sea level.

Chocolate applesauce cake — Ninja Speedi

by Don  

Great-uncle Harry was a chocolate fiend and always kept a packet of Hershey bars in the fridge. His wife pandered to his passion and made other treats to show her love for him. This is one of her signature desserts.Great-uncle Harry was a chocolate fiend and always kept a packet of Hershey bars in the fridge. His wife pandered to his passion and made other treats to show her love for him. This is one of her signature desserts.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of butter or shortening. Melted butter speeds the process.
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup of applesauce
  • 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder (sugarless, not instant cocoa)
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee crystals/powder (okay, I usually skip this)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Method

  1. Cream butter/shortening with sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Add egg. Beat well. Stir in applesauce.
  3. Mix flour, cocoa, spices and baking soda. Sift three times. (I don't have a big sifter, so I just used my regular wire sieve; that worked great.)
  4. Stir the dry mixture into the wet ingredients.
  5. Coat the bottom of two 6'' x 3.75” x 2” aluminum foil loaf pans with spray cooking oil or butter. Transfer batter to the loaf pans.
  6. Pour two cups of water in Speedi pot. Put tins onto tray in lower position. Set steam/bake for 18 minutes at 315°F. With the steaming this may take as long as 45 minutes. Don't panic.
  7. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Remove promptly from Speedi.

Slow cook chicken & stuffing (no sour cream) — Ninja Speedi

by Don  

This recipe I took straight from a YouTube crockpot recipe. Didn't need any changes whatsoever.  Worked perfect the first time. (source)

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can of chicken broth
  • 2 six-ounce boxes of dry stuffing mix or one 10.5-ounce bag.

Method

  1. Remove tray from pot. You won't need it for this recipe.
  2. Place chicken breasts in bottom of pot and salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Pour the stuffing mix over the chicken. Even it out so all the chicken is covered.
  4. In a separate bowl combine the cream of chicken soup and chicken broth and whisk to a smooth consistency.
  5. Pour the soup/broth mix over the stuffing so that all the stuffing is covered.
  6. Set the Speedi to slow cook on low.
  7. After 4, 5, and 5.5 hours, check to see if the dressing is too dry. If so, put some chicken broth in a glass measuring cup, heat it in the microwave just shy of boiling, and pour the broth in the pot. (If you use room temperature broth it will extend the cooking time.)
  8. After six hours confirm that the chicken shreds roughly and easily with two forks. If the chicken is not tender, give it another hour or two on low.

Comments

This worked fine the first time. Only needed six hours. It's not a particularly interesting dish, but it's flavorful enough and awfully easy to prepare. Next time around I'll try four chicken breasts.

Store-bought bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers — Ninja Speedi

by Don  

This afternoon I bought some bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers at Fry's Groceries.  (That's a Kroger-branded store; it might be named differently in your area.)

I put the tray in the low position, poppers on the tray, and set the Speedi to Air Fry at 350°F for 14 minutes.  Came out pretty well perfect.

One caveat:  make sure place them cream-cheese side up.  These were so thoroughly wrapped with bacon that I got one of them wrong.  The cheese melted through the tray.  It wasn't pretty.

1 2 4 5 ...6 ...7 8 9 10 11 12 ... 20