Let’s talk about peanut butter. This is a subject that has been peeving me for quite some time. You might be wondering how peanut butter could peeve someone, so I’m going to tell you.

They aren’t all created the same.

Most people know that there is a difference between their childhood Jif peanut butter spread and a jar of natural peanut butter that you have to stir. You know, the kind that has TWO ingredients, peanuts and salt? Well, now those marketing buffs are fooling people into thinking they are buying healthy foods when they are not. They have begun labeling jars of peanut butter with the word “natural” when, in fact, they contain added oil and sugar. There’s nothing natural about that! I can’t tell you how many time I’ve bought a jar of “natural” peanut butter and gotten home only to realize there are more ingredients than I bargained for. That really peeves me! Peanut butter doesn’t need all that stuff. It is velvety and delicious just the way it is. Our kids don’t need extra sugar. They get way more than enough sugar around every turn. And, those parents who are trying to do the right thing shouldn’t have to inspect labels that read “natural.”

Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox now. That subject really fires me up.

What can I say? I love peanut butter! And that’s why I created this velvety, rich peanut stew inspired by the many recipes for African Peanut Stew that are floating around the web. I took elements of several recipes and came up with this hearty stew. Even better I was able to throw in plenty of greens and add an extra hit of protein by adding chickpeas.

Just do me a favor when you make this stew- please use natural peanut butter AND read the label! Seriously. This stew has no need for oil OR sugar. It has all the flavor and whole food plant based ingredients it needs!

Here is a video to show you how it’s made in the Instant Pot. Don’t forget to subscribe while you are there!

xo Jaime

I know why Northerners laugh at Southerners when it comes to weather. I know because I was a Northerner for the first 22 years of my life, but I’ve been a Southerner for the last 19. I remember opening the front door when I was in high school and seeing the snow over waist high. I believe it was the Blizzard of ’93 in Maryland. We were holed up in our house for days with good reason. But now, I live in Tennessee and we too are currently holed up in our home because of less than 1.5″ of snow. My kids haven’t been to school since last Thursday. They cancelled school on Friday because it was supposed to snow. It didn’t. Today is Tuesday and we did have a good snowfall today. School is already cancelled for tomorrow. My husband has bets that it will also be closed on Thursday.

I get it. Tennessee is not equipped with enough plows and salt trucks to quickly service entire counties, especially in rural areas. Safety comes first, and I totally agree with that. It’s just the hysteria that gets me. There was no national news shown on TV this morning, just live coverage of the snowfall and slush from every corner of the state. (Wait, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing, after all.) The bread and milk shelves were emptied last Thursday. The kids refuse to go outside and play because it’s “too cold.”

What to do? For me, I cook. And cook, and cook, and cook. I whipped together a comforting chicken vegetable soup in my Instant Pot using what I had on hand – because you know I couldn’t get to the store. Best part was that both kids really loved it, and I loved seeing them actually eat their veggies!

One little note – you can definitely use fresh chicken. If you do, put the chicken in your soup in the IP for 10 minutes and then release. Remove chicken and chop. Add back to the pot and then cook for another 5 minutes high pressure with a quick release. If your chicken is frozen, then set the IP for 15 minutes instead of 10. Chop and return to the pot for another 5 min high pressure with a quick release.

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Never have I cooked a lentil until this past weekend. I did it in my Instant Pot of course! In my quest to find some more plant based recipes, I was watching a bunch of videos and reading recipes about Lentil Chili. But, listen folks. I am SO sick of Mexican dishes. It seems like every whole 30 or healthy recipe is seasoned with cumin and chili powder. I need a break from that. I threw caution to the wind and just winged this recipe.

It turned out so tasty! Lentils, though – they kind of look like mush so prepare yourself. And, they overcook quickly. I saw some recipes online that had red lentils cooking for like 20 minutes! I imagine they would completely dissolve. I chose a cooking time in my Instant Pot that left them just slightly firm. Try not to forget to do the quick release as you want these to stop cooking quickly.

There are so many different ways you can eat these through the week. Eat them as a stew. Scoop them over some fresh steamed broccoli or over a baked potato for a carb-heavy meal. Put them as a side with your favorite meat. It is such a hearty dish that it will keep great through the week after you meal prep.

The big question I am anticipating:

I hate coconut. Can I sub the oil and coconut milk? Yes. Use olive oil or avocado oil instead of coconut oil. If you are subbing the canned coconut milk, use heavy cream. However, and this is important, add the heavy cream AFTER cooking is complete. Dairy products can sometimes curdle. These substitutions obviously change the overall flavor of this recipe, but it should still be tasty!

Check out a video on this prep here:

xo Jaime

Wow! This recipe took off fast in the Instant Pot Community! So happy to see so many excited about how EASY using the Instant Pot can be. There is nothing to be scared of, folks! Not only is this soup easy though, it’s also healthy, gluten and grain-free, and fits perfectly with the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan.

A little warning – this soup has some kick. If you are sensitive to spice or have little ones who go crazy with the slightest hint of heat, sub the Rotel for another can of diced tomatoes. You may also consider cutting the chili powder to a half tablespoon and the pepper to a half teaspoon. As for me, I love a lot of flavor in my recipes so I love all the spices.

Check out my video on how to make this soup:

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Print Recipe

Modern Day Fox Instant Pot Tortilla "Dump" Soup

Course

Soup

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

15 min

Passive Time

8 min (time to pressure)

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh chicken breast
• 1 can black bean drained and rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel (Mild) (Rotel is diced tomatoes w green chile peppers
• 1 TBSP Cumin
• 1 TBSP Salt
• 1 TBSP Chili powder reduce to 1/2 TBSP if sensitive to spice
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper reduce to 1/2 teaspoon if sensitive to spice
• 1 TBSP minced garlic heaping
• 6 cups Chicken broth

Course Soup Prep Time 5 min Cook Time 15 min Passive Time 8 min (time to pressure) Servings servings Ingredients 1 lb fresh chicken breast 1 can black bean drained and rinsed 1 can diced tomatoes 1 can Rotel (Mild) (Rotel is diced tomatoes w green chile peppers 1 TBSP Cumin 1 TBSP Salt 1 TBSP Chili powder reduce to 1/2 TBSP if sensitive to spice 1 teaspoon Black Pepper reduce to 1/2 teaspoon if sensitive to spice 1 TBSP minced garlic heaping 6 cups Chicken broth

Instructions

1. Dump in all ingredients and stir.
2. Set pot to manual HP for 15 min. You can either do a quick release or let steam release naturally. I find the chicken is a bit more tender with a natural release.
3. Remove chicken and shred well.
4. Return to broth and stir.
5. Serve with tortilla chips! Or, save the calories and just sprinkle on cilantro, a little cheese, and a slice of avocado!

Recipe Notes

If you use frozen chicken, I would do 20 min HP to be safe (although 15 min has worked for me in the past. I've found it depends on whether I laid my chicken flat to freeze.) Note that if your chicken is frozen in a big ball, it may not cook thoroughly in the center. If you find your chicken is not cooked through, my quick trick is break it apart and set pot to Sauté. Chicken will finish cooking in the boiling broth.

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