Pressure Cooker

Creamy Chicken Taco Chili

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Every New Year’s Eve on Facebook (for the past several years), I have posted, “Tell me something good that happened this year.”  If you listen to The Bobby Bones radio show, the phrase “tell me something good” may ring a bell.  It’s a segment on his show every morning where the cast reads positive news headlines.  It’s my favorite part of his show.  I mean, who doesn’t love to hear about the GOOD things people are doing in this world?!  There is enough negativity and bad news out there.  It’s nice to focus on the good for a change.  My yearly Facebook post is a knockoff from Bobby’s Tell Me Something Good segment… a chance for me to hear some positive news from my friends and share some positive news of my own.  A perfect way to end one year and move into the next.  If more people focused on the positive things in their lives instead of harping on the bad stuff, this world would be a much more pleasant place, don’t you agree?

This year, I was able to share several good things that happened for me in 2018 (I could have named a bunch but I focused on the highlights):  1.  I became a WW (formerly Weight Watchers) Wellness Guide (a.k.a. meeting receptionist – I’m still not used to the new titles).  I’ve been a lifetime member for YEARS and decided it was time to take a more active roll.  2.  I went back to teaching!  I was a kindergarten teacher for 6 years but I quit teaching and went into a different field when my daughter was a year old (long story) so I’ve been out of public ed for over 10 years.  I’m back and glad to be working with kids again, plus it’s awesome to be back on the same schedule as my own kids.  3.  We more than doubled our blog traffic on Four Sisters Dish in 2018 as compared to our first year, 2017.  That’s amazing!  We have YOU to thank for it.  We want to thank you all for reading, subscribing, commenting, sharing, and most importantly COOKING our recipes!  We love when people make our food and tell us how they like them.  Please continue to do so… we love hearing from our readers and we hope to have more interaction with you 2019!

Tell us something good in the comments!  What was something good that happened for you in 2018?  We hope your 2018 was as great as ours and we at Four Sisters Dish wish you a happy, healthy and delicious 2019!

Speaking of delicious, let’s start the year off with this Creamy Chicken Taco Chili.  This can be made in your crockpot or your electric pressure cooker.  I’ve included instructions for both.  This chili is creamy and rich but it’s guaranteed not to sabotage your healthy diet resolutions.  Enjoy it without guilt!  ~Erin

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Ingredients: 

  • 2 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken individually frozen chicken breasts*
  • 2 cans (10 ¾ oz. each) Campbell’s Healthy Request cheddar cheese soup
  • 1 (16 oz.) can fat-free refried beans
  • 1 (16 oz.) jar mild taco sauce (I used Taco Bell brand.)
  • 1 (16 oz.) can fat-free chicken broth
  • 1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 (10 oz.) can mild Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilis, undrained
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • ½ tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (8 oz.) package fat-free cream cheese

Slow Cooker Instructions:

In the pot of a slow-cooker, whisk together cheddar cheese soup, refried beans, taco sauce, chicken broth, corn, Ro-Tel, and spices.  Nestle the frozen chicken breasts into the mixture.  *You can use thawed chicken breast, just be aware that it will cook much faster.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  In the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the chicken from the pot and shred it; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together some of the hot liquid from the crock pot with the cream cheese, until smooth.  Pour the cream cheese mixture into the pot, stir in the black beans, and return the shredded chicken to the pot. Continue cooking for 20-30 minutes of cook time.

Serve with shredded cheese, avocado, jalapenos, and corn chips, if desired.

Electric Pressure Cooker Instructions:

In the pot of an electric pressure cooker, whisk together cheddar cheese soup, refried beans, taco sauce, chicken broth, corn, Ro-Tel, and spices.  Nestle the frozen chicken breasts into the mixture.

*You can use thawed chicken breast, just be aware that it will cook much faster.  See your pressure cooker owner’s manual for time adjustments for thawed chicken breasts.

Set the electric pressure cooker for 45 minutes.  Quick release pressure and open the pot when all pressure is released.  Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together some of the hot liquid from the pressure cooker with the cream cheese, until smooth.  Pour the cream cheese mixture into the pot, stir in the black beans, and return the shredded chicken to the pot.  Using the saute setting, simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until beans are warmed through.  Watch it closely so the cream cheese doesn’t scorch.

Serve with shredded cheese, avocado, jalapenos, and corn chips, if desired.

WW Freestyle Info: This soup makes approximately 16 cups.  Each cup is 2 points, not counting optional garnishes.

Cranberry Butter (Instant Pot or Stove Top)

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Electric pressure cookers are the new-fangled popular kitchen gadget, aren’t they? Do you have one? I do, and I like it a lot — but I haven’t used it as much as I should. Okay, technically, mine is not an Instant Pot, it’s a Power Cooker XL. Instant Pot is the Kleenex of the facial tissue world. People use the brand name and product name interchangeably. What can ya do?

Lately, I’ve been making an attempt to use my electric pressure cooker more. It’s handy, so I might as well take advantage of its speed & versatility. Recently, I’ve seen a lot of fruit “butter” recipes on the internet. Many of them are crockpot recipes. Well, these led me to wonder if I could do the same thing with my pressure cooker. Turns out I can! I decided to put my own seasonal spin on the fruit butter trend by making this Cranberry Butter. It came out perfect on the very first try; I kid you not! It’s tart but sweet with warm spices. I think my eyes rolled back in my head the first time I tasted it on a cinnamon bagel with cream cheese If you like cranberry, you’ll love this. ~Erin

cranberrybutter

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12 oz.) bag fresh cranberries, washed
  • 1 c. water
  • 1 lemon or small orange, washed & cut in half
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1 T. cornstarch
  • ½ c. sugar (or sweetener of choice)*

Instant Pot Instructions:

  1. Place the cranberries, sugar, water, lemon (cut side up), cinnamon, and cloves in the electric pressure cooker.
  2. Pressure cook for 30 minutes; quick-release pressure.
  3. Remove the lid and allow to cool slightly.
  4. Remove & discard the lemon.
  5. Blend the cranberries with an immersion blender until smooth.
  6. Add cornstarch and continue to blend until well combined.
  7. Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes, until thickened.  
  8. Cool and serve on toast or bagels with cream cheese, in oatmeal, etc.  Keep Refrigerated.

Stove-top Instructions:

  1. In a medium stockpot, stir together the cranberries, water, sugar, spices and juice from half a lemon (instead of the whole lemon as in the Instant Pot instructions).
  2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.
  3. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender.
  4. Add the cornstarch and blend again until smooth.
  5. Return to the heat and simmer over low heat, continuously stirring, 3 – 4 minutes until mixture is thickened.
  6. Cool and serve on toast or bagels with cream cheese, in oatmeal, etc.  Keep Refrigerated.

WW Freestyle Info.: This makes about 1 1/2 cups of cranberry butter. With regular sugar, 1 Tablespoon is 1 point. With a zero point sweetener, this could easily be zero points per serving.*

*I have not tested this recipe with a sugar substitute so I suggest adding it gradually, after blending in cornstarch, and taste-testing for desired sweetness.

Need an immersion blender? Check out our Four Sisters Favorite Things post for a recommendation. Plus enter to win one of our favorite kitchen gadgets!  This can also be blended in a regular blender but you have to cool the mixture almost completely to room temp before blended.  Never blend hot liquids in a regular blender!