Clean Eating Pressure Cooker Recipes

Clean eating is more popular than ever. Not only is it a diet that teaches you how to make healthier food choices, but it can also aid in weight loss, boost your metabolism, curb your hunger, and provides your body with the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to thrive.

Clean eating pressure cooker recipes are perfect for the busy professional who doesn’t have time to spend slaving away over a hot stove for several hours. The recipes I’ve included here are not only packed with flavor, but they can give your metabolism that nudge it needs in order to kickstart the fat-burning mode.

With the recipes I’ve included here, and the right pressure cooker, you can prepare a healthy meal that will rival even your favorite restaurant. Eating clean doesn’t mean you’ll be deprived of a meal that’s packed with flavor. Instead, by using a pressure cooker, you’ll not only enjoy meals that are loaded with all the right flavors, but you’ll find that you spend significantly less time in the kitchen.

What Is Clean Eating?

You may think clean eating means you’ll be on a strict crash diet, deprived of your favorite foods or any dish that has seasonings or flavor. Clean eating isn’t exactly a diet, it’s a way of eating that teaches you how to make healthier food choices by avoiding foods that are processed and high in fat. Instead, of fast food, you’ll eat real, whole foods.

This way of eating is all about eating regular, well-balanced meals for nourishment and fuel. Not only will you lose weight, but you’ll also find that you have more energy, you sleep better at night, and you have an easier time managing stress and handling a full schedule.

To sum it up, eating clean will help you to naturally have more energy, it improves mental focus, it promotes weight loss, and also help you to sleep better at night. But this is also a way of eating that requires you to do plenty of cooking, since finding a clean eating menu at your local fast food joint is pretty much impossible.

So, what if you don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen preparing a healthy meal for you and the family? Enter the pressure cooker. You can create some of the healthiest meals in a fraction of the time, if you have a powerful pressure cooker that can handle regular use, such as the Granite Ware pressure canner and cooker.

Pressure Cooker Use

Pressure cookers are more affordable and safer to use than ever before. But the overall design has remained the same, despite the fact that these models now come loaded with some great features that make them very beginner-friendly.

Many people who have never used a pressure cooker have no idea how versatile these appliances are. You won’t just be limited to cooking chicken or roast. In fact, many models can be used to make yogurt, stews, soups, and other types of one-pot meals that are designed to make your life a little easier.

If you’re not sure how to use a pressure cooker, these recipes will also include what settings to use and how long each meal should be cooked in the pressure cooker. Below, I’ve compiled some of my favorite recipes, that not only taste great, but they’re also loaded with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you need to fuel your body.

And since they also taste amazing, these recipes are just what you need to turn your family on to eating healthy. If you’re using an older model pressure cooker, I recommend upgrading to a model that comes loaded with all of the latest safety features. To learn more, click here to read my buyer’s guide.

Mexican Chicken

Have you ever cooked chicken in a pressure cooker? Then you’ll love this Mexican chicken dish, which is easy and quick to make. It’s loaded with a variety of hearty ingredients and contains a high protein content, so it’s perfect for people who are active and those who work out.

You can use this chicken to make a variety of Mexican dishes including rice bowls, burritos, taco salad, or tacos. This chicken can be used as a main dish, but you’ll find if you portion it out and freeze any of the unused chicken, you can pull it out and use the same chicken to create several other dishes.

If you want to make burritos, you can make them lettuce-wrapped, or use whole wheat flour tortillas. Tacos can also be lettuce wrapped or you can use whole wheat tortillas. For taco salad, you can get really creative and add some chopped veggies, and top with the chicken, avocado, and a light vinaigrette.

Make a rice bowl using quinoa and brown rice. Add your favorite veggies and fresh salsa.

To make the chicken, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• One tablespoon chili powder
• One teaspoon ground cumin
• Two teaspoons of onion powder
• Two teaspoons of garlic powder
• One pound of corn
• One cup of fresh salsa
• One and a half pounds of skinless chicken breasts
• One cup of cooked black beans

Prep

Layer the ingredients, beginning with the chicken, beans, and salsa. Add the spices. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and secure it. Be sure to close the IP steam valve. Hit the manual button and time the chicken for half an hour.

Next, you’ll want to do a ten-minute natural release, after which you can open the steam valve in order to release any remaining steam quickly. Unlock the lid and remove the chicken. Shred the chicken and add garnish based on the type of dish you’re making whether it’s tacos, a rice bowl, or a burrito.

Turkey Chili

 

On a cold winter day, nothing can beat a large hot bowl of chili. To make your own pressure cooker turkey chili, you can expect a total prep and cook time of forty-four minutes, which will include a natural release time of fifteen minutes. This recipe doesn’t include beans, however, if you want to add beans, you can. I recommend black or kidney beans.

For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• One tablespoon of ground coriander
• One tablespoon of ground cumin
• Two pounds of frozen ground turkey
• One pound of corn
• One tablespoon of paprika
• Two cups of diced tomatoes
• One cup of diced bell peppers
• Three tablespoons of minced garlic
• Three tablespoons of olive oil
• One cup of chopped red onion

Prep

To make, you’ll begin by sautéing the onions prior to adding them to the pressure cooker. This should take just four minutes. Next, you’ll add the garlic and process for one minute. Finally, add the ground turkey, peppers, and the remaining ingredients. After you add all of the remaining ingredients, adjust the pressure to the high setting.

This dish will only require nine minutes of cooking time. Next, you’ll allow for a fifteen-minute natural release time at the end. Once the fifteen minutes are up you’ll open up the vent in order to allow the steam to escape. Once the steam is gone, remove the lid and serve right out of the pot. Don’t be afraid to get creative with this chili and add more veggies, quinoa, or brown rice.

Lentils and Rice

This is a delicious plant-based meal option that can be the main dish or it can work as a side dish. If you’re tired of meat and instead you’re looking for something more filling, then this is a great meal option. This particular meal has an Indian inspired taste, complete with a mild curry.

For this meal, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Four cups of veggie broth
• One and a half cups of brown rice
• One cup of brown lentils
• One teaspoon of curry powder
• Two teaspoons of ground cumin
• One tablespoon garlic powder
• Two tablespoons of oil
• Half a cup of white mushrooms
• Half a cup of diced red bell peppers

Prep

To make, you’ll begin by sautéing the mushrooms, peppers, and red onions. Next, you’ll stir in the spices. Add these ingredients to the pot, then add the rice and lentils. Make sure you coat them well with the veggies, oil, and spices. Next, add the broth, stirring well.

Close and secure the lid, locking it into place, then hit the manual button. This dish will take twenty-five minutes to cook at high pressure. Once the time is up you’ll need to do a fifteen-minute natural release. After the fifteen minutes is up, you’ll open the vent to allow any remaining steam to escape before opening the lid and serving.

For more meatless pressure cooker ideas, click here to read my article on 3 Finger licking vegetarian pressure cooker recipes.

Pot Chicken Stew

This recipe is loaded with veggies, potatoes, and tender chicken. It’s a very nourishing, filling clean meal that’s perfect for cold weather.

This stew is very easy to make, and it tastes like it took hours to cook. For a lower calorie option, you can substitute white potatoes with sweet potatoes, and use water or veggie broth in place of the chicken broth.

For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Two pounds of skinless chicken breasts
• One cup of celery
• Two cups of carrots
• Two cups of diced potatoes
• One cup of diced onions
• One cup of diced bell pepper
• Four cups of chicken broth
• One tablespoon of diced garlic
• One teaspoon of pepper
• One tablespoon of garlic powder
• One tablespoon of onion powder
• Salt to taste

Add all of the ingredients and set the pressure cooker to high for fifteen minutes. Next, use a ten-minute natural release. Open the vent and allow the remaining steam to escape and you’re ready to serve.

Apple Maple Chicken

This recipe will give you an idea of how diverse a pressure cooker really can be. This chicken recipe contains all-natural ingredients, a high protein content, and provides thirty-percent of your daily fiber intake, due to the apple content.

While chicken legs are used in this recipe, you can easily substitute with chicken breasts, for a lower fat content. However, the extra fat in the chicken legs is what really adds moistness and flavor. The fat in the chicken legs is monounsaturated fat, which can also help to naturally lower cholesterol and promotes weight loss.

For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Two tablespoons of olive oil
• Half a cup of organic apple cider
• One tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• One tablespoon of yellow mustard
• Half a cup of raw, all-natural maple syrup
• One tablespoon of barbeque sauce
• Eight chicken legs

The first step is sautéing the chicken legs, prior to adding them to the pot. The legs should be nicely browned on each side. Next, you’ll prepare the sauce by mixing the yellow mustard with the Dijon mustard, tomato puree, and barbeque sauce and apple cider, in a small pot on the stove.

The sauce should be cooked over medium heat as you whisk the ingredients together for five minutes. Add the chicken legs to the pot and pour the sauce over them. Next, secure the lid on the pressure cooker, choose the stew or meat option, make sure the pressure cooker is on high, then set the timer for five minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, then unlock the lid and serve.

Final Thoughts

These clean eating pressure cooker recipes can put you on the right path to eating healthy. But they can also show you exactly how versatile a pressure cooker is, what it can do, and how you can use it to create your own unique one-pot clean eating meals that the whole family will love.

As you can see, each of these recipes is very hearty, loaded with healthy fats, low in calories, and big on flavor. These recipes are also very beginner-friendly, so you don’t have to have much experience to create and prepare a healthy meal for your family and friends.

Originally posted 2019-12-14 12:37:30.