You all know that I've been playing with my Instant Pot for the past several weeks.  I've also been talking about Protein this week on my 28 Days of Healthy Facebook Page, so I wanted to share this Chicken and White Bean Chili recipe that just made my "Family favorite list".  I've had this recipe for about 10 years, and have made it in a regular stockpot to mediocre reviews from Pat.  This time I made it in the Instant Pot, in about 1/3 of the time and mess, and the first bite brought rave reviews.  I've always used boneless skinless chicken breasts. The Instant Pot, with it's pressure, tenderized the chicken so that it literally melted in our mouths.  It also reduced the beans to a much creamier texture.  

I posted the Nutrition facts on this since we're talking about Protein.  You can see that protein dominates the profile, and it's lean - coming from the chicken as well as the beans.  Not to overdue, but it's also got 6g of fiber, which was last weeks topic on the facebook page- Hey, it's important! 

"Just like fat and carbohydrates, protein is a macronutrient (meaning that your body needs relatively large amounts). But unlike with fat and carbs, your body doesn’t store usable protein. Your amino acids stores are constantly used and must be replenished. If enough isn’t provided by dietary sources, your body will start to take it from your muscle mass. An adequate dietary protein intake is important across the life cycle, especially as we age. Protein deficiency can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, and hair loss and can contribute to a variety of other conditions."  (From Ask the Scientists post on Picky about Protein?)

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INGREDIENTS:
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts , cubed
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh jalapeño peppers, chopped
3 cans Great Northern, or white cannelloni beans  (or 1 cup dry beans, cooked)
2 tsp olive oil
4 cups (1 qt) chicken broth (I used a box of organic chicken broth)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder (if you use the good stuff, it has a bit of a kick)
1/4 cup lime juice ( I start with 1/2 of this and add slowly to taste)
1 T. Cornstarch
1 T. Water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Cubed Avocado
Put all ingredients in the Instant Pot through lime juice.  Cook on Soups and Stews for 20 minutes and let the pressure release on it’s own.  
(I made this several hours before and just left it on the counter, but that doesn’t matter)
Before serving, mix 1 T Cornstarch with 1 T water and put it in the pot with the fresh cilantro.  Pressure cook for 1 more minute.  The cornstarch will give it a little extra thickening.  


We garnished with Avocado and served with a Green Salad!

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I became a bit obsessed with bowl dinners when I found these serving bowls this summer.  They seemed perfect for an "all in one dinner".  What I love about them is that I can put together a really appealing, very colorful dinner bowl and it's packed with good nutrition!  They are so versatile. In the warm weather, you can use lettuce as a base and have a great salad with raw veggies.  I've tried that in the colder months and find I really prefer a warmer bowl with rice or grains and sautéed or steamed veggies.  In either case, I top them with any sort of protein that sounds good to me.  We've used marinated grilled steak or chicken, salmon, meatballs- really anything you'd like.

What I love about my bowl dinners?  

• The visual-  They look so appealing and colorful.  I love that. 
• The nutrition balance is so great.  Americans eat more protein in one sitting than we really should.  With a bowl dinner, you would likely be splitting a chicken breast , or a steak between 2 bowls.  You'll have lots of colorful veggies, and we all know that more color means more nutrients!  
• You'll be getting lots of fiber with either a grain base, or lettuce - plus the veggies of course.  We all need to be more conscious of fiber intake for heart and digestive health.
• You won't feel so full.  I love that feeling.  I love food, but I also love the idea that it's fueling me, and that's what a bowl dinner feels like- plus it's delicious!
• You won't have to shop for ingredients.  Just open up your fridge and see what's there.

Serve with Pico de Gallo and Guacamole- store bought, or homemade!

Marinade (save about 1 Tablespoon for the vegetables)
This marinade recipe comes from "The Food Lab" by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.  It makes far more than I need for a dinner for two, so I store what I don't need in the refrigerator for a do-over.  It goes together very quickly.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup canola oil (I used olive oil)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp black pepper
1 T chili powder (I use real mexican chili powder, so I use 1/2 this amount)
3 cloves garlic, minced

Use as much marinade as you need to marinate your meat of choice for at least 3 hours, or overnight.  Sometimes I throw the meat and marinade in a bag and freeze it until I need it. 

Cilantro Rice

Cook 1 cup dried brown rice with your normal method.  Just before serving, toss in 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 2 T lime juice, 1 T olive oil.....plus salt and pepper

Sauteed Vegetables

I used red, yellow and green peppers, and onions with just a bit of olive oil.  Just before serving, put about a T of reserved marinade into the vegetables.

Barbecue the marinated steak, slice it, and let your guests layer the rice, vegetables and meat. We topped it with pico de gallo and guacamole! 

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