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We have a quaint, little home in a northern suburb of Dallas. Weather here is unpredictable. Just 2 weeks ago I needed a sweatshirt when I walked our dogs in the early morning. Now it’s shorts and a t-shirt even before the sun comes up. Summer has undoubtedly arrived, which means our small kitchen heats up in a big way when I’m cooking.
If I had only myself to feed, I would go for Gluten Free Bay’s Uncooking to keep cool – that’s right up my alley. Alas, I have a 6 foot, incredibly handsome husband to who comes home from work every night exhausted and, yes, hungry. When we were first dating he tried to eat more like me – lots of grilled chicken salads, cottage cheese and fruit, nuts. He nearly starved. I just can’t have that. My husband deserves a good, home cooked meal.
For the next two weeks, I’ll share my solution to cooking sugar & gluten free foods my husband and I both love while keeping my kitchen cool in the Texas heat.
A favorite cool kitchen trick is my pressure cooker. Honestly, I didn’t want the pressure cooker – it scared me. My mom used one when I was a kid and my memories of whistling and steam were a little unsettling. My husband bought it for me as a gift – I’d asked for a 6 quart, enamel coated dutch oven. He misunderstood and I got the pressure cooker. When I mentioned returning it he slyly told me that they use them on Iron Chef America all of the time. He didn’t have to say anything else – I had an instant determination to master the beast.
I’ve since learned that the pressure cooker is not the monster I thought it was. It’s simple to use and makes fresh tasting, delicious food with little or no effort. The food cooks in at least half the time and it doesn’t make my kitchen hot. Some of my girlfriends have bought them at my suggestion and they all have found the same to be true. Of course, there are some basic safety procedures to follow. Make sure to follow the guidelines outlined by the manufacturer.
This recipe has been adapted from the little recipe book that came with my pressure cooker. Our favorite thing about it is that the sauce tastes so fresh and the flavors are fully infused. Brown rice, gluten-free pasta, polenta, or spaghetti squash (my favorite!) all go perfectly with this dish. The picture below shows the sauce with pasta. Check back on Friday because I’ll be effortlessly cooking up the most flavorful spaghetti squash while keeping my kitchen cool.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs OR 4 large bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
- 1 (14.5) oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1/3 c. chicken stock OR store bought low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 medium onion, halved and sliced thinly
- 1 cup carrots, sliced into rounds
- 8 oz. mushrooms, quartered
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
- freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except tomato paste in the pressure cooker. Close pressure cooker securely. Place pressure cooker regulator on vent pipe and cook for 10 minutes with pressure regulator rocking slowly. Cool at once by placing in the sink and running cold water over the top.
- Remove chicken from pressure cooker and place on a plate. Loosely tent with aluminum foil.
- Return pressure cooker to stove top. Add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce reaches desired consistency. Serve chicken topped with sauce.
Find other great dinner ideas at The Gluten-Free Homemaker – today’s What’s for Dinner Wednesday! Add Linda to your bookmarks. Her blog is a great resource for anyone living gluten-free.
Cheryl
posted on June 17, 2009 at 6:35 am
That sounds very good! I love my pressure cooker too…but I'm still a little afraid of it.
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Linda
posted on June 17, 2009 at 9:15 am
I love my pressure cooker (I actually have more than one), and I'm thrilled to have a new recipe to try. Thanks!
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Diane-The Whole Gang
posted on June 17, 2009 at 11:02 am
I'm one of those people that's afraid of the pressure cooker. But after reading you made dinner that fast, I might have to put that on my wish list. I use a crockpot a lot during the summer so the oven or stove does not heat up the kitchen. Never thought about a pressure cooker. This meal sounds great, fast and easy. Love that!
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glutenfree4goofs
posted on June 17, 2009 at 11:36 am
Here's to keeping cool and keeping the men (I have 4) in our lives happy! I don't have a pressure cooker but I'm a fan of the crock pot and the BBQ so I'm sure I can still make this yummy meal.
Jessie at Blog Schmog
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Amy Green
posted on June 17, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Cheryl – I absolutely understand…the pressue cooker has a flair all it's own.
Linda – I am jealous! I only have one pressure cooker, but I do have multiple crockpots. Let me know what you think if you cook this.
Diane – Yes, love the crockpot! I couldn't imagine summer without it, either.
Jessie – Yes, we must keep our men happy. I think this would cook just fine in the crockpot, too.
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Gina
posted on June 18, 2009 at 12:53 am
I hadn't thought of the kitchen-heat reducing, energy-saving aspect of pressure cooking. I will have to look into it! Thanks for the recipe.
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Sophie
posted on June 18, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I love a good hearty meal like this, goes to show that gluten free dinners can be quite delicious! I once had a traumatic experience with a pressure cooker; I was making chicken soup and the whole cooker exploded in my kitchen (thank God I wasn't there, I think I would've burned!). Needless to say, my kitchen smelled like chicken for about 1 week after that incident
.
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Amy Green
posted on June 19, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Hi Gina! Honestly, it's embarrasing to admit but I hadn't thought about the energy saving aspect at all. That is another great plus of the pressure cooker.
Hey Sophie…so glad that you weren't hurt. That had to be scary. You gave us all a good reminder about making sure that any kitchen appliance is in good working order before we use it.
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Holly
posted on March 1, 2011 at 9:25 am
I’m sure this could be made in a crock pot too, how long would you recommend cooking it in the crockpot? I don’t have a pressure cooker yet? I would love one, however, I already feel like I don’t know where to keep all these big things, juicer, blender, crockpot, dehydrator, waffle maker, popcorn maker….I’m out of cabnet space already!! lol
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Amy Reply:
March 2nd, 2011 at 10:18 pm
@Holly, I reworked this recipe for the CrockPot and it’s in my new cookbook.
It’s fabulous. I wish I could just give you the recipe but my publisher would throw a fit.
Hugs,
Amy
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Heather
posted on May 22, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Hi Amy I love your blog and am so inspired by you. I too have a “reaction to gluten an sugar” where I just want more and more and I am looking into to switching over to gluten free sugar free lifestyle. Anyway. Which Brown Rice Pasta do you like best and do you have any suggestions for what I should buy to start out since I dont have most of the different flours and ingredients? Thanks you are awesome!!
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Amy Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 9:18 am
@Heather, I started out “au natural” meaning foods that I was used to that were naturally sugar and gluten-free. I think it’s the easiest way to go otherwise you’re trying to learn too many new things at once.
I use Tinkyada brown rice pasta.
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Amy Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 9:20 am
@Heather, I started out ‘au natural’ eating sf/gf foods I was already used to eating. That’s the easiest way in my opinion – otherwise there are too many new things at once. I use Tinkyada brown rice pasta.
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maile
posted on October 26, 2011 at 11:09 pm
I use my pressure cooker all the time and my favorite thing to make in it is risotto. I love chicken cacciatore so this sounds really awesome and simple to do in the pressure cooker. I am going to make this soon and know it will come out great as all your recipes always do! Thanks
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