Writing Recipes and Writing Workouts...Carrot, Pineapple, and Raisin, Coconut Rice Pudding

I've been so busy lately writing recipes and kettlebell workout routines, and I have alot to say about both. But, let me start with recipes....pressure cooker recipes to be exact....

I love my pressure cooker and I've mentioned many times about how it has changed my "cooking life". Little did I know how it would continue to change my life in a much larger way than my own four kitchen walls would contain....more about that soon...

Anyway, I've been cooking away, which is not that unusual, except for the fact that I have to be more precise about the amounts of my ingredients, so I can "officially" start to document more exact "recipes".

Why do I use "quotation marks " when I write "recipe"? Because as any good cook knows, the secret to being a good cook, is to cook, and/or create foods and/or meals, without "recipes". These days I rarely use a recipe....neither does Fawn, I'm sure! Instead relying on the many past experiences, including both triumps and failures....failures to me are only when something cannot be "saved"....in other words, if it is truly inedible, then it has failed....failed as a meal, but not as a lesson! Most of my failures happen when I burn, or overcook something....I tend to be a bit aggressive with the heat, lol!

So, this evening I've been hard at work trying out some ideas for recipes, using the pressure cooker, that may be attractive to people with an interest in nutrition...but not necessarily a "diet recipe". Instead something that bumps up the nutrition in an everyday meal, side dish, or dessert....did I say dessert?

On the pressure cooker menu this evening is Carrot, Pineapple and Coconut Rice Pudding, Rosy Red Applesauce (beets are the rosy "red"), and Guava Applesauce (done in a saucepan, without the PC). Here's the thing...if a "recipe" does not turn out quite right, then I know how to fix it 99% of the time....but the average non-cook does not. So, I have to do it over and over until it turns out consistent. That is the job of a cookbook and recipe author. Am I a cookbook, or recipe author? Well, I think I can be. At least I'm going to give it a good go...and what do I have to lose? Cooking and preparing foods is one of my hobbies....so I get to do what I love, regardless if anyone else ever reads about it. How lucky am I?

Carrot, Pineapple, Raisin and Coconut Rice Pudding

1 1/2 aborio rice (Italian risotto rice)
2 cups shredded carrot
1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple (I'm not sure if this was a positive addition)

1 cup of sugar....yep sugar!
1 14oz can of "lite" coconut milk (Trader Joes or Whole foods)
2 cups additional liquid....water or milk, or 1/2 & 1/2, or cream...its up to you. Calorie count, nutrition, or just plain "on hand" ingredients"
a good pinch of salt.. I always put in a
good pinch of salt

no...no jalapeno! although maybe sometime in the future, lol
1/2 cup raisins, added after cooking

Oh, and I would have added a chink of fresh ginger if I had it....

Bring to high pressure (about 5 minutes), turn down heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. After that point turn heat off and let the pressure come down naturally (another 5 minutes). Open PC, stir to combine ingredients. Does it need a bit more of something? Does it seem a bit dry? Or is it perfect? Add more liquid if needed....milk, cream, butter.....make it your own recipe. Personally, I did not have any extra cream (I needed it for my morning coffee!)...so, 2% milk it was. I needed about another cup of milk, a quick whisk, and it was as perfect as it was going to get! (Mark added butter to his, lol...lucky him!)

One of my accidental discoveries was to use aborio rice for rice puddings....in the PC, of course. Rice pudding, using aborio rice, is like making risotto....10 minutes, and viola... Talk about creamy! But you can control the creaminess, and calorie count, by using water, milk, 1/2 & 1/2, or cream, in addition to the lite coconut milk...or use full fat coconut cream. Fat is not the enemy....the portion and the energy in which you eat your food can be. Anytime coconut milk is used it's a no lose situation! Coconut milk is one of the "cheater" ingredients...like bacon! C'mon...bacon, coconut milk? How can it be bad?


Enough about desserts already! I made a killer pot of smoked turkey, chipotle and split pea soup/with red chard last night in the PC. I found smoked turkey legs at the Mexican market for $.99lb! 2 /12 lbs of smoked protein for $2.50...I had to make split pea soup. The rest of the ingredients cost about $8.00 in total. It took me about 20 minutes prep time and 20 minutes cooking time in the PC.....and I had enough for me, Mark, and my son Gabe, for dinner and about 3 days of lunches! It was so freakin' good that it may be the next "recipe" you read about....

Pictures above: finished rice pudding before I added a touch more cream...therefore adding a touch more "creaminess". Shredded red beets with 8 cups diced fuji apples. My 4 qt pressure cooker ready to go with all of the ingredients for Carrot, Pineapple, Coconut Rice Pudding. Last picture is 1 1/2 c. shredded carrots....I did not use a food processor to shred the carrots on purpose! It takes a bit of muscle to be a good cook sometimes...blogpost to come....