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No. 591Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Chicken Pho Soup

Chicken Pho Soup| Litle Jewels from the Kitchen

Soup is comfort. The newest Little Jewel in the Collection is this light and fresh Chicken Pho Soup. A lovely take on classic Pho Soup, and it is made easy in the Instant Pot.
Enjoy recipe #591 in the Collection.

CHICKEN SOUP

This classic bowl chicken soup of comfort is elevated with traditional Vietnamese ingredients you enjoy in Pho Soup, only this is a lighter and fresher version. The broth is clear, with pieces of white meat chicken and tender rice noodles all in a spiced broth. Fresh herbs of cilantro, mint and basil are helped along with slices of fresh jalapeño.

Chicken Pho Soup | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CLASSIC PHO

Classic Vietnamese Pho Soup is traditionally made with beef, yet making it with chicken is also a great option. I became acquainted with the soup via a wonderful family restaurant near my home. I was beginning my career as a Personal Chef and asked the chef if he could share a little about the recipe. I did learn that the key is the broth. This recipe is a simplified version perfect for the home cook, and even better the chicken and broth are cooked in the Instant Pot! As we all know the Instant Pot shaves cooking time off of many long cooking dishes. The chicken is placed in the pot whole for 15 minutes of cooking and emerges falling off the bone tender. The herbs and spices that were sautéed in the pot prior, now come to bloom in full flavor.

INSTANT POT PHO

After the chicken cooks allow the Instant Pot sealing to lower and natural pressure to release. Carefully lift the chicken out of the broth, using the rack helps to lift the chicken carefully to a shallow pan to cool, then the skin is removed and the chicken meat is shredded for the soup. Now it’s time strain the broth and return to a medium pot on the stove. The salt pepper and fish sauce are added, then the shredded chicken, about 3 cups of meat.

BOWLS OF PHO

Now the fun begins, building the bowls of soup. Prepare the noodles per the package instructions, drain and set aside. First I fill each bowl with the hot broth and shredded chicken. Next to each bowl I add tons of fresh herbs, jalapeño, and green onions. Crispy fresh beans sprouts top each bowl. Soup it up! Sign up for my recipe newsletter to never miss the newest Collection recipe.

 

 

No. 590Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Avocado Olive Cake

Avocado Olive Cake | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Yes, we really do need another avocado oil cake recipe. Avocado Olive Cake, always a Little Jewel.

VENTURA AVOCADOS

As the avocados ripen here along the Coast, it’s time to savor the season. Once they become available locally I have one almost everyday. My neighbor has a stellar tree and I await the brown bag by my door filled with avocados. The groves fill our Ventura hillsides and some of the best avocados are right here in our own town. Many of the roadside fruit stands carry our local fruits. Avocado is a fruit you know. I like to shop local and support our local farmers.

Avocado Oil Cake | Bijouxs Little Jewels

AVOCADO OIL CAKE

One of my favorite cakes is made with avocado oil, not olive oil. When it comes to avocado oil, it pays to buy the best, purity is a factor. Check the date and ingredients to make sure you are getting PURE avacado oil. There are many brands to sample, I have used this Extra-Virgin one and found it quite good., easy order on Amazon. The cake is best made with a lighter avocado oil then finished with a richer extra-virgin olive oil, either way the cake is wonderful  I enjoy topping this tender cake with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Avocado Olive Cake | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Avocado Olive Cake | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

 

No. 589Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Friday Night Black Beans

Friday Night Black Beans |Bijouxs Little Jewels

The best recipe to pack for wonderful weekend getaways or lounging at home–Friday Night Beans are truly a Little Jewel from the Kitchen.

WEEKEND KITCHEN

Spring is almost here and boy, I can’t wait to get out and pack up for a weekend jaunt. These beans are part of my Mason Jar Cuisine along with my Mason Jar Blueberry Muffins. We don’t usually go far but a picnic at our local beach is just fine. It’s an easy formula; Mason Jars filled with salad, black beans, cornsticks (or cornbread) and cool things to drink.

Here’s how. During the week prepare some of your favorite picnic foods, mine include a jar my no-egg Caesar Dressing for salad or dip; a jar of black beans cooked with a hamhock (Cajun style); and Mason Jar Blueberry Muffins.  The beans are super-quick using the Instant Pot. The night before prepare the beans and bake the blueberry muffins and while the oven is hot bake the cornsticks. The morning is easy, just pack and go enjoy the weekend.

Friday Night Black Beans | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Friday Night Black Beans | Bijouxs Little Jewels
BLACK BEANS

There is no waste with cooking these recipes. The extra black beans make tasty lunch quesadillas or bowls served with rice  and the muffins are great for the lunch box. I like use glass jars, yes, they are heavy but are so much more sane for the environment and our health. I love these French Canning Jars with the snap lids, and they come in many sizes. Bring along an insulated tote to keep things warm, along with a large thermous filled with your favorite beverage.

Let’s go for a picnic with Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

 

No. 588Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding

Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding has now become an extremely addicting fovever-favorite, another Little Jewel from the Kitchen.

GINGERBREAD

Is there any better smell than gingergread baking? You have to wait until you open the Instant Pot, but wow, there it is. Traditional spices of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg along with molasses make this almost-impossible pudding work. All the things you love and more are here in this recipe.

SLOW COOKER PUDDING

Ok, I admit I was a bit skeptical about making a pudding in the slow cooker. Acutally, it turned out better than I thought and I got to try a new cooking mode on my Instant Pot. I love the Instant Pot as a pressure cooker, and it was also spot-on as a slow cooker. (You can also cook the pudding in a traditional medium size slow cooker set on HIGH)
Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding|Bijouxs Little Jewels

GINGERBREAD PUDDING

I love my old English Gingerbread recipe a great classic, but this pudding now has become a new favorite. The pudding is soft, almost runny, filled with all the spices you love, plus a buttery brown sugar topping that sets this pudding apart. I cannot resist a spoonful before serving.
Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels
Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding Bijouxs Little Jewels
Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding – another Little Jewel from the Kitchen.

 

No. 587Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

My Everything Salad

My Everything Salad | Bijouxs Little Jewels

My Everything Salad is a delicious antidote to avoid food waste in the kitchen, another Bijouxs Membership Collection.

MY EVERYTHING SALAD

I have been creating endless salads using leftover ingredients in the kitchen fridge for years, hardly thinking of them as a real recipe and hardly photo worthy. I came across this salad, and it struck a cord with me. Many of the ingredients were things I typically have on hand-cooked grains, beets, carrots, green onions, cucumber, and fresh herbs. The only to-get items were the pomegranate seeds and Shishito peppers, made easy via Trader Joe’s.

 

My Everything Salad | Bijouxs Little Jewels

NO FOOD WASTE

I am working hard on reducing any food waste. If I cook a recipe for the blog I share it with friends and neighbors. I found that freezing large quantities of food, did not work for the solo me. I am constantly moving on to the next thing. So, leftovers in my fridge are constantly reimagined into something, interesting or not so interesting.

 

BEAUTIFUL FOOD BY DESIGN

Again, I go back to my Bijouxs basic mantra ‘“the everyday beauty all around us, right here in our kitchens.” I think even the rag-tag kitchen stragglers can be made into something healthy and beautiful-avoiding any waste.

My Everything Salad is another Little Jewel from the Bijouxs Membership Collection.

 

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