No matter what your traditional Thanksgiving menu includes, odds are your oven and stove does the heavy lifting. Not only do they take time to use, but they also cost more per kilowatt-hour compared to other alternative cooking methods.
This summer, we challenged all home cooks, foodies or anyone who cares about the environment to submit a favorite recipe to our annual Cookin’ with Kilowatts contest that utilized a cleaner, greener more energy efficient cooking method than a traditional oven or stovetop. This year’s Cookin’ with Kilowatts Cookbook is full of innovative and delicious recipes that won’t take up precious real estate in your oven or increase your energy usage. Here are a few of our favorite low-cost, low-energy recipes that are perfect to add to your Thanksgiving Day menu or even your weekly menu rotation at home.
Let’s start with the most important meal of the day: breakfast!
Speedy Breakfast Burrito
Submitted by Courtney Y. of Seattle
2 slices of bacon
3 lbs fresh tomatoes, sun-ripened, organic heirloom varieties
1 small jalapeño
1 whole Walla Walla sweet onion
12 cloves fresh garlic
1 small bunch cilantro
1/2 C fresh lime juice
1/2 C red wine vinegar
Place bacon on a plate between a double layer of paper towels and
microwave for 2 minutes or until desired crispiness. It will continue to
crisp after cooking. Set aside.
Crack the egg into a 4-inch ramekin or plastic microwave egg cooking
container. Add milk and use a fork to scramble. If using a ramekin,
cover with a small plate and microwave for 90 seconds. Set aside.
Place tortilla on a plate, sprinkle cheese on top and microwave
10-15 seconds until cheese is melted.
Top tortilla with cooked egg and bacon and salsa/hot sauce as desired.
Wrap and enjoy!
Note: remove containers from microwave carefully as they can become
very hot.
Here’s a delicious dish that’s perfect as a Thanksgiving side or a weeknight meal!
Chick2 Curry
Submitted by Elizabeth M. Shoreline
Elizabeth M. placed first in this year’s Cookin with Kilowatts contest. Congrats!
1 large chicken breast, cut to 1/2 inch cubes
2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 T yellow curry powder
2 15 oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained
1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes with juice
1 14.5 oz can corn, rinsed
1 C vegetable or chicken broth
2 tsp of salt
Dash of cayenne spice (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
2 T cilantro leaves, washed and chopped
Directions
Preheat Instant Pot®, and select sauté.
Once hot, add the oil, onion, and chicken pieces. Stir periodically, cooking for about 2 minutes.
Add bell pepper, garlic and sauté about 2 minutes more until onions are translucent and starting to brown.
Add the curry powder, stir.
Add the chickpeas, tomato with juice, corn, broth, and salt.
Stir in cayenne (if desired).
Secure the Instant Pot® lid and ensure that the vent it turned to “sealing.”
Cancel the sauté setting. Select manual, and set to cook at high pressure for 7 minutes.
Once cooking is complete, use a natural release. This will take about 30 minutes.
Open lid, stir. Stir in lime juice and cilantro leaves.
Don’t forget to save room for dessert!
Chocolate Upside-Down Cake
Submitted by Kine Y. of Seattle
1 1/2 C of all-purpose flour
1/2 C white sugar
4 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 C vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T vinegar
3/4–1 C water
Powdered sugar, berries, or any
other desired toppings
Add all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl—flour, sugar, cocoa
powder, baking soda, salt (optional) and cinnamon.
Mix ingredients with a whisk.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl—oil, vanilla, vinegar, and water.
Pour the mixture into the rice cooker.
Now, depending on which rice cooker you use, the cook times will be
different. It took me about 30 minutes to cook mine.
When the toothpick comes out clean, bring the bowl out of the rice
cooker to cool for 5 minutes.
Flip the cake and add whatever toppings you please. I added berries,
powdered sugar, and shredded coconut.
Enjoy!
These are just a few of our favorite recipes! Click here to read through the entire 2019 Cookin’ with Kilowatts Cookbook.
Apecial thank you to our 2018 Cookin’ with Kilowatts sponsors!
