Favorite Instant Pot Recipes

January 9, 2018 by 2 Comments

You know I love my Instant Pot! I do more cooking in my Instant Pot than my stove and oven combined. It’s such an easy way to cook because it’s mostly hands off. You get it going then walk away.

My Favorite Instant Pot Recipes and they are all plant-based!

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I bought my Instant Pot 3 years ago when I went back to work full time after being a stay at home mom and blogger. I knew that our life was about to get crazy and I would not be able to prep foods throughout the day or simmer a pot of beans all afternoon.

I bought the 6 quart 7 in 1 Instant Pot because it was the only one (at the time) that made yogurt. Now there are a bunch of choices when it comes to choosing an Instant Pot but I’ll cover that a different day.

My Favorite Instant Pot Recipes

I like to cook single ingredients foods a lot, beans, rice, potatoes, are my top three. We have a lot of other favorites too!

Enjoy restaurant style refried beans without sacrificing your health. These oil-free, plant-based refried beans are made in the Instant Pot.

Refried Beans

I’ve been making what I like to call unfried beans for years. Since no one knew what unfried beans were, I call my Instant Pot version Oil-Free Refried Beans. These are perfect on nachos, bean burritos or with your favorite taco recipe. I like Instant Pot Lentil Tacos.

Instant Pot Minestrone Soup may just be the perfect plant-based soup! Veggies, beans, broth and pasta create a hearty and healthy soup!

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup is my favorite soup but it’s also labor intensive. All that chopping! Well, being able to  toss it all in my Instant Pot makes up for it. We love this soup and this version has some short cuts to make it easier. I think you’ll love this Instant Pot Minestrone Soup as much as I do!

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole

Mexican Casserole

I’ve made this recipe for years! First in my oven, then I created a stove top version, then a Crock Pot version. Finally my Instant Pot Mexican Casserole was born. This easy recipe allows you to use uncooked rice and beans. Pay attention to the tips in the recipe, old beans can give you trouble. If you use something other than black beans you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.

Instant Pot Chickpea and Rice Soup

Chickpea and Rice Soup

Even though this recipe provides stove top directions also, the Instant Pot Chickpea and Rice Soup is my favorite version! This recipe gives a nod back to the chicken and rice soup my husband used to love but cleans it up for a plant-based version.

Instant Pot Oatmeal

Steel Cut Oats

Yes, you can cook delicious steel cut oats while you get ready in the morning. Make this easy Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats recipe then add your favoirite toppings. Mine are cinnamon and diced apples but fresh berries are amazing too.  You can also try my Banana Nut version.

Try this Busy Night Pasta recipe! It's simple and fast! Make a pasta dinner tonight in the Instant Pot!

Pasta

Yes, I’ve successfully made pasta in the Instant Pot. It’s a bit trickier and I haven’t had success with gluten-free pasta, only wheat pasta. Short, sturdy noodle shapes are important for getting great pasta, I like spirals, riggitoni, or penne as favorites. Check out my recipe for Instant Pot Pasta.

Do you have a recipe you’d like to see made in the Instant Pot? Let me know and I’ll work on converting it. I’ve got more great Instant Pot recipes and I plan to add more favorite Instant Pot recipes soon!

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Instant Pot Winter One-Pot Lentils and Rice

March 8, 2017 by 40 Comments

I’m excited to share a recipe and tell you about The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot! I was given a free copy to review. All opinions are my own. 

Winter One-Pot Lentils and Rice is an easy and delicious vegan dish made completely in the Instant Pot.

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Kathy Hester has knocked it out of the park with her new book The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot! It has quickly moved to the top of the list of cookbooks I recommend.

Kathy understands that sometimes you need really simple recipes, other times you are missing an ingredient and need to make a substitution, and other days you want to try something new and fancy. This cookbook does it all!

The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for your Instant Pot by Kathy Hester

I’ve enjoyed all of the recipes I’ve made so far from The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot!

I’ve taken photos of a few of them and I’m excited to share the Winter One-Pot Lentils and Rice recipe. Unless you are new here, know how much I love lentils! First, I’ll tell you about a few other recipes I made from this book.

Kathy Hester's Instant Pot Rolled Oats

Check out this oatmeal cooked in the Instant Pot! Kathy used rolled oats and it turned out perfect!

My very favorite thing in the whole world right now is Kathy’s Vegan Cauliflower Queso. I can’t share those recipes but they are worth the price of the book alone! Truly, after tasting the queso you would gladly buy the book. It’s really that good!

Vegan Queso from the Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for your Instant Pot

Before I get ahead of myself let me tell you a little more about the book. It has 80 recipes and they are all completely vegan! I know that can be a relief when you are looking for Instant Pot recipes.

Plus, it was written for the Instant Pot so you don’t have to figure out how to make it in your pressure cooker if you are using the Instant Pot too.

Some recipes call for oil OR a dry saute with water or broth to prevent sticking. Often, recipes will let you know when substitutions are permitted. I love making substitutions so I appreciated the guidance, I avoided a trip to the store and had confidence my recipe would work.

Instant Pot Lentils and Rice is the perfect winter meal to make in your Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Winter One-Pot Lentils and Rice

This recipe says it serves four but we stretched it a bit further.

Winter One-Pot Lentils and Rice
 
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This recipe is being published by permission.
Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon water or vegetable broth
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3½ cups water
  • 1½ cups brown rice
  • 1 cup brown lentils
  • 1 cup peeled and diced rutabaga (or turnip or potato)
  • 2 inches sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon dried marjoram (or thyme)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. For the saute, use the saute setting over normal, or medium heat, and heat the water or broth. Add the onion and saute until transparent, 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and saute a minute more.
  2. For the pressure cooker, add the water, brown rice, lentils, rutabaga, rosemary and marjoram to the onion mixture and stir to combine. Put the lid on and make sure that the vent is sealed. Cook on manual setting at high pressure and set for 23 minutes.
  3. Let the pressure release naturally. Season with salt and pepper before serving and add more marjoram and ground rosemary as needed.

I highly recommend this book. There are so many recipes I can’t wait to try! It’s deeply discounted right now on Amazon so get it before it goes up!

You can also try to win your own copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Filed Under: Instant Pot, Main Dish Recipes, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Banana Nut Oatmeal (Instant Pot and Stove top directions)

January 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment

We made Banana Nut Oatmeal in my Instant Pot and it was good! I wasn’t sure what I would think of warm banana. I regularly use banana in my baked goods so I thought it was worth taking the chance and I’m so glad I did!

Instant Pot Banana Nut Oatmeal takes the flavors of Banana Bread and adds the wholesomeness of oatmeal.

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After all, when I was a kid I loved Banana Pudding. I remember eating it while it was still warm.

I also loved Banana Bread. I thought about the flavors I like in my banana bread and incorporated those into my oatmeal, cinnamon and almonds. If you can’t have tree nuts, try hemp seeds. I love the nutty flavor that hemp seeds infuse in recipes. I’ll probably make it with hemp seeds instead of nuts about half the time.

Since I was cooking with steel cut oats I decided to do a spin off of my Instant Pot Oatmeal recipe. You could make this with rolled oats as well. I’ll include directions for both.

I don’t like to cook steel cut oats on the stove because they take too long. The Instant Pot still takes time to come to pressure, cook and depressurize, but I can walk away and do other things while it cooks.

I always buy gluten-free oats. If you don’t need gluten-free you can buy regular oats. I buy these steel cut oats for pressure cooking. See other varieties of oats here.

If you are in the mood for a warm banana nut treat, try this Banana Nut Oatmeal!

Instant Pot Banana Nut Oatmeal takes the flavors of Banana Bread and adds the wholesomeness of oatmeal.

Banana Nut Oatmeal Stove Top directions

If you are making this on the stove top with rolled or instant oats, you’ll want to check the side of the package to see how much oats and water you need for you (or your family). I generally use 2 cups of water for every cup of rolled or instant oats.

For this recipe you will need:

  • gluten-free rolled oats + water
  • 2 Bananas, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped nuts, I used almonds
  • maple syrup to taste
  1. Bring your water to boil. Once boiling, add your oats.
  2. Reduce heat to a simmer.
  3. Chop one banana and add it to the cooking oats. Add the cinnamon.
  4. Stir regularly. Once done, add in the other banana slices, nuts and maple syrup to taste.

Banana Nut Oatmeal in the Instant Pot

If you are making this with steel cut oats I highly recommend using the Instant Pot. I typically cook my oats plain, then add in any toppings but I wanted to have the banana cooked in too.

The oatmeal seemed to be a little more watery than normal when it was done. I just shut the lid for 5 minutes. When I came back it was perfect. I topped it with a the remaining banana slices, extra sliced almonds and a little maple syrup.

Instant Pot Banana Nut Oatmeal
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 3 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup steel cut oats (gluten-free if needed)
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 Bananas, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup almonds, sliced
  • maple syrup to taste
Instructions
  1. Pour steel cut oats, water, one banana sliced and cinnamon into the Instant Pot and give it a little stir.
  2. Close the lid, seal the vent and press the Manual button. Use the arrows to move down to 3 minutes.
  3. The Instant Pot will come to pressure in about 15 minutes or so. Then it will start counting down as it cooks. When it's done, it will beep. I usually turn it off and allow the pressure to naturally come down (natural pressure release).
  4. After about 10 minutes, open the lid carefully so the steam doesn't burn you. Scoop out your oatmeal into a bowl. Add the extra banana slices, almond slices and maple syrup to your bowl.

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Instant Pot, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Busy Night Pasta

January 19, 2017 by 15 Comments

This post is sponsored by Fry’s Food Stores. 

I finally did it, I made pasta in my Instant Pot.

Try this Busy Night Pasta recipe! It's simple and fast! Make a pasta dinner tonight in the Instant Pot!

Pasta is already quick and easy to cook but some days are so long I need to make it even easier. Don’t I sound dramatic!

Most of the time I work from home, this is a huge perk of my job, but when I actually go to the office I feel like I can’t function after work. I think my inner introvert gets overwhelmed at all the traffic, talking and smiling. By the time I make it home and pick up my kids, I’m spent. Maybe not too spent to cook pasta but I don’t mind making it easier. I take the motto, “work smarter, not harder” to heart.

Try this Busy Night Pasta recipe! It's simple and fast! Make a pasta dinner tonight in the Instant Pot!

This recipe is as easy as making pasta with broccoli and adding sauce. That’s basically it, you can skip the rest. Just kidding, but you can make this pasta on the stove or in the Instant Pot. I’ll give you directions for both.

Cooking Pasta in the Instant Pot

Simple Truth Organic whole wheat rotini cooked perfectly. Let me share a few things I learned about making pasta in the Instant Pot.

  • Gluten-free pasta is way more temperamental. I’m sticking to stove top for GF pasta.
  • When cooking pasta in a pressure cooker you want to do it on low pressure.
  • When cooking pasta in the Instant Pot, cook it on manual for HALF of the minutes needed for stove top cooking. So, if the box says cook it for 10 minutes, you’ll cook it on low pressure in the Instant Pot for 5 minutes.

The only downside to cooking a dish like this is that the broccoli gets very soft. Thankfully, I like my broccoli super soft, especially in pasta and casseroles. I don’t mind very soft broccoli, but if you want your broccoli more on the firm side, you may want to steam it separately. I don’t because it goes against my plan to make this meal as easy as possible.

Try this Busy Night Pasta recipe! It's simple and fast! Make a pasta dinner tonight in the Instant Pot!

Choosing the Right Ingredients

I regularly get questions from people asking me what pasta they should buy. The key is to find whole grain pasta. I buy the healthiest ingredients I can afford. That means organic when possible.

Last year we had a new Fry’s Food Store open up right outside our neighborhood. They make eating healthy so easy! I love their Simple Truth Organic brand of products. I was surprised at how budget-friendly their organic line of products is. Plus, they do have gluten-free for those who need it!

The Simple Truth Organic whole wheat pasta was perfect in the Instant Pot! I think it is because there is only one ingredient, whole wheat flour. Nothing extra!

Try this Busy Night Pasta recipe! It's simple and fast! Make a pasta dinner tonight in the Instant Pot!

This pasta and bread are both organic, whole grain wheat products. They are not suitable for someone with Celiac disease, or gluten-sensitivity or allergies. You can make this recipe on the stove top with gluten-free Simple Truth Organic Pasta! I like the GF macaroni made with organic brown rice flour, organic amaranth flour and organic quinoa flour. That’s it!

I keep pasta, sauce and frozen veggies on hand at all times for quick, family-friendly meals. I like to put a lot of veggies in my pasta but my kids are picky, I mean purists. Yeah, we will go with purists but you all know what I mean. They don’t want a lot of extra stuff in their pasta. They always get nervous when I make pasta because I use it as an opportunity to add every random veggie I can find.

I wanted this dish to win them over and it did! In fact, my 7 year old said, “this is the only pasta I want you to make ever again.” My 5 year old went on and on about it too.

Busy Night Pasta for the WIN!

Another thing I love about making pasta is it’s so easy and doesn’t dirty a lot of dishes. Does anyone else skip cooking so they don’t have to clean up?

This recipe uses just one pot for the main dish. I also made a quick salad using organic greens. If you plan ahead, you can have fresh herbs on hand for bolder flavor!

Try this Busy Night Pasta recipe! It's simple and fast! Make a pasta dinner tonight in the Instant Pot!

Busy Night Pasta

Stove Top Directions

  • One 16 oz box of Simple Truth Organic Pasta
  • 4 quarts water
  • One 25 oz. Jar of Simple Truth Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
  • One 10 oz bag of frozen organic Broccoli
  1. Bring the water to a boil. Dump in the pasta and give it a quick stir.
  2. Set your timer for 5 minutes less than the cooking time on the side of the box, it will vary depending on the type of pasta you are cooking. I cooked rotini which needed to cook for a total of 8-10 minutes. I set the timer for 5 minutes.
  3. When the timer goes off, add the broccoli florets and set the timer for the rest of the pasta cooking time, should be 5 minutes.
  4. When this timer goes off, drain the pasta and broccoli and pour in the sauce. Stir and heat on low until the sauce has warmed up.

Using the 16 oz box, it made 8 servings. Plenty for two dinners which made me happy! The gluten-free pasta usually comes in a slightly smaller box, serving 6. Still enough for dinner and leftovers.

Instant Pot Directions

I’ve only successfully made whole wheat pasta in my Instant Pot. If you are using gluten-free pasta I recommend following the stove top directions above.

  • One 16 oz box of Simple Truth Organic Pasta
  • 4 cups water
  • One 25 oz. Jar of Tomato Basil Simple Truth Organic Pasta Sauce
  • One 10 oz bag Simple Truth Organic frozen Broccoli florets
  1. Pour Pasta, 4 cups of water, one 10 oz bag of broccoli and one 25 oz jar of Simple Truth Tomato Basil pasta sauce into your Instant Pot.
  2. Close and lock the lid so that the vent is sealed.
  3. Press the pressure button to switch pressure to low. Press the Manual button and use the arrow buttons to lower to 5 minutes.
  4. The Instant Pot will come to pressure, then beep when done. Once done, carefully do a quick pressure release by turing the seal to open the vent.
  5. Once pressure is released, open the lid and store well. Allow to cool before serving. It’s a perfect time to prepare your salad.

Don’t miss my other Instant Pot recipes!

Try this Busy Night Pasta recipe! It's simple and fast! Make a pasta dinner tonight in the Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Pasta
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • One 16 oz box of Simple Truth Pasta
  • 4 cups water
  • One 25 oz. Jar of Tomato Basil Simple Truth Sauce
  • One 10 oz bag for frozen organic Broccoli
Instructions
  1. I've only successfully make whole wheat pasta in my Instant Pot. If you are using gluten-free pasta I recommend following the stove top directions above.
  2. Pour Pasta, 4 cups of water, one 10 oz bag of broccoli and one 25 oz jar of Simple Truth Tomato Basil pasta sauce into your Instant Pot.
  3. Close and lock the lid so that the vent is sealed.
  4. Press the pressure button to switch pressure to low. Press the Manual button and use the arrow buttons to lower to 5 minutes.
  5. The Instant Pot will come to pressure, then beep when done. Once done, carefully do a quick pressure release by turing the seal to open the vent.
  6. Once pressure is released, open the lid and store well. Allow to cool before serving. It's a perfect time to prepare your salad.

This post was sponsored by Fry’s Food Stores. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Instant Pot, Main Dish Recipes, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Instant Pot Lentils, Broccoli Mashed Potatoes and Carrots

January 4, 2017 by 10 Comments

One of the first things I learned to actually cook when I was a kid was pot roast with potatoes and carrots. I clearly remember my Mom calling me from work and telling me what to do to get dinner started. I think I was in 5th grade and I was so proud that I could make a grown up meal.

While I don’t cook meat any more, occasionally I want a meal that isn’t all mixed together. I know some of you have noticed that most of my meals are soups, casseroles, one-pot type of recipes. Sometimes, I want a main dish and side dishes.

This easy Instant Pot recipes will impress your family. This vegan recipe is comfort food in a bowl.

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I used my memories of my first solo cooking experience to create a new Instant Pot recipe. Don’t worry; it’s plant-based, full of fiber and cholesterol free.

I love using lentils in place of beef in my recipes. Like my Lentil Shepherd’s Pie, Lentil Tacos, Instant Pot Lentil Tacos, “Beefy” Lentil Soup and more.

This time I made Lentils, Broccoli Mashed Potatoes and Carrots. They were all cooked at the same time in my Instant Pot. I have the 6 quart IP by the way.

This easy Instant Pot recipes will impress your family. This vegan recipe is comfort food in a bowl.

You could definitely cook these separately on the stove if you don’t have an Instant Pot. See why I bought mine!

This recipe requires that you have a steamer basket. I bought this one on Amazon and I’ve been very happy with it. It collapses so it can be stored in a small space.

I wanted to have an easy recipe where I could throw everything in and have it cooked together. The carrots and broccoli do get over cooked with this method. I don’t mind because the broccoli is getting mashed into the potatoes anyway. I feel it’s a small price to pay to avoid having to cook multiple items at different times.This easy Instant Pot recipes will impress your family. This vegan recipe is comfort food in a bowl.

Instant Pot Lentils, Broccoli Mashed Potatoes and Carrots

This easy recipe will feed a family of four with some leftovers. If you love carrots you may want to add extra though. You can make it your own by adding your favorite spices or extra veggies.

Instant Pot Lentils, Broccoli Mashed Potatoes and Carrots
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dry brown lentils
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups of water
  • 5 russet potatoes, peeled if desired and cut in half
  • 4 large carrots cut in half (to fit in pot)
  • 2 cups of broccoli florets
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cups rice milk (any unsweetened plant milk is acceptable)
  • 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
Instructions
  1. Pour lentils into your Instant Pot and sprinkle the onion powder and garlic powder on top. Add the 2 cups of water.
  2. Place the steamer basket on top of the lentils.
  3. Put the potatoes, carrots and broccoli in the steamer basket.
  4. Close the lid and make sure the release is in the sealed position.
  5. Press the Manual button and use the arrows to bring it down to 10 minutes.
  6. Once done, turn off and let the pressure reduce naturally. After 10 minutes you can do a quick release.
  7. Sort the food by placing the carrots in a small bowl, the potatoes and broccoli in a large mixing bowl and the lentils can stay in the Instant Pot. Don't forget to discard the bay leaf.
  8. Pour plant-based milk, salt and nutritional yeast over the potatoes and broccoli. Use a potato masher to make mashed potatoes.
  9. Salt and pepper to taste.

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