Instant Pot Beef Stew

 

We bought the most amazing half of a beef from a farm in Delta Junction.  We were in the mood for a rich, hearty soup and the chuck roast in the freezer was calling our name!

1 chuck roast, cut into 1-2 inch chunks

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

6 carrots, peeled and chopped into thick coins

1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped

1 head of garlic, minced

4 cups beef broth

1 (15oz) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. ground mustard

2 bay leaves

1 bag frozen peas

1 bag frozen lima beans

3 tablespoons flour

Turn the instant pot to Saute and allow it to get hot.  Add the olive oil and the chuck roast chunks.  Season with salt and pepper and allow the meat the brown on all sides.

Once the meat is browned, add the thyme, oregano, ground mustard, and worcestershire sauce, mix well.

Add the garlic, carrots and onions and saute for a few minutes until the onions begin to sweat.

Once the onions are sweating, add the tomato sauce, beef broth, frozen peas, frozen lima beans and bay leaves.  Mix well.

Put the lid on your instant pot, set it to manual, high pressure and cook for 20 minutes.  Allow it to natural release for 15 minutes, then release the pressure completely.

Put 3 tablespoons of flour in a small bowl and ladle 1 cup of the soup liquid into the flour.  Whisk well until all the lumps are dissolved and you have a thick slurry. 

Add the slurry to the soup and mix well.  Serve with homemade bread and saltines.

Mexican Restaurant Style Rice

 

This is a super subtle addition to any Mexican food night.  It's delicious with tacos, beans, quesadillas, fajitas, and taco salad!

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups long grain white rice

1 medium onion, diced

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 can tomato sauce

1 tsp. taco seasoning

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

4 cups chicken broth

1 can of corn, drained (or 2 cups frozen corn)

Optional toppings: lime wedges, avocado, cilantro

To your instant pot, add the oil and set to the Saute feature.  Allow the oil to heat.

Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly until it's fragrant and golden brown.

Add the onion and cook until slightly softened.  

Add the chicken broth, garlic powder, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, cumin, corn, and salt.  Stir to combine.  

Place the lid on your instant pot, set the valve to Sealing and process on Manual for 6 minutes.  Once the 6 minutes is done, allow the pot to naturally release for 15 minutes.  

Release the remaining steam and fluff with a fork.  Serve with your favorite Mexican dishes.

Crispy Honey Chicken

 

This is a super quick and easy dinner to throw together and everyone will love it.  My kids beg me to put this on the menu when I sit down to meal plan.

First, you want to get your rice started.  Click here for no fail Instant Pot Rice.  I use Basmati.

Second, you want to use a cheat.  Make sure you have a bag of Just Bare Chicken Nuggets from Costco.  They're an amazing dupe for Chick-Fil-a nuggets and they're PERFECT for this dish.  I place half of a Costco size bag of nuggets in the air fryer and air fry according to your machine's directions.  (Note, I have the toaster oven version of an air fryer...it's a larger capacity than a traditional air fryer so you may need to do your chicken in batches if you have a smaller basket.  

Now, THE SAUCE!  The sauce is what pulls this whole thing together.  It's sweet and salty and a hint of heat, if you choose.

You'll need:

1 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut aminos (or low sodium soy sauce)

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp. Sesame oil

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons water

Green onion and sesame seeds to garnish, optional

Combine the cornstarch with the 2 tablespoons of water and set aside.

In a medium saucepan whisk together the honey, coconut aminos, 1/4 cup of water, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes if using.  Bring to a boil.

Once the sauce is boiling, slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the pot while whisking.  Bring back to a boil and then turn the heat down to low.  Simmer for 10 minutes while keeping a close eye on it and whisk occasionally.

When the chicken and sauce are finished, add the chicken to the sauce and toss to coat.  Serve over a bed of rice and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds, if desired.

Sausage Tortellini Soup

 

This is one of those meals that's easy peasy and oh my goodness have we needed easy this week.  For those who may not know, we are a foster family.  We have a teeny, tiny, new placement this week and we're running on the NO sleep that comes with infants and the LOADS of stress and anxiety that comes with dealing with the agency workers.  I'm supposed to be eating Paleo right now, but in this moment, survival is the name of the game and I need quick, easy, no fuss, meals to get us through.  I was so thankful to come across this recipe and I had to share it with you.  I made tweaks to the original and pieced together several recipes to omit what we don't like and add in what we do and the final result was loved by all.  You can use either squash/zucchini OR fresh spinach...my kiddos like the squash version because they don't enjoy the texture of cooked spinach.  You could also use the squash AND spinach...who am I to tell ya what to do?  Also, I'm sleep deprived and apologize if this reads wonky.  Enjoy!

1 lb. sausage

1 (8oz.) block of cream cheese, cubed

4 cups chicken broth

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 (20 oz.) package frozen cheese tortellini

2 yellow squash and/or zucchini with the middles hollowed out, chopped 

OR

3 cups fresh spinach

Turn a 6qt or 8qt Instant Pot to Saute.  Add the sausage and cook until crumbled and browned.  (If you don't have an instant pot, brown it in a skillet and add it to your crock pot.)

Once the sausage is done, add the broth, diced tomatoes (with the juices, don't drain the tomatoes), and the cubed cream cheese.

If you're using an Instant Pot, use the Slow Cooker function and set it to Low for 4 hours to allow the cream cheese to melt.  (If you're using a crock pot, same deal...Low for 4 hours.)

After 4 hours, use a whisk to break up the cream cheese until the soup is nice and creamy and smooth.

Add the chopped squash and frozen tortellini and cook on Low an additional 30 minutes.  (If you're using spinach, add it to the soup just a few minutes before serving.)

This is delicious served with crusty bread and a salad.  My kiddos also LOVE a grilled cheese sandwich with it.

Egg Roll in a Bowl Soup

 

I was DELICIOUSLY surprised with how this final recipe turned out.  I really like Egg Roll in a Bowl, but turning it into a soup hits all the right places in the winter time.  I make this in my Instant Pot on the Sauté feature.  You also make the entire thing in one pot so it's super easy clean up!

1lb. ground sausage

1 onion, diced

1 (10oz.) bag shredded carrots

1 green cabbage, sliced into strips

1 head of garlic, minced

6 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon coconut aminos

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. salt (plus more to taste)

Turn your Instant Pot on the Sauté feature and allow it to get hot.  Add the sausage and brown.

When the sausage is almost done, add the diced onion and sauté until the onion is softened.  

Add the garlic and carrots and sauté until the carrots have slightly softened and the garlic is fragrant. 

Then add the broth, coconut aminos, garlic powder, onion powder, and cabbage to the pot.  Mix well.

Bring the soup to a simmer and allow to cook for 10 minutes or until the cabbage has softened but still has a little bit of a bite to it.

Season with additional salt and onion powder to taste.

Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

 

This. Soup. Is. Bomb!  It's so rich and creamy and hearty.  Absolutely perfect for a chilly Fall or Winter night.  The recipe calls for raw chicken which is what I usually have.  BUT sometimes I have leftover shredded chicken from a rotisserie or other leftover meal that's already cooked.  I totally use that if I have it.  I really like the texture that shredded chicken gives it and it doesn't affect the cooking time at all.  So if you have pre-cooked shredded chicken, feel free to use it.  Don't worry that it's not raw.

4 Tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced

5 carrots, peeled and cut into circles

5 stalks of celery, chopped

6 cups chicken broth

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced (or 4 cups of leftover shredded chicken)

1 cup Wild Rice (I love the Lundberg Wild Rice blend!)

1 Tablespoon dried parsley

2 Tablespoons cornstarch (can sub flour)

2 Tablespoons cold water

1 block of cream cheese, softened and cubed

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. salt, more to taste

1/2 tsp. pepper, more to taste

Pinch of red pepper flakes, more to taste

Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté feature.  Add the butter and let it melt.  Once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrots, and celery.  Sauté the veggies until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, chicken, rice, and parsley to the pot.  Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to "Sealing" and Manual, high pressure for 5 minutes.  After the 5 minutes is up, let the pot naturally release some pressure for 5 minutes, and then do a full quick release.  

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch (or flour) and cold water until no lumps remain.  After the pin drops on the Instant Pot, carefully remove the lid, turn on the Sauté setting, and add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly.

Add the cubed cream cheese and stir until all of the cream cheese has melted.  Add the milk and cream and heat through being careful to stir constantly so it doesn't scorch.  If it starts to get too hot, turn the pot off.  There's plenty of heat in there to get it warmed through.

Add salt and pepper (and a little Creole is fantastic!) to taste.  Serve with your favorite crusty bread.

Instant Pot Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta

 

I'm a sucker for anything with Bang Bang sauce on it.  If you ever find yourself near a Bonefish Grill, do yourself a favor and get an order of Bang Bang Shrimp...you won't be sad.  So when our friends invited us over for dinner one night, I was delighted to see she was cooking something yummy and it was smothered in Bang Bang sauce!  

Here in Alaska, fresh, wild caught Alaskan salmon is abundant.  During salmon season, you can find Alaskans with their dip nets on any of the salmon rich rivers catching their year's supply.  If you time it just right, you can catch your yearly limit in a couple of hours when the salmon are running heavily.  It's exhausting and dangerous work because these rivers are often times hard to get to and very VERY swift.  You never go alone and you work as a team.  Usually one guy is tied off to a rope which is secured to a rock and that guy has a huge dip net (they're about 5' in diameter) dipping it into the rapid, raging river and just pulling salmon out as fast as he can get them.  Then the salmon are handed off to another guy to be dispatched.  Then once the limit is reached, they pack them into ice filled coolers and bring them home to clean and filet.

If you have an abundance of salmon, or you just really love salmon and want to use it in this dish, use the salmon "tails".  They're not the actual tails, but the 3" or so of meat on the filet that's closest to the tail is boneless.  Those boneless portions are PERFECT for this!

1lb. dried spaghetti (or fettuccini)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. coconut oil

4 1/4 cups water

1lb. raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (or 1lb. of salmon "tails")

3/4 cup mayo

3/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (plus more for the shrimp/salmon)

1/4 cup lime juice

sprinkle of cayenne or Creole seasoning

1 cup diced scallions OR red onion

garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Break the pasta noodles in half and place in your Instant Pot.  Add minced garlic, coconut oil, 1 tsp. salt, and water.  Lock the Instant Pot lid on, set the valve to "Sealing", and process on Manual, High, for 4 minutes.  Once it's finished, turn the pot off, and quick release the pressure.  If there is excess water, drain completely and return the pasta to the Instant Pot.  Put the lid back on to keep the pasta warm.

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the mayo, chili sauce, lime juice, and cayenne (or Creole) together and set aside.  

Heat a medium skillet to medium-high heat (use cast iron if you have it).  Add a drizzle of olive oil and add the diced onion and shrimp.  Season lightly with salt, pepper and a bit of cayenne (or Creole), and add about 1/4-1/2 cup of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.  Cook until onions are soft and shrimp is pink.

Now it's time to assemble!  Open the Instant Pot and stir the sauce into the pasta.  Then add the shrimp mixture.  Turn the Instant Pot onto Sauté and toss everything together, tossing constantly for 2-3 minutes until everything is mixed together and the sauce is warmed through.  Taste and add salt, pepper, and garlic powder as needed.

Serve warm with fried green beans and some nice, toasty, sourdough garlic bread.

**Fried Green Beans**

We buy the big bag of organic frozen green beans from costco!  They're the best things EVER!

In a large cast iron skillet, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on medium-high heat.

Add as many green beans as your family will eat.  Sprinkle green beans with garlic power, onion power, salt, and pepper.  Cook until the green beans are thawed, the water has evaporated, and a few have started to char.  Add a little bit of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, toss, and serve.

Haines Family Chili

That's right.  I put my name on a chili.  I've been working on this chili recipe for a few months now and it's finally exactly how I want it.  It's not too spicy, though you could make it that way if you prefer yours spicier, by adding some sliced jalepeno rings or a spicer version of Rotel.  My husband prefers his a little spicier and adds a few dashes of Tabasco sauce into his bowl.  But I love it just how it is.  It's hearty, salty with a little sweet, and amazing with some thick cut, farmhouse style shredded cheddar on top.

1lb. organic grass-fed beef

1/2 cup dehydrated chopped onion

2tsp. onion powder

1pkg. McCormick Chili Seasoning (I use gluten-free but original works great too.)

1pkg. Ranch Dressing Seasoning

2 cans organic black beans, drained

2 cans organic red kidney beans, drained

1 can mild Rotel

1/2 jar Jacks Medium Cantina Style Salsa (The Costco jar.  It's fresh and in the fridge section.)

1/3-1/2 cup Swerve granulated sweetener

2-3 cans of water (Just use a bean can.)

Salt

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Your favorite chili toppings.

Turn your Instant Pot on the Sauté setting.  Add a generous amount of olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pot.  Add your ground beef and cook until browned, leaving it in dime sized chunks.  

Season the beef with salt (I use about a teaspoon of Pink Himalayan), onion powder, and dehydrated chopped onion.  Cook until the chopped onion becomes soft and the beef is cooked through.

Add chili and ranch seasonings and mix well.  

Add the Rotel and Salsa and mix well.

Add 2-3 cans of water; however much you like to make your chili the consistency you prefer.

Add all of the beans and stir well.

Add 1/3 cup of Swerve.  You can add more once it's finished cooking if you want it sweeter.

Give it a good stir to make sure everything is incorporated evenly.  

Place the lid on your Instant Pot, set the valve to Sealing, and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes.  

Once it's finished, allow the pressure to naturally release completely.  (There's room to fudge that if you don't have time for a full natural release...just let it release naturally as long as you can.  Always make sure you move the valve to Venting to release all remaining pressure before attempting to remove the lid.)

Taste and add salt if needed.  Also, add more Swerve at this time until it's to your liking.

My family all tops their bowl a bit different.

One of my kids likes tortilla chips, sour cream, and shredded cheddar.

Another one likes Tabasco, plain greek yogurt, and shredded cheddar.

My husband likes Tabasco, sour cream, and shredded cheddar.

I like mine with thick, farmhouse style shredded, cheddar. 

Enjoy!

Instant Pot Shrimp & Grits

I am a HUGE sucker for shrimp and grits.  It's sooo indulgent and filling and just a great comfort food.  This recipe calls for andouille sausage and I couldn't find it the day I grocery shopped so I just grabbed some link sausage that looked good.  So don't sweat it if you can't find just the right sausage. Grab whatever looks good.  It's all about the shrimp anyway.  ;)

6oz. andouille sausage, diced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup grits (not instant)

1 1/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup canned petite diced tomatoes

1 Tablespoon Creole seasoning

1 stick butter, divided

1 Tablespoon dried parsley

2lbs. raw jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Turn the Instant Pot to the sauté setting and let it get hot.  Add the oil and diced sausage to the pot.  Cook for about 5 minutes until the fat is rendered and the edges are crisp.  

Meanwhile, put the grits into an oven-safe glass bowl.  Add the milk and 1 1/4 cup chicken broth to the grits and whisk together.  Set aside.

When the sausage is done, add the onions to the pot and cook about 3 minutes or until softened and tender.  Add the minced garlic and continue cooking one more minute.  

Next, deglaze the pot with 1 cup of chicken broth and cook for about 5 minutes making sure to scrape up all of the browned bits from the bottom.  Add the tomatoes and Creole seasoning and mix well.

Place your trivet in the pot on top of the sausage mixture and carefully place the bowl of grits on top of the trivet.  Lock the lid, set it to the sealing position and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.  Then allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes.  Quick release any remaining pressure.  

Carefully remove the glass bowl from the Instant Pot.  Add half a stick of butter to the hot grits and whisk well making sure to break up any clumps.  Cover and set aside until ready to serve.  

Turn the Instant Pot back onto the sauté setting and add the parsley and remaining half stick of butter.  Bring to a boil and add the shrimp.  Cook for about 5 minutes only until the shrimp have turned pink all the way through.  Keep them moving every 30 seconds or so to make sure they cook evenly.  

Just before the shrimp are fully cooked, add in the heavy cream and mix well.  Continue boiling until the shrimp are fully cooked, about another 2 minutes.  

Spoon the grits into a serving bowl and top with the shrimp sauce.  Enjoy!!!

Deviled Eggs

These are, hands down, the BEST deviled eggs EVER.  My aunt makes them for every holiday and they are to DIE for!

1 dozen hard boiled eggs, peeled

Woeber's Jalepeno Mustard

mayo

salt

pepper

paprika

Split each hard boiled eggs in half, length wise.

Remove the yolks and place in a medium mixing bowl.

Place the whites on a serving platter and set aside.

Take a fork or a whisk and crumble the yolks until they're all in tiny pieces.

Add enough mayo to make it creamy and at least 3 Tablespoons of the jalapeño mustard. (Side note: the jalapeño mustard doesn't make it spicy at all.  So if you're not into spice, no worries, these are NOT spicy AT ALL.  But there's something about that mustard that just sets this recipe apart from the rest.)

Keep stirring and combining the yolks, mayo, and mustard until it's the consistency you like and the yolks are smooth and creamy.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put the yolk mixture into a sandwich baggie and snip the corner off.

Pipe the yolk mixture into the center of the whites.

If you're Team Paprika then sprinkle it on top of all of the eggs.  If you're Team NO Paprika, skip it!

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

I know...how hard can it be to make hard boiled eggs?  Does it really deserve a blog post?  Yes!  If you use your Instant Pot to hard boil your eggs, you absolutely need to know this method.  So many people do the 5-5-5 method or the 6-6-6 method or a 4-5-4 method....blah blah blah.  I'm a busy mama and don't have time to carefully time eggs.  I'll mess it up because there's always something to distract me.  So here's the easiest way AND it doesn't require you to babysit it.

Eggs, room temp (I do a dozen or two at a time)

1 cup water

Place the trivet in the bottom of your instant pot.  Add the water to the pot.  Place the eggs on top of the trivet.  

Secure the lid, set the valve to sealing, and process on high pressure for 2 minutes.  THAT'S IT!!  2 minutes!!

Allow the pressure to completely release naturally.  (Read: forget about it while you do other stuff)

Once the pressure has released, take your eggs out and store in the fridge.

Chicken Tacos

These guys are our Tuesday night go-to.  Chicken Tacos!  Super super easy and SO good!

2-3lbs. of boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 (16-24oz) jar of your favorite salsa

juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup water

shredded lettuce

diced tomatoes

avocado

sour cream

shredded cheese

hot sauce (we LOVE Cholula Chili & Lime)

cilantro

tortillas (if you're eating a low carb diet, skip these and just serve over a bed of lettuce)

Add the 1/2 cup of water to your instant pot.

Add the chicken (frozen or thawed...either is fine).

Sprinkle the chicken with the packet of taco seasoning.

Dump the entire jar of salsa on top of the chicken.

Secure your Instant Pot lid, set the valve to sealing, and process on high pressure for 15 minutes...20 minutes if your chicken is frozen.

Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes then quick release the remainder.  Shred the chicken and add it back to the pot.

Serve on warm tortillas or over a bed of lettuce with your favorite taco toppings!

Instant Pot Roast

Every year at Thanksgiving time, our church hosts a Thanksgiving and Praise dinner.  It's always the Sunday before Thanksgiving and we boycott all turkey dishes so we're not tired of it on actual Thanksgiving day.  Instead, we make massive amounts of Pot Roast.  Huge, tender, fall apart roasts.  And they are delish.  That is where I got this recipe and it's eeeeeverything.  I choose to make mine in the Instant Pot because it literally melts in your mouth but if you don't have one you can easily make it in the oven or crock pot using the same recipe.  You would just need to adjust cooking times accordingly.  But seriously, just go getcha an Instant Pot.  You won't be sad.

1 (3-5lb) roast

1 packet of dry ranch dressing mix

1 packet of dry brown gravy mix

1 packet of dry Italian dressing mix

1 cup of beef broth (or water)

Olive oil

First, take our roast out of the fridge and let it get the chill off.  You want the meat to be a little chillier than room temp but not strait out of the fridge cold.

Set your Instant Pot to Sauté and let it get screaming hot.

While it's heating up, mix together all three packets of mixes until well combined.  

Rub the meat down with the spice mixture until it's well coated.  Really press it in there.  Try to use as much of it as you can.

When your Instant Pot is hot, drizzle a generous amount of olive oil in the bottom of the pot, making sure the bottom is completely coated (it will smoke...this is Ok).

Place the meat in the hot pot and sear the entire surface of the roast.  Top, bottom, sides...the whole thing.  Sear each side 3-5 minutes so you get a nice crust.

Once the meat has been seared, remove it from the pot and let it rest on a plate.  

Now take your cup of beef broth and carefully pour it into the hot pot and deglaze the pot, making sure you scrape all of the brown bits off of the bottom.  This will give you some incredible flavor but it will also let the Instant Pot come to pressure.  If you leave the brown bits on the bottom, your pot will never pressurize. 

Add the roast back into pot and if you have any leftover seasoning mix from when you coated the roast, dump it in there on top of the roast.  Don't waste a bit of it...it's so good!  Secure the lid, and place the valve to the Sealing position.  

Process on Manual, High pressure for 40 minutes.  Once the 40 minutes is complete, allow it to Natural Pressure Release for at least 20 minutes but you can let it go until it's completely released if needed.  (Avoid Quick Releasing at all costs.)

Remove the roast from the pot and allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving.  If you would like to make a gravy from the drippings (which you should) simply mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/2 cup of water or milk and whisk it into the pot juices.  Turn the Instant Pot to the Sauté feature again and allow it to simmer until thickened.  I love serving this with a mixture of roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions.  Serve the gravy over the meat and veggies.

Copycat Zuppa Toscana

This is a copycat recipe for Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana...but I have to admit, I actually think this tastes even BETTER than the restaurant's.  It's so SO good!  

1lb. sausage (I prefer Jimmy Dean Sage)

1 onion, diced

4 carrots, chopped

4 celery ribs, chopped

3 cups potatoes, chopped

7-8 cups chicken broth

2 tsp. garlic powder

1-2 tsp. Creole Seasoning (depends on how spicy you like it)

1/4 cup dried parsley flakes

2 cups heavy whipping cream, warmed

1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese

6-10 kale leaves

salt

Set your Instant Pot to Saute.  

Once hot, brown and crumble the sausage for 3-4 minutes.  

Add the diced onion and cook another 3-4 minutes or until the onions are starting to sweat.  

Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, chicken broth, garlic powder, Creole Seasoning, and parsley flakes to the pot.  

Lock the lid on your Instant Pot, set it to the sealing position, and process on high for 8 minutes, NPR for 10 minutes, and then Quick Release the remaining pressure.  

While the soup is cooking, prepare your kale.  Lay the leaves on the cutting board (I find it's easiest to fold it in half length-wise so the rib is exposed) and remove the kale leaves from the entire rib/stem.  Chop the kale into bite size pieces.

Once the pot has been released of all pressure, remove the lid and add the warmed cream and parmesan cheese and stir. 

Add salt to taste.

Just before serving, add the kale and stir so all of the kale gets covered in liquid.  The kale will wilt quickly but will still have a nice bite to it as you eat it from the bowl.  

**Word of caution: Only add as much kale to the pot as you'll eat in one sitting.  If you add a bunch of kale and refrigerate the leftovers WITH kale, the kale will become soggy. When you go to eat the leftovers, chop more fresh kale and add it to your bowl, then put the hot soup on top and stir.**

Instant Pot Rice

Let's talk rice for a bit.  I've never made *good* rice.  I've never owned a rice cooker which was probably the biggest problem but I didn't make rice enough to justify another appliance to take up precious kitchen space, ya' know?  So my rice game has always been no bueno.  

Until now.

Instant Pot rice is THE BOMB!  Like, restaurant quality, perfect every single time, amazing!  Here's the three methods I use for the three different types of rice we like.  It's so.so.easy.  

First up, Jasmine rice.  It's our white rice of choice.  If we're in the mood for white rice, this is what goes in the pot.  It's super simple to remember how to do too.  Just remember 3-3-3.

-3 cups Jasmine Rice

-3 cups water

-I always add some salt...your call if you want to or not.

-Add your rice, water, and salt to the inner liner of the pot.  Lock the lid on and place the valve on Sealing.

-3 minutes on Manual, High pressure.

-NPR (Natural Pressure Release...meaning let the pressure come down on its own without releasing the steam through the valve).

Once the pin drops, fluff with a fork and serve.  It's perfect every single time.

Next up is Brown Rice.  We always have brown rice in the pantry.  

-2 cups brown rice

-2 1/4 cups water

-Salt if you want.

-Mix all of that together in the inner liner of your Instant Pot.

-Make sure the valve is placed on Sealing.

-Manual, High pressure for 15 minutes with a 10 minute Natural Release.

-Release the remaining pressure.

-Fluff with a fork and ta-da!  Amazing brown rice.  Perfectly done.

And last but not least, Basmati rice.  I don't make Basmati too often just because I always have so much Jasmine and Brown rice on hand, but when I do, this is how it goes.

-2 cups Basmati rice

-2 cups water

-Salt if you want.

-Mix all of that together in the inner liner of your Instant Pot.

-Make sure the valve is placed on Sealing.

-Manual, High pressure for 6 minutes with a 10 minute Natural Release.

-Release the remaining pressure.

-Fluff with a  fork and you're done!  Again...amazing rice!

You can always cut the recipes in half if you won't eat all of this rice at once.  I always do it this way though so I have some for the freezer and we can just pull it out for quick weeknight meals.  

Tomato Bisque

Ahhhh, tomato bisque.  Grown up tomato soup.  Perfect for a chilly evening.

2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes  (If you like it a little chunkier, use 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes and 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes.  But we prefer it smoother so I use all crushed.)

1 Tbsp. crushed or minced garlic

2 cups chicken broth

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/3 cup butter, cut into cubes

1 cup heavy whipping cream

15-20 fresh basil leaves cut julienne, OR 1 Tbsp. dried basil, or OR 1-2 drops of Young Living Basil Vitality

Your favorite croutons, grilled cheese, pesto, and/or shredded parmesan cheese.

Pour the tomatoes, broth, and garlic into your Instant Pot liner.  If you are using dried basil or basil vitality, add it now.

Place the lid on your Instant Pot and set the valve to sealing.

Press the "Soup" button and adjust the time to 20 minutes.

Once it's done, do a Quick Release.

Stir in the sugar.

Then the butter cubes.

Then slowly whisk in the heavy whipping cream.  

If you're using fresh basil, you can add it now.

Serve hot with any or all of the toppings listed.  It's also great with a nice caesar salad!

Easy Instant Pot Yogurt

Y'all know I love me some Instant Pot.  My husband goofed one night and called it a Miracle Pot...which is probably what it really should be called.  We love the thing.  When I bought mine, I noticed that it had a "Yogurt" button and quickly dismissed it.  I thought to myself "well that button's never gonna get pushed".  I even explored it a bit and read through some blogs and tutorials and the sheer number of steps and seemingly endless instructions just further confirmed that I would not be using the Yogurt feature on this thing.  Then.  I stumbled across a video that changed my mind.  You can watch it HERE for step-by-step, super easy instructions and I highly recommend you do.  Then you can just reference this post for quick glances and reminders without watching the whole video again and again.

What you need:

Instant Pot

Milk (I looooove Whole Milk for this.)

Yogurt Starter (This isn't scary.  Simply buy a small container of plain Greek yogurt.  That's it.)

1 tablespoon measuring spoon

Clean Mug

Whisk

Ladle

Instant Read Thermometer

Mesh Strainer and Coffee Filters or Nut Milk Bag

Medium Mixing Bowl

Containers for storing your amazing yogurt.

-Before you get started, take 1 tablespoon of your yogurt starter (remember, that's just plain Greek yogurt that you buy in the yogurt section of your grocery store.  I used Fage 2% Plain Greek Yogurt) and add it to your clean mug.  You want it to come to room temp.

-In your clean Instant Pot, add 8 cups of milk to the liner.

-Put the lid on your pot and set the valve to Sealing.

-Press the Yogurt button until it says boil and the "more" light is on.

-Allow the pot to do it's thang.  It will "boil" for about 25-30 minutes.

-Once the boil cycle is over, take your whisk and run it over the top of the milk to remove any skin that has formed.  

-Use your instant read thermometer to make sure the temp has climbed to 180 degrees.  If it hasn't, simply put the lid back on and set it for another boil cycle.

-Once your milk is 180 degrees, stick your liner in the kitchen sink that has been filled with ice water.  

-WITHOUT EVER TOUCHING THE BOTTOM OF THE POT WITH YOUR WHISK...Stir your milk with a whisk while it sits in the ice bath and every couple of minutes check the temperature with your thermometer until it gets down to 110 degrees.

(It's important not to scrape up the milk solids that have scorched to the bottom of the pot.  This will make your yogurt gritty and you'll have milk solids in your yogurt.  Ew.)

-Once it's 110 degrees, remove the liner from the ice bath, dry it off, and stick it back in the instant pot.  

-Take your ladle and scoop some of the warmed milk into the mug with your Yogurt Starter.  You want to temper the starter (bring it up to the temp of the milk) before adding it into the pot.  Use a fork or a small whisk to stir the yogurt starter and milk together in the mug; making sure there are no lumps.

-Pour the mug of starter into the instant pot and whisk it into the batch of milk.

-Put your lid back on the Instant Pot and set the valve to Sealing.

-Press the Yogurt button again and it will say Yogrt. 

-(If the display keeps saying "boil", press the Cancel/Keep Warm button, Yogurt again and then the Adjust button until the timer display reads.)

-I like to set mine for 10 hours.  If you would like to adjust the time from 8:00 to 10:00, just push the + button until it reads 10:00.

-The Instant Pot will now begin to count up and incubate your yogurt.

*I like to start this process around 9:30pm.  That gives me time to get it up to temp, then cool it down, and set it start incubating right before I go to bed.  Then it incubates all night while we sleep and in the morning, you've got your finished yogurt and the only thing left to do is strain it.

*For Greek Style Yogurt:

-When the timer is up, remove the lid and transfer your yogurt to a mesh strainer that's been lined with coffee filters and placed over a bowl.  

-Stick it in the fridge and let it strain for 2-4 hours.

-After it's strained, (that liquid is called Whey) I like to transfer my yogurt to a mixing bowl and add 8 packets of Pyure (it's Stevia), about 1tsp. of real, good quality Vanilla, and my secret ingredient....a little bit of powdered sugar.  Yum!!!  I also add anywhere between 1/4-1/2 cup of the whey back into the yogurt to make it the consistency we like.  Whisk all of that together and then when it's the flavor and consistency you like, store it in a container in the fridge.  I like to store it in 8oz jelly jars for me and my husband to grab right out of the fridge.  For my daughters, I put some in reusable food pouches.  These are my favorites!

*For a thinner yogurt, just don't strain it as long...maybe an hour or two.

*For a drinkable yogurt, don't strain it at all.

*To use this as a substitute for Sour Cream or Mayonnaise, don't add any of the sweeteners or flavorings.

*You can add any toppings you want when you're finished and ready to eat it!  

-Fresh Fruit

-Crystal Light

-Strawberry or Chocolate Quick

-Honey

-Granola

-Nuts and Seeds

-Fruit Preserves

-Whatever you want!

*The Whey can be used for a ton of stuff too!  Substitute it in your homemade bread recipes for the water (just bring it up to about 110 degrees first), make Pancakes and Waffles with it, water your plants with it (especially tomatoes because they LOVE that extra calcium)...google different ways, it's kinda fun!

Cream Cheese White Chicken Chili

White Chili y'all.  That's where it's at!  If you've followed this blog for any length of time at all, you know I'm a HUGE fan of it AND that I already have a white chili recipe on here.  You can never have too many.  In my opinion.  Anyway, this one has a much different flavor than my other one yet they are equally amazing.  Variety is the spice of life.  

6 cups chicken broth

1 can Rotel

1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 packet of dry ranch dressing mix

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. salt

1 can black beans or great northern beans

1 can corn

1 8oz. block of cream cheese

Optional Toppings: Tortilla Chips, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Sliced Avocado, Sour Cream, Cilantro

In your Instant Pot, add all ingredients except for the beans, corn, and cream cheese.

Set your pots valve to the sealing position and process on manual, high, for 20 minutes.

Let it Natural Release for 15 minutes and then Quick Release until the pressure is gone.

Open the pot, remove the chicken and shred.  Add it back to the pot.

Set the pot to the Sauté feature.

Add the can of beans and corn.

Add the cream cheese and allow it to melt.  Use a whisk to break it up and incorporate it completely.

Once the cream cheese has melted and the beans and corn are heated through, add to bowls and serve with your toppings of choice.

For the crock pot:

Add all ingredients except for cream cheese to your crock pot.  Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or on High for 4 hours.  

When it's done, add the cream cheese and cook on high an additional 30 minutes.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce.  It's amazing!  It's a lot of work, but if you've got tomatoes from your garden this summer that you need to use up, this is a great way to get through them.  Freeze it, can it...whatever.  This isn't so much a recipe as much as it's a list of ingredients.  I have no idea how much of what I used.  I taste as I go.

6lbs. tomatoes (I just used whatever a neighbor gave us.  I have no idea what kind they were...but they worked.)

Italian Seasoning

Red Wine Vinegar

salt

pepper

sugar

Young Living Basil and Oregano Essential Oil (optional)

garlic powder

onion powder

celery

onion

olive oil

Turn on your Instant Pot to the Sauté feature.  When it's hot, add the olive oil.  Slice an onion or two into rings, and chop a few stalks of celery.  Toss it all into the olive oil and sauté until soft.  While they're sautéing, start chopping all of your tomatoes.  No need to remove the skin.  I just cut them in half, cut the part out where the stem attached to the fruit, and gave them a rough chop.  Throw them in on top of the celery and onion.  As the tomatoes release their juices, use a whisk or a potato masher to mash the tomatoes down.  Fill the pot with tomatoes until it reaches the max line.  Smash them down one more time so that it's just below the max line.  If you can add more, go for it.  Just make sure that as you mash them down, your final amount is just below the max line.  Add a tsp. of salt and pepper, put the lid on your instant pot, set it to sealing, and process on the manual function, high pressure for 7 minutes.  

When it's done, carefully release the pressure and remove the lid.  Turn the Instant Pot back on the Sauté feature and cook the mixture down until it has reduced by half and stir it frequently.  This will take a couple of hours.  Once it has reduced by half, blend with an immersion blender until it's completely smooth.  Start adding the other ingredients and taste as you go.  I added one drop of each essential oil, plenty of garlic powder and onion powder.  And sugar until it was as sweet as we liked it.  

Chicken Pot "Pie"

I absolutely love my Instant Pot.  Like, a lot.  I feel like I'm cheating the dinner game every night.  Y'all, this cooks for 4 minutes.  It's SUPER easy.  Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I modified this recipe from This Old Gal.  I love her blog and Facebook page.  She's got tons of great recipes.  This recipe, however, I found to be a little "much".  There's about 3 different sets of instructions depending on what method of her recipe you decide to piece together...so this is the simplified version.  In her original recipe she lists sub recipes for her version of homemade biscuits, homemade seasoning salt and homemade cream of chicken soup.  If you're interested in making homemade versions of those ingredients, knock yourself out!  I admire you.  But for the sake of my sanity and those of you who like things easy peasy, I'm posting my modified, simplified version.  And oh my WORD is it delicious!!!!

2lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup flour

seasoning salt to taste (I use Lawry's)

Italian seasoning to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

3 medium potatoes, washed, peeled (I don't peel them), and cut into 1 inch chunks

16oz bag frozen mixed veggies

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough, cut each biscuit into 4 pieces

Turn your IP onto the Saute feature and allow it to come to full temp.  

While it's heating up, add seasoning salt to taste to the flour.  Dredge the chicken chunks in the flour and shake off excess.  

Once the IP has come to full temp (it will say HOT),  add the olive oil and add the flour dredged chicken.  Allow the chicken to cook just until the outsides have some slight color...2-3 minutes.

Turn off your IP and add the chicken broth to deglaze the pot.

Next, add the potatoes in a single layer on top of the chicken.

Top the potatoes with the bag of frozen mixed veggies.

Season the veggies with seasoning salt and a little bit of black pepper.

Spread the can of cream of chicken soup over the top of the veggies.

Add the biscuit pieces on top of the soup.  If you have a 6qt. IP, you'll have to smoosh them in to make them fit.  If you have an 8qt IP, they'll fit perfectly in a single layer.

Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with a little more seasoning salt and some Italian seasoning.

Lock the IP lid into place and make sure it's set to Sealing.

Process on Manual, High for 4 minutes.  

Allow it to natural pressure release for 10 minutes.

Quick release after the 10 minutes are up, remove the lid and ladle generous portions into bowls.  

Enjoy!