Instant Pot Wild Rice

I love wild rice & it's so much more healthier than white or brown rice. And I'm from MN, where it's grown. But wild rice is also hard to cook-it normally takes a longer time to cook. I've cooked it in my rice cooker before & when I did that, I burned the bottom of it. But I did make a big batch of it and froze it in individual servings. When I went home a couple weeks ago, I bought a 5lb bag of wild rice-that will last a me until hopefully Christmas, when I can ask for some more.

When I made the wild rice in the instant pot, it came out perfect-nothing stuck to the bottom & the rice was still crispy. So good! I only made one batch this time, since I wasn't sure how much it would make but I think next time, I'll made a double batch. I like freezing it in individual servings. It's so easy to take out as an easy side.

Wild Rice (Pinterest) (8 servings):

2 c hand-parched wild rice
5 c water, bone broth or a combo (I used chicken broth)
2 tsp salt

Add the wild rice, water and/or bone broth and salt to instant pot. Place lid on instant pot & turn until it locks into place. Make to seal the vent. Press the manual button & adjust the cooking time to 35 min and the pressure to high. Manually release pressure. Open lid immediately & fluff with a fork. Enjoy!




Enjoy!...

Pressure Cooker Easy Mushroom Risotto

My friend made me some risotto once in her pressure cooker & I was in love! And I've had it since and it was soooo good! I've heard it's hard to cook on the stove so once I got my Instant Pot, of course I wanted to try it myself. I used to hate mushrooms & now I have a love/hat relationship with them. If I don't fully taste them, I'm okay with them. I was at a vegan Mexican place with a friend of mine & she had mushroom tostadas & I tried one of the mushrooms on it & it was actually pretty good. I can get mushrooms on my pizza & be fine with them too...as long as they aren't too big. I could never eat a mushroom burger though-too much!! Which is why I thought I'd try this risotto and it was actually really good. I didn't add all the mushrooms it called for-I went a little easy on them for my first time and I cut them really small. And I had to call my mom to figure out how to cut them up haha! But the risotto turned out fantastic & I would definitely make it again!

Mushroom Risotto (Pinterest) (4-5 servings):

1 onion, diced
24 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 c red or white wine
2 c arborio rice
4 c chicken or veggie broth
1 c grated parm cheese (I used my vegan parm)
1 tbsp butter (I used vegan & soy free butter)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp olive oil

Press the saute button on your Instant pot. Add oil. When you hear the beep that the oil is hot, add the onions & saute until translucent. Add the thyme & mushrooms & stir until mushrooms have softened. Add the rice & mix thoroughly until rice has toasted. Pour in wine & the broth. Add salt & pepper.

Close lid & press cancel. Press the pressure cook button & cook for 7 minutes. When 7 minutes have passed, release the pressure. Open the lid & add the cheese & butter. Mix well & check for seasoning. Rice should be creamy & thick, if not, cook in saute mode for 2-3 min. Enjoy!




Enjoy!...

Gluten Free Drop Biscuits

I can't find the website where I found the recipe-when I find my notebook of sites to check out/starred, I'll update this entry. These rolls are dairy free, egg free, soy free, nut free & seed free. So basically allergy free. These stuck out to me because if they were good, then I could make them again & freeze them. And they were pretty good. I had to go on a hunt for the different flours and they didn't brown up, but then the recipe said they wouldn't.

Gluten Free Drop Biscuits (9-10 biscuits):

1/2 c millet flour
1/2 c sorghum flour
1/2 c potato starch
1/4 c cornstarch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 c oil
1 egg (or 1 egg replacement)
3/4 c unsweetened milk replacement

Heat oven to 400. Prepare a light colored cookie sheet by either greasing it or covering with with parchment paper. Combine dry ingredients (through salt) in bowl. In larger bowl, combine oil, egg replacer mixture & milk. Add dry ingredients and beat with mixer for 25-30 seconds, scraping down sides & beat for another 10 seconds or so, just until everything is combined. Don't overmix or biscuits won't be fluffy.

Spray a large cookie or ice cream scoop or large spoon with cookie spray. Scoop & drop the dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake at 400 for about 12-14 min.

Note: When baking without dairy or eggs, it is sometimes hard to determine when the product is done because it doesn't brown the same. These biscuits will brown a little. They are usually done when the bottom of the biscuit is lightly browned, but no more than 14 min, unless the biscuits are big.




Enjoy!...

Egg Free Gluten Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread

I was so excited to see this on Pinterest & to know I could still eat zucchini bread, chocolate chip zucchini bread even! I just had to make a few adjustments in my pantry, which was totally doable! And this recipe called for a banana, which is gross so I substituted applesauce. I think I used too much applesauce, since the bread came out a little too crumbly, like it literally could not hold up, but it still tasted sooo good!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread (Pinterest):

2 /14 c gluten free flour
1 c grated zucchini
1/2 c dairy free chocolate chips
1/4 c dairy free milk
2/3 c sugar
1 1/2 c ripe bananas (or applesauce)
1/2 c oil
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp guar gum

Preheat oven to 350 for 20 min. In large bowl, smash bananas with a fork until small lumps remain & turn into a liquid consistency. Wash & grate zucchini. Place grated zucchini in several layers of paper towels and wring out excess water. Combine zucchini and all remaining ingredients. Mix until well incorporated.

Bake in a 9x5 bread pan with a foil tent for 45 min. Remove foil tent and bake for another 25-30 min. Check center for a toothpick, it should come out clean. Remove bread from oven. Allow to cool in pan for 5 min, then carefully transfer to wire rack to cool. Allow to cool before slicing. Enjoy!




Ready to be baked...

Cooled & ready to be sliced...

Crumbly bread...Enjoy!...

Vegan Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Sauce

The theme for this potluck at work was dips & spreads & at the time, I was completely clueless as to what to make or bring. My coworker had tried this recipe & used it as a sauce & said it was really good. Only I found out after, she made hers a little different. The flavor was good, it just looks a little funky. I'm not sure if I'll make this version again but I'm up for trying other vegan versions again.

Vegan Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Sauce (Pinterest) (8 servings):

2 c peeled & chopped Yukon gold potatoes
1 c peeled & chopped carrots
1/2 c raw cashews
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1/2 c nutritional yeast
1 chipotle pepper in adobo
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Pepper, to taste

Bring med pot of water to boil, place potatoes, carrots & cashews in once boiling. Simmer for about 20 min, or until fork-tender. Drain and transfer to a high-speed blender. Add remaining ingredients into blender and blend until completely smooth. Serve with favorite crackers and veggies as a dip or use as a cheese sauce.




Enjoy!...

Simple Spinach Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Work was having a potluck & I knew I probably wouldn't be able to eat anything so I wanted to bring something I could at least eat. The vegan cheese I eat had just released a feta cheese but it was so rich so I decided to throw it in a spinach salad with green apples & cranberries. And then make up a dressing my coworkers could drizzle on top of it. It was really good! And healthy and something I could eat! I just chopped up some green apples & tossed some spinach in a bowl with some cranberries. Super easy. I found the dressing on Pinterest.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette (Pinterest):

1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tbsp maple syurp
5 tbsp olive oil

Place in mason jar & shake to combine. Enjoy!




Close up of the salad...

Enjoy!...

Simple Vegan Pesto

Finding a topping to put on pastas has been hard with these new diet restrictions, especially since I can't eat tomatoes. My go to before was tomatillo sauce but every store-bought one has garlic in it. I've made it before but making pesto is just easier. I found this one on Pinterest. This one calls for garlic, but I found a substitute weirdly enough at the place I buy tea, called Asafoetida Powder. The guy said a lot of vegetarians use it in place of garlic or those who are allergic to garlic. So that's what I've been using. It smells pretty funky but it works. I use it like I would use garlic powder.

I keep saying I'm going to make a big batch of this pesto & then freeze it but I have yet to do that. I just keep making it over & over again.

Simple Vegan Pesto (Pinterest) (6 servings):

3 c basil, moderately packed
Juice of one small-med lemon
1/3 c pine nuts
2 large garlic cloves, peeled & roughly chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 c EVOO

In food processor, combine all ingredients except oil. Pulse until evenly chopped. Slowly add in the oil through the top of the processor. Pulse until evenly combined but not completely smooth. Enjoy!




Asafoetida Powder...

Enjoy!...