Simple Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin

I wanted to try a pork tenderloin in the Instant Pot & found this recipe. It was also really good of course. The recipe called for carrots but I added an extra onion instead. I used a new button-the meat/stew setting. I'd make this again.

Pork Tenderloin (Pinterest):

2-3lb pork tenderloin
Med white onion, thinly sliced
3 large carrots, chopped into large chunks
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 c chicken stock, water or white wine
1 tsp finely chopped parsley, optional
Oil

Turn instant pot to saute; drizzle about a tbsp of oil in bottom. While oil is heating, slice onions & carrots. Set aside. Massage salt, pepper, garlic powder & paprika into pork & place in instant pot. Sear for 2-3 min on each side until nicely browned. Pour in stock around pork and using a wooden spoon scrape up any browned bits.

Sprinkle rosemary & thyme onto pork & top with carrots & onions. Turn to "Meat/Stew" setting & "High Pressure" on the instant pot & secure the lid. Set the timer to 40 in. Once cooked, use the quick release function to let the steam out. Take out pork, slice & arrange on a platter. Using a slotted spoon, place carrots on platter. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.




Ready to be cooked...

Fresh from the pot...

Enjoy!...

Instant Pot Pork Chops

I have never been able to cook pork chops without them turning out dry. I've tried them every which way-marinating them, cooking them in the oven, broiling them, cooking them on the stove, cutting them into small pieces & cooking them...nothing! I gave up cooking them a while ago. After cooking so many perfect things in the Instant Pot, I thought to myself...hmmmm, I wonder....so I gave it one more try and OMG, they turned out PERFECT!!!!! Still slightly pink in the middle and everything! I showed a picture to my parents & my dad even said they looked perfect! Score!!! They were so good!!!

Pork Chops (Pinterest) (2 servings):

2 pork chops, bone-in, 3/4"-1" thick
2 tbsp veggie oil
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 c chicken broth
1 tbsp liquid smoke

Mix together brown sugar, salt & pepper & rub evenly to both sides of pork chops. Set instant pot to saute & add veggie oil. When oil is hot, brown both sides of pork chops for about 2-3 min. After browning, remove from pot & set aside and press cancel.

Add chicken stock & liquid smoke to pot & scrape the bottom with wooden spoon. Place trivet in pot & add pork chops onto trivet. Secure lid & set to pressure cook for 10 min. Natural release for at least 10 min before removing from pot & serve. Enjoy!




Ready to be cooked...

Enjoy!...

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!...

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chicken Curry

I've never made curry before & this recipe threw me for a loop but it sounded so good so I wanted to try it. And I'm so glad I did. It had so much flavor!! I didn't eat it over any rice, which I should have done to soak up up the broth. I ended up freezing half of the batch so when I take it out of the freezer, I'll be sure to have some rice on hand. I'll definitely make this again and look for some more curries to try!

Sweet Potato Chicken Curry (Pinterest) (4-5 servings):

2 tsp ghee or coconut oil
1/2 med yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced (I used asafoetida powder)
1lb chicken breast, cubed
1 sweet potato, cubed
1 red bell pepper, sliced or diced
2 c green beans, trimmed
2/3 c chicken broth
3 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1 (14 oz) can full fat coconut milk
Cashews, cilantro & cauliflower rice, for serving
Optional: tapioca starch (I used cornstarch), for a thicker curry

Set instant pot to saute. Add ghee, onion & garlic & saute until onions are translucent. Then turn off & set to pressure cook. Add chicken, sweet potatoes, red pepper, green beans, broth, curry, cumin, turmeric, cayenne & salt. Seal pot & set time for 12 min.

Once time is up, release pressure by switching from seal to vent. Once pressure is released, remove lid and turn pot to saute. Stir in coconut milk & let cook for an additional 2-3 min or until soup is hot. For a thicker curry, whisk together 1 tbsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp water. Stir into curry.

Serve over cauliflower rice, if desired. Top with cashews & fresh cilantro.










Ready to cook...

Ready to serve...

Enjoy!...

Instant Pot Pork Chili Verde

Since I have a pretty severe allergy to tomatoes (my throat gets really itchy & feels like it's closing up), it's hard to find a really good chili & man I miss chili! I found this recipe & of course I had to try it. I learned awhile ago that tomatillos is not a tomato, but a berry and it doesn't bother me. Yay! This chili was really good. The tomatillos melted down & gave it such a good flavor. The only thing I didn't notice, until I tried it, was that it didn't call for any seasoning. I added my own at the end-my go-to's-onion powder & celery salt.

Pork Chili Verde (Pinterest):

1 tbsp oil
1 lb tomatatillos, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used Asafoetida powder)
3/4 c diced onion
2/5 c diced sweet potato
2 serrano peppers, minced, optional (I used jalapeno peppers with the seeds removed)
2 lb pork stew meat (pre-cubed)
1/2 c broth
2-3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Turn instant pot to saute. Add all ingredients except the broth & cilantro & saute 5 min, then turn off. Add broth & cilantro. Set instant pot to pressure cook for 20 min. Use the quick release method, stir well to help the sweet potatoes & tomatillos break down even further. Serve warm. Enjoy!




Ready to be cooked...

Enjoy!...

Instant Pot Pot Roast & Potatoes

I've always loved a good pot roast. When I was at the store & picked up several roasts & figured I'd find good recipes to use them in. I was surprised how quickly the roast took to quick & how flavorful it still was. I wasn't a big fan of the potatoes-they were too mushy. When I make this again, I think I'll use russet potatoes. I ended up freezing half of the recipe but towards the end of eating this, I was eating it with wild rice I had taken from the freezer. The juice from the roast was way too good & it made a lot. So so good!

Pot Roast & Potatoes (Pinterest) (4 servings):

1 (3-5 lb) beef chuck roast
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder (I used Asafoetida Powder-see post a couple below)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika, optional
1 lb baby red potatoes
4 large carrots, chopped into large chunks
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 c beef broth
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I omitted this since there's garlic powder in it)
1/4 c water
2 tbsp corn starch

Turn on your instant pot & set to saute. In small bowl, stir together salt, pepper garlic powder, onion powder & smoked paprika. Rub mixture all over roast to coat all sides. Drizzle oil in instant pot, wait about 30 seconds, then using tongs to place roast in pot. Do not move it for 3-4 min until well seared and browned. Use tongs to turn roast onto another side for 3-4 min, repeating until all sides are browned.

Switch instant pot to pressure cook on high and set to 60-80 min (60 for a 3lb roast 80 for a 5lb roast). Add potatoes, onions and carrots to pot (arrange them around the roast) and pour beef broth and Worcestershire sauce over everything. Place lid on pot & turn to locked position. Make sure vent is set to sealed position.

When cooking time is up, do a natural release for 10 min (don't touch anything on the pot, just let it depressurize on it's own for 10 min). After 10 min, turn vent to the venting release position & allow all of the steam to vent & the float valve to drop down before removing the lid.

Transfer the roast, potatoes, onions & carrots to a platter & shred the roast with 2 forks into chunks. Use a handheld strainer to scoop out bits from the broth in the pot. Set instant pot to "soup" setting. Whisk together the water & cornstarch. Once broth is broiling, stir in cornstarch mixture until gravy thickens. Add salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste.

Serve gravy poured over roast & veggies & garnish with fresh thyme or parsley, if desired.




Ready to be cooked...

Roast is done...

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!...