Instant Pot Recipes

This week, the 8 quart Instant Pot was on sale through the Amazon Prime Day ($40 off!!).  With so many friends (including myself!) taking advantage of this awesome deal, I thought I'd share our Cuppa Catholic Instant Pot recipes (to date) all in one handy dandy post.  Just click on the name of the recipe, and it'll take you to the post that one of our awesome Cuppa Catholic moms shared.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!!  


Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes and Bacon

Tuscan Chicken Stew

BBQ chicken sandwiches

Baked Potato Soup

Family Favorite Rice Pudding

Tuscan Chicken

Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Carrots

Chicken Fun Bowl 

Potato and Summer Squash Soup

Mexican Beef

Spaghetti


These next four recipes weren't written as Instant Pot recipes, but follow the ingredient list and choose the "slow cooker" setting and these will work great too... (I'm a little bit of a fwaidy cat and more liquidy things like the ones listed below, I would not choose the pressure setting - only the slow cooker setting)

Easy Black Bean Chili

“Not My Family's” Spiced Cider

Easy Taco Soup

Minestrone

And, just in case you are like me and you haven't taken the plunge to try desserts in your Instant Pot, here is THE best cookie recipe.  Kim was totally right - it's "a personal thing"!  And she has hit the jackpot with the best recipe I have found.  So, crank up your oven, mix these up and bake away.  Enjoy the deliciousness!!

Please do share and comment what YOUR favorite Instant Pot recipe is!!

Friday Feasting: Quick and Easy Chicken Packets

Quick and Easy Chicken Packets

"A quick way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken. And makes a great chicken salad sandwich, too" 

Ingredient

3 C cooked chicken, chopped
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened (or chevre if you have it)
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp fresh chives
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 tubes of crescent rolls (or homemade biscuit dough)
4 TBSP butter
½ C seasoned panko bread crumbs

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, add cream cheese, milk, chives, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth. Add chicken and combine. Set aside until ready.

2.  Open tubes of crescent rolls and unwind. Pull apart four sections, leaving two triangles together to form a rectangle. Pinch seams of two triangles together. You will have four rectangles per tube of crescent rolls. Flour counter and roll out each section to about a 4x6” size. If you have littles, just use ONE triangle instead of two. This way you will have, say, 6 large packets and 4 small packets.

3.  Using a #40 dough scoop add 2 scoops (or, approximately 2 TBSP) chicken mixture to the middle of each dough piece.  Fold over edges and sealing with wet fingers. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with panko. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until brown. Serve with carrot coins and a side salad.

Friday Feasting: Indian Roasted Tofu

Indian Roasted Tofu 

Ingredients

1 lb tofu, firm
1 med sweet potato
1 med eggplant
1 red or orange (or red/yellow) bell pepper
1 large onion
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced gingerroot
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 C water, divided
½ C soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp garam masala
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Cooked rice

Directions

1.  Press tofu for 30 minutes to remove water excess. Slice into cubes and lay out on cookie sheet in single layer. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Roast in oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn and roast for additional 10 minutes or until brown.

2.  Peel sweet potato and eggplant, then cut into cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper then put on cookie sheet and spread in a single layer.  Cut bell pepper into strips, then cut in half. Cut onion into chunks. Toss all with olive oil to coat, salt and pepper. Lay out in single layer on another cookie sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Toss then return to oven for another 10 minutes.

3.  In a skillet over medium heat, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add gingerrrot, soy sauce, ½ c water, sugar, garam masala and cayenne pepper. Stir until heated, about a minute.  Mix cornstarch with ½ c water in a cup and slowly add HALF to skillet, stirring. Depending on how thick you like the sauce will determine how much cornstarch mixture to add. You may not need all of it. Cook for one minute then add in roasted veggies, toss to coat, then add roasted tofu. Toss gently so tofu doesn’t break up. Remove from heat. Serve over rice.

Friday Feasting: Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pie

**photo credit found here**

"My five boys are not fans of sweet potatoes.  I learned to cook this pie because I didn’t know what to do with sweet potatoes, when given by a friend who loves to grow them.  When I first made the pie, I did not tell the boys what it was. They thought it was pumpkin pie, as it was spiced very similarly.  Add some ice cream with some cinnamon on top, and dessert is awesome!"


Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pie


Ingredients

3-4 sweet potatoes
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
¾ cup milk
2 eggs
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Boil unpeeled sweet potatoes until soft. A fork should easily poke through the potato.  Depending on the thickness of the potatoes, 45 minutes should suffice.  Let cool.  Peel the potatoes.  Place skinless potatoes in a mixing bowl.  Add butter, brown sugar, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla extract.  Mix with beaters until smooth.  Note: Since potatoes can vary in size, the consistency may too thick.  Add 1 Tablespoon of milk until the desired consistency is achieved.  White sugar may be substituted for brown sugar to get a lighter consistency.  The brown sugar tends to thicken the texture, which my boys love.

Grease 9 inch pie pan.  Then pour mix into pan.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 50-60 minutes.  Check with toothpick.  It should come out clean.

Gluten option:  use a 9” unbaked pie crust.  When using a ready-made pie crust, it may need to cook a little longer.

Friday Feasting: Lenten Recipe Book

graphic came from http://mikeraynersermons.blogspot.com/

Lenten Recipe Book

Many years ago I created the recipe book 
(linked above) for a group of Catholic women. 

You are welcome to click and print the booklet. 

Enjoy a fresh infusion of meatless recipes to carry you through Good Friday and into the Easter season, if you wish to continue the meatless Friday sacrifice.

Friday Feasting: Orange-Vanilla Monkey Bread

**photo credit here**

"The recipe I'm sharing today would make a great addition to your Easter planning menu.  It's a perfect crowd pleaser with it's zesty sweetness.  My oldest daughter tracked the recipe down after watching the Pioneer Woman make it on television.  I assure you it's delicious.  We even adjusted the sweetness factor down a bit and found it just perfect for our many tastebuds!"

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 Minutes
Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS

-3 cans Buttermilk Biscuits, not the flaky kind; cold
-1 cup sugar
-2 whole oranges, zested
-1 dash salt
-2 sticks salted butter
-3/4 brown sugar
-1 tbsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make sure all biscuit cans are very cold. Open all the cans and cut biscuits into quarters.  Fill a large Ziploc bag with the granulated sugar, orange zest, and salt.  Seal the bake and shake it around until contents are well mixed.  Add the biscuit pieces to the bag, seal, and shake the bag.  Be sure all the biscuit pieces are well coated with orange sugar.  Pour the pieces into a bundt (my preference) or tube pan and set it aside.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and then stir in the brown sugar and vanilla until just barely combined.  Pour mixture over all the biscuit pieces, scraping the pan to get all the yummy butter and brown sugar pieces!  Let the whole thing settle for just a minute then place in the oven.

Bake for 25 minutes or until top of the biscuits are golden brown.  Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a rack to cool for at least 10 minutes. Then turn the pan over onto a cake plate.

Serve and enjoy!

Friday Feasting: Mushroom Lasagna

"A family favorite! One of our boys suffered from reflux from infancy on,  so we avoided any meals containing tomatoes, or other acidic foods. Hence, mushroom lasagna (and yes, pizza with a white sauce, too!) became a staple item menu item. Feel free to make this three layers in a smaller pan, mix up the cheese (Parmesan and Romano) and mushrooms to suit your tastes. Pretty easy recipe to change around. And as noted below, make this with additional liquid and forget the noodles and you have a fantastic cream of mushroom soup." 

Ingredients

1 lb lasagna noodles
½ onion, diced
2 lbs assorted mushrooms (portabella, shitake, button), sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp butter
½ C all-purpose flour
4 C milk, divided
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp thyme, dried
½ tsp nutmeg, ground
2 C grated Parmesan cheese OR 2 C Shredded Italian 5 Cheese (pkg)

Directions

1.  In large pot of boiling water, cook lasagna noodles, until tender but firm, 10-12 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2.  In large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is extruded, about 5 minutes. Pour off excess, leave approx. 1 Tbsp (eye ball it). Cook about 10 minutes, until reduced.

4.  Stir in butter. Sprinkle flour over top, stirring until combined. It will be lumpy. Add 2 C of milk, stirring to combine. Keep stirring until thickened, then add additional 2 C of milk, stirring to combine.

5.  Add salt, thyme, parsley and nutmeg and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes. (A bonus, add 2 C of stock and you’ve made yummy cream of mushroom soup!)

6.  Assemble lasagna by spreading a thin layer of mushroom sauce on bottom of 9x13 greased pan.

7.  Arrange a layer of noodles. Add about ½ of sauce on top, then 1 cup cheese.

8.  Repeat one time, ending with cheese.

9.  Cover with foil, bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

10.  Remove foil and bake until brown, about 7 minutes. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Enjoy!!!!!!  

Friday Feasting: Seafood Fettuccini Alfredo

 Seafood Fettuccini Alfredo

"Once in awhile lobster tails are available at our local grocery store for a great price! This week it was ½ off and the pre-packaged shrimp was also on sale. This meal is on the expensive side ($20 for the 9 of us), so save it for a special occasion, or omit seafood (which we do for the younger children, anyway) for an everyday meal. Serve with a side of roasted Brussel sprouts and garlic bread." 

Ingredients

1 lb dry fettuccini noodles
4 tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic (or 1 rounded tsp minced garlic)
¼ C flour
2 C milk
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp  parsley
2 C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 lobster tails, chopped
1 lbs raw shrimped, deveined and chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic
½ C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
½ tsp salt

Directions

1.  Put pot of water on to boil for pasta.
2.  Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan on med-high.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3.  Sprinkle flour over butter mixture and stir until slightly browned.
4.  Add 2 C milk, stirring constantly over med heat until thickened and bubbly. Add parsley. Reduce heat while the pasta cooks.

5.  Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
6.  Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot. Pour cheese mixture over and stir to coat noodles.

7.  Serve as is for an everyday meal or follow next step.
8.  In a large skillet, melt butter over med-high heat. Add garlic and brown slightly. Add chopped lobster and shrimp and cook until just done, about 4-5 minutes.

9.  Don’t overcook or shrimp will be rubbery. Shrimp will be pink/orange and lobster will be opaque. 10.  Add pasta to skillet, toss using tongs, until all ingredients are combined. Top with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano, if desired. Serve.

Friday Feasting: Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes and Bacon (Instant Pot)

Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes and Bacon
(Instant Pot Recipe)

Ingredients

8-12 Chicken thighs, bone in
½ package bacon
1 shallot
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground thyme
½ C white wine (or broth)
1 C chicken broth
¼ C Dried Tomatoes in oil, chopped
½ C heavy cream

Directions

1.  Turn on IP to saute. Once hot, add 8 ½ slices of bacon. Cook until done. Remove to papertowel lined plate and add shallots to bacon grease and stir.

2.  Season chicken with salt. Add 4 thighs to pot, pushing shallots over so chicken rests on the bottom of pan. Cook 3 minutes each side, or until brown. Remove to plate.

3.  Cook remaining chicken until all browned. Remove chicken and add in chopped dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

4.  Add wine, cook for 5 minutes until reduced. Add in chicken broth and cook to reduce slightly, 3 minutes.

5.  Add chicken back to pot, seal and cook on manual for 7 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes. Remove chicken to baking pan and broil for 5 minutes, or until skin is crisp and browned.

6.  Meanwhile, turn IP to saute and add heavy cream to sauce. Heat and stir until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.

7.  Crumble bacon and add to sauce.  Remove pan from IP.

8.  Spoon sauce over mashed cauliflower (or potatoes) and top with chicken thigh and serve with a side of steamed green beans.

Enjoy!!!!!!!  

Friday Feasting: Oatmeal Banana Muffins

"As a busy mom of a crew of kids, I will be the first to admit, we do serve cereal (from a box!) to our children on a regular basis.  But, there are days when the kids will awake to the aroma of something yummy baking in the oven.  I try to aim for a once a week surprise like this.  And, it's nice to throw in fruit and oats to make it a little more healthy.  Chocolate too, does that count for another health benefit?  We like to think so in our house!!  Served with yogurt and some orange juice, these muffins make for a great breakfast and lots of happy tummies"

**Makes 2 dozen muffins**

Ingredients

3 cups flour
2 cups oats
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
2/3 cups applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 mashed bananas
chocolate chips

Directions

1.  Mix together all the dry ingredients: flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2.  Mix together all the wet ingredients:  eggs (beaten), milk, applesauce, vanilla, and bananas.

3.  Stir together dry ingredients and wet ingredients until just combined.

4.  Add in chocolate chips and stir a few more times.

5.  Pour batter into greased muffin tins.

6.  Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

.

Friday Feasting: Thai Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Thai Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce (adapted from Wholefork.com)
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

Peanut Sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
¼ C natural peanut butter (substitute Sunflower butter to be Whole30 compliant)
Juice of 1 lime
2 T sesame oil
½  tsp salt
½ tsp red pepper flakes
4 T olive oil
2 medium zucchinis, cut into long matchsticks
1 C chopped carrots
1 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
4 chicken thighs, cooked and diced
sesame seeds (optional)
cilantro, chopped (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Bake chicken thighs, seasoned with salt and pepper for 35 minutes, or until done. Cool and dice.

2.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together garlic, ginger, peanut butter, lime juice, sesame oil, and salt. Add red pepper flakes and adjust to taste.

3.  Add oil to pan over med high heat until hot.  Add zucchini, carrot and sweet peppers to pan, stirring constantly. Cook 5-10 minutes, until desired doneness.

4.  Add in chicken and peanut sauce, stirring over med heat until heated through.

5. Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro, if desired. Serve.

Friday Feasting: Easy Black Bean Chili

**photo credit can be found HERE**

Easy Black Bean Chili
(Found on vegetariantimes.com)

*Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 15oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 16oz jar of salsa
1 bunch scallions chopped (or half onion)
1 10oz pkg. Frozen corn (or 1 can)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
salt to taste

1. Combine beans, salsa, and scallions in saucepan.  Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn, cilantro and salt to taste, and cook, stirring occasionally until heated through. Serve hot.


**This recipe is super simple and more than delicious.  For our family I always at least double the recipe.  We eat it as soup with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, and shredded cheese on top.  We've also used it as dip with tortilla chips.  I often serve it with cheese quesadillas, too.

Friday Feasting: Ginger Root and Honey Salad Dressing

In our farmer's market I picked up ginger root.  I was feeling a bit adventurous and impulsively bought one to force myself to expand our culinary experience.  So now I'm home and have no clue what to do with it.  I knew there were many health benefits gained from ginger root, but it was now just staring at me... I stared back fiercely!! I CAN DO THIS, but WHAT I didn't have a clue.

I did some research and found several recipes that looked daunting and overwhelming.  I found a salad dressing and adapted it.  I used raw honey, apple cider vinegar instead of regular vinegar, and Braggs Liquid Amino All Purpose Seasoning to replace soy sauce.  I reduced the amount of soy sauce as that can be a very strong, overpowering flavor.  I added a little more honey to balance out the tartness of the vinegar.

My food critics loved it.  Considering my critics are teenage boys who have no problem refusing or regurgitating gross or weird food, they ate it and added the dressing generously to their salads, making this recipe a success. We have since used this dressing on vegetables, especially steamed broccoli and cauliflower.  My boys have also added it to steamed rice with ground beef.


Ingredients

    3-4 minced garlic cloves
    2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
    3/4 cup olive oil
    1/3 cup vinegar or apple cider vinegar
    1/3 cup soy sauce*
    3-4 tablespoons honey
    1/4 cup water

Directions

    In a 1 pint glass jar or larger, combine all the ingredients.  Screw on jar lid and shake thoroughly. Remove lid, and heat jar in the microwave for 1 minute to dissolve the honey.  Replace lid and shake gently, being careful to use oven mitt if necessary. Open jar to cool, especially before putting in refrigerator. Shake well before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator.

*For a gluten free version, use Bragg Liquid Aminos all purpose seasoning.  It is made from soy, but it has no wheat as a thickener or stabilizer.