Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

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POTATOES

  • 1 lb baby yellow, gold, or red potatoes (we prefer gold), peeled or unpeeled, cut into ~1 inch uniform chunks (1 lb yields ~3 cups chopped)
  • 1/2 cup water (or for more flavor sub vegetable broth or chicken broth if not vegetarian or vegan)

SEASONING

  • 2 Tbsp vegan butter (we prefer Miyoko’s // or sub organic cultured dairy butter)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (optional, plus more to taste)
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp each sea salt and fresh ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
  • 2-4 Tbsp dairy-free milk (plain, unsweetened // optional // only if needed)

GARNISH optional

  • Fresh parsley
  • Vegan butter (we prefer Miyoko’s // or sub organic cultured dairy butter)
  • Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

  • If peeling potatoes, do so first (we prefer peeling some and leaving the skin on a few for a bit of texture, but feel free to skip peeling for more rustic texture or to peel all for smooth and creamy potatoes). Then cut potatoes into ~1 inch uniform chunks and add to Instant Pot (DO NOT use the trivet) with water or broth.
  • Cover with lid, press “PRESSURE COOK”, and set to high for 5 minutes. It will take ~5 minutes to come to pressure before beginning the 5 minute countdown. NOTE: For larger batches, increase proportions of potatoes, water, and seasonings, but leave cooking time the same.
  • Once the timer goes off, carefully quick release, making sure to avoid steam coming from the release valve. If you can’t get to it right away, it’s also okay to allow a natural release.
  • Check the potatoes with a knife to ensure all are easily pierced and very easy to mash. If they’re not, put the lid back on and “keep warm” for 5-10 minutes more or until all potatoes are tender to allow for easy mashing.
  • There’s no need to drain any water out as it will be used to help mash the potatoes. This also helps retain more nutrients from the potatoes. Use a potato masher (or large fork) to mash the potatoes. Then add butter of choice, garlic (optional), and salt and pepper.
  • Mash until desired consistency is reached. Mash more for creamier potatoes, less for chunkier potatoes.
  • Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt or pepper to taste, butter for buttery flavor/richness, or dairy-free milk as needed to thin (just be sure not to add too much or your mash can become runny).
  • Serve hot, garnish with parsley (optional) or more butter, salt, and pepper. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days, or in the freezer up to 1 month (though best when fresh). Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding more butter or milk of choice as needed.

Soy Sauce Instant Pot Pork Belly

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  1. Grab your Instant Pot. Turn on the sauté setting, and add the oil and ginger. Let it caramelize for about 30 seconds. Then add the scallions and cook another 30 seconds. Add the star anise, rice wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, and water.
  2. Close the lid of the instant pot, and make sure you have your vent set so it is not venting. Cook for 5 minutes on the high pressure setting.
  3. Safely release pressure, open the lid when safe, and carefully lower the pork belly into the instant pot.
  4. Cook the pork for 20 minutes on the high pressure setting. Allow the pressure to release naturally once the timer has gone off. Once safe to open, retrieve the pork belly, and cut into smaller chunks as desired.
  5. Serve over rice with sauce spooned over the top, along with a stir-fried green veggie of your choice.
  6. Let the braising liquid cool, and store it in containers in the freezer. When you need it again, let it thaw in the refrigerator and throw it back in the instant pot with an additional ½ cup Shaoxing wine, ½ cup of soy sauce, ¼ cup of dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar to bring it back to the right flavor concentrations.


Apple Cider

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  • 10–12 medium apples (assorted types), quartered
    2 oranges, quartered (also peeled, if you would like your cider less tart*)
    4 cinnamon sticks
    1 tablespoon whole cloves
    optional extra seasonings: 1 teaspoon whole allspice, 1 whole nutmeg, and/or 1 inch fresh ginger
    16 cups water, more or less
    1/2 cup sweetener (I recommend brown sugar or maple syrup)

Combine your ingredients in a stockpot.  Add the apples, oranges, cinnamon, cloves and (optional) extra seasonings to a large stockpot.  Cover with water, leaving about an inch or two of space at the top of the stockpot. Simmer.  Heat the cider over high heat until it reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the apples are completely soft. Mash the apples and oranges.  Using a potato masher or a wooden spoon, take a minute to mash all of the apples and oranges against the side of the stockpot to release more of their flavors.  Then cover and simmer for 1 more hour. Strain.  Using a fine-mesh strainer or a cheesecloth, strain out all of the solids (apples, oranges, spices), pressing them against the strainer to release all of their juices.  Discard the solids. Sweeten.  Stir in your desired amount of sweetener, to taste.

Canned Tomato Sauce

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  • 45 pounds of tomatoes
  • 6 cups chopped onions (I use a food processor for this)
  • 12 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (more to taste)
  • ¼ cup coarse sea salt (more to taste)
  • Bottled lemon juice (2 tablespoons per quart jar)
  • A water bath canner

Wash the tomatoes and remove the ends and any damaged spots. Quarter them and deseed them by running your fingers down the middle and scraping out the bulk of the seeds and juice. Puree the tomatoes in a food processor or blender.

(OR, you can run the tomatoes through a food mill and save yourself a lot of time! When I’m using my food mill, I wash them, remove any bad spots, and that’s it– the machine does the rest.)

Sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large pot. Add the tomatoes, pepper, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer and allow to reduce by about one-half. If you are using very juicy tomatoes, this can take 3-5 hours.

The most important part of homemade tomato sauce is the tasting! Tomatoes greatly differ from variety to variety, so you must taste as you go.

In order to keep the ratios of high acid to low acid foods at a safe level in this recipe, you cannot increase the amount of onions or garlic you use, but you CAN increase the herbs, sugar, or salt.

Once the sauce has reduced by half and the flavor is where you want it to be, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to each pint jar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to each quart jar.

Ladle the sauce into the jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Process pints for 35 minutes and quarts for 40 minutes in a hot water bath canner. (Keep in mind that you may have to adjust your processing time according to your altitude.)

REMEMBER: Don’t start timing until the water has returned to a boil with the filled jars inside.

Store your sealed jars in a cool, dark place. I use this all-purpose sauce in all sorts of recipes- add basil and oregano to give it an Italian twist, or add chili powder and cumin for Mexican food.

Notes

  • Most recipes will suggest that you peel the tomatoes before you puree them. Since I despise peeling tomatoes (it’s ok for a handful, but when you’re dealing with 60 pounds of small tomatoes, it’s an utter nightmare), I always just run mine through my food mill instead. In the past when I didn’t have a food mill, I would deseed and then puree them (with the skin on). Sometimes you’ll find a bit of peel in your finished sauce, but I absolutely do not think it’s offensive at all. It’s a small price to pay to avoid the monotony of peeling a million tomatoes.
  • To make this more of an Italian-style sauce, add 3 tablespoons dried oregano and 3 tablespoons dried basil (or to taste)
  • Sugar is important in tomato sauce recipes to help cut the acidity. However, you can leave it out if you  wish.
  • DRIED herbs and spices won’t effect the ratios of this recipe at all, so you can safely remove or add them, according to your own taste.
  • My favorite tomatoes to grow for making canned tomato sauce are Roma or San Marzanos.

Fridge Dill Pickles

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  • 3 tsp. kosher, coarse or pickling salt
  • 1-2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  1. Slice cucumbers very thin (1/8″ thick)
  2. Place in 1 litre jar
  3. Add 3 tsp. salt and dill, then pour in white vinegar
  4. Close jar and give a good shake
  5. Place jar in refrigerator near the front. Shake once or twice more over the next few hours

Spiced Apple Chips

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  • apples
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. cardamom seeds, ground
  • 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp. coconut oil
  1. Preheat oven to 160 (fan assisted)
  2. Mix spices in bowl
  3. Cover apple slices with spice mix and place onto baking trays greased with coconut oil (or use parchment paper)
  4. Bake for 45 minutes until dry

Stinging Nettle Chips

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  • 3-4 cups stinging nettle leaves
  • 2 tbsp. melted lard, tallow or coconut oil
  • sea salt, to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 300
  2. Toss nettle leaves with melted fat; spread on a baking sheet
  3. Sprinkle on sea salt to tastte
  4. Bake for 20-30 minutes until crisp, turning once halfway
  5. Cool on paper towel

Chicken with Cashews and Celery

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  • 1 cup cashews
  • 1 + 3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp. sriracha sauce
  • 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp. brown sugar
  • 1 + 1 tsp. cornstarch
  • chicken
  • garlic
  • ginger
  • scallions
  • celery stalks
  • red pepper
  1. Toast the cashews
  2. Place chicken in a bowl with 1 tbsp. soy sauce and 1 tsp. cornstarch
  3. Whisk together soy sauce, fish sauce, sriracha, vinegar and 1 tsp. cornstarch
  4. Cook chicken with garlic and ginger. When almost cooked, add scallions, celery, red pepper and cashews; stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
  5. Stir the sauce and then pour over chicken and vegetables; cook until sauce appears glossy

Crunchy Skillet Pizza

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  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, or more as needed
  • 6 ounces (about 2 links) sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
  • 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
  • 1 cup arugula leaves
  • 13 oz. pizza dough
  • 1 tsp. cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup tomatoes, drained and diced
  • 4 oz. mozzarella
  • grated Parmesan (optiona)
  • fresh basil (optional)

Step 1

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Place a well-seasoned 12-inch cast-iron skillet, or other ovenproof, heavy-bottom skillet, in the oven. In another large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the olives and stir to combine. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir the arugula into meat.

Step 2

Stretch dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Using sturdy oven mitts, carefully remove the very hot skillet from the oven and place it on a heatproof surface. Sprinkle the cornmeal into the skillet. Carefully place the dough on top of the cornmeal and press the dough out toward the edges of the pan, being careful not to touch the very hot skillet. It’s okay if the dough bounces back a bit. Brush the edges of the dough with the olive oil, creating a 1-inch border of oiled dough.

Step 3

Spoon the tomatoes over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with half of the mozzarella, followed by the half of the sausage-arugula mixture. Repeat with the remaining mozzarella and sausage mixture.

Step 4

Return the skillet to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the bottom of the pizza is crisp and the cheese is starting to bubble. / Let cool on a wire rack for at least 3 minutes before serving. Using oven mitts to hold the hot pan, tilt the pan over a cutting board and use a spatula to gently slide the pizza onto the board. Sprinkle with Parmesan and fresh basil, if desired, then cut and serve. NOTE: If you don’t want to use the hot-skillet method, this pie can be baked on a sheet pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 and bake for about 35 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and the cheese bubbling.