Why You Should Have an Instant Pot & 3 of My Favorite Vegan Instant Pot Recipes

These things are amazing, it’s as if a croc-pot and a rice cooker had a baby, full bodied flavor, safe when away, and it doesn’t take all day to cook!

I use mine for all meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can even use it for dessert

I turn it on, let it do its magic, and leave. I can go anywhere and do anything and know that when I get home, whatever I’m making will be ready for me and my guy

It’s a one pot kinda deal, no extra dishes, no mess, just throw all the ingredients into the pot and call it a day. Clean up takes no time at all.

My three go to recipes cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Breakfast!

I love oats, anything oat based, so much protein and so filling, also you can add anything to them! This is my favorite spiced apple-walnut oatmeal with steel cut oats

What you’ll need:

• 1 ½ cups steel cut oats
• 4 cups unsweetened plain plant based milk (I use almond)
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 small apples (peeled, cored, and diced)
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt!
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

How to make it:

1. Add oats, plant based milk, apple sauce, diced apples, vanilla, salt and spices to pot
2. Once the pressure release goes off add walnuts and maple syrup and stir
3. Once the pressure release goes off add walnuts and maple syrup and stir

Lunch!

I make this warm, hearty, umami packed risotto when it starts getting chilly outside for lunch because it’s a great pick me up half way through the day

What you’ll need:

• 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 shallots, finely diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 20 oz. mixed mushrooms
• 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup white or yellow miso paste
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp vegan butter
• ¼ cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

How to make it:

1. Place Arborio rice in a large bowl and pour the broth over it. Whisk mixture for 15 seconds to release the start from the rice, so the risotto becomes creamier. Pour mixture through a fine- mesh sieve set over a bowl to catch the broth. The broth might appear cloudy, which is normal– this is the starch
2. Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and, after a few minutes add the olive oil then shallots and garlic. Cook for 1 minute, tossing frequently. Add the sliced mushrooms, thyme, and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are browned and most of their liquid has evaporated (about 8 minutes). Remove inner pot and tip it over the sink to drain off excess liquid
3. Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat. Add more olive oil if all the rice is not coated evenly, this also help prevent burning. Cook about 2-3 minutes, the center of edges of the rice will be translucent.
4. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid had evaporated and the smell of alcohol has dissipated, about 2 minutes. Press Cancel setting
5. Add 2 tablespoons of the miso and stir into all of the rice grains. Add the reserved broth and stir well to combine, scraping any final browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
6. Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 5 minutes
7. Once the 5-minute timer has completed and beeps, let it pressure release for 10 minutes and switch to the Pressure Release know from Sealing to Venting to release any leftover steam.
8. While the pot is depressurizing, in a small saucepan, add vegan butter over medium heat. Once the butter begins to melt, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of miso and hear until the ingredients have melted together into a loose paste, about 1 minute
9. Open the pot and stir to combine the rice and cooking liquid. There may be some liquid sitting on top of the risotto. Stir thoroughly and the risotto will thicken and become creamy. Stir in the miso butter and taste for seasonings, adding additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve the risotto immediately and top each bowl with chopped parsley.

DINNER!

I love this vegan alfredo for dinner, it’s delicious with a glass of white wine!

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

• 1 medium head of broccoli
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil
• 2 Tbsp of vegan butter
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 6 minced cloves of garlic
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 (13.5 oz) can of reduced fat coconut milk
• 2 ½ cups unsweetened plant-based milk (I use oat milk or cashew milk because it is creamier)
• 8 ounces of fusilli or any medium-sized pasta with a cook time of 11-13 minutes
• 16 ounces of shelled edamame or 1 cup of peas (thawed)
• 15 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 3 cups of baby kale or baby spinach, roughly chopped
• grated zest of 1 medium lemon
• ½ cup fresh Italian, flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh basil, finely slivered
• ½ cup vegan parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Set up a large bowl of ice and water to an ice bath. Steam broccoli on the stove while the pasta is cooking in the Instant Pot (it’s another dish to wash, but it’s so much easier) steam the broccoli for 5 minutes until bright green and then transfer to the ice bath to stop it from cooking further.
2. Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and, after a few minutes, add the olive oil and vegan butter. Once the mixture is melted and frothy, add the onion and carrots with a pinch of salt and cook until onion is completely soft (6-7 minutes)
3. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then pour in the wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the smell of alcohol is gone (2-3 minutes). Select the Cancel setting on the pot.
4. Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, 1 ½ tsp of salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine with the veggies. Pour in the canned coconut milk and the nondairy milk. Add the pasta, submerging it so the noodles cook evenly
5. Secure the lid and set the Pressure release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 4 minutes
6. Once the 4-minute timer is up, allow a natural pressure release for 5 minutes and switch the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting to release any remaining steam
7. Open the pot and stir the pasta. The pasta should be al dente or almost al dente, and will become tender during the next sauté step
8. Select the Sauté setting and press the Sauté button again until you reach Less Heat. Cook gently, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, 3-4 minutes for the sauce to thicken (it’ll thicken more while it’s resting)
9. Stir in the steamed broccoli, edamame/peas, tomatoes, spinach, lemon zest, parsley, and basil. Stir until combined (about a minute) and select the Cancel setting.
10. Let pasta sit for a few minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with vegan parmesan.