Recipes

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Instant Pot Spaghetti

This is one of our go-to weeknight dinners. It’s a super easy, one-pot meal. Pay attention to the tips for keeping the burn setting from kicking in.

This recipe is written for an 8 quart Instant Pot. It makes enough for a dinner for a family of six with leftovers. If you have a smaller Instant Pot, or just don’t want that much food, cut the recipe in half.

Saute 2 pounds of ground beef on the Saute setting until browned.

Add 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper.

Add chopped onions and garlic if desired.

Once the beef is browned, gather 3 – 24 oz. jars of your favorite pasta sauce. Add one jar and stir to mix with the ground beef. Add the 2 remaining jars but do NOT stir.

Next add 2 pounds of spaghetti to the Instant Pot. Take the spaghetti from the box in small handfuls, breaking the pasta in half lengthwise and alternating directions as you lay them in. For example, lay one handful in one direction, and lay the next handful in the other direction so that they are crossing alternating perpendicular to each other. DO NOT STIR the spaghetti into the pasta sauce. You want the spaghetti to be on top, and the sauce on the bottom so that the pasta does not stick and activate the Burn setting.

At this point you could also add in chopped vegetables, like carrots or bell peppers, on top of the noodles if you wanted more of a Ragu sauce.

Next fill your 3 spaghetti sauce jars with water, and shake to loosen all the extra sauce on the sides, and pour the 3 jars of water over the pasta. The pasta does not have to be submerged in the liquid, but it is a good idea to try to moisten all of it as you pour the water over it. Once again DO NOT STIR.

Lock the lid on the pot, seal the valve, and set for High Pressure for 2 minutes. Quick release, and stir to mix.

Enjoy your one pot meal!

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Instant Pot Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo

Easy and protein packed dinner. Hearty comfort food.

Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo:

To start sort 1 lb of dried black-eyed peas.

Add the black-eyed peas to the Instant Pot along with….

1 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp pepper

10 cups of water

8 homemade chicken bullion cubes. (If you don’t have the homemade bullion cubes, add 8-10 cups of chicken broth.)

Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.

While the peas cook chop the following…

1 cup onion

3/4 cup celery

1 cup green bell pepper

5 carrots

4-5 red chard stems (optional)

Quick release the black-eyed peas, and add in all the chopped veggies. The liquid should be at the same level as the vegetables. Add 1-2 cups more water if needed.

Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes. Quick release.

Stir in chopped chicken, or some other leftover meat. I used leftover turkey here. Or leave the meat out if you want a vegetarian meal.

Enjoy!

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Instant Pot Lo Mein

This is any easy, throw together dinner. It works best with leftover chicken or beef.

To begin, chop your veggies.

1 cup chopped onion

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

3 carrots, peeled and julienned

2 green bell peppers, sliced

4 cups chopped kale

1 tbls grated ginger

Place all your veggies, except the kale, in the Instant Pot.

Add the following…

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 tbls honey

2 tbls soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos

8 cups of water and 8 homemade bullion cubes, or 8 cups of chicken or beef broth

2 lbs of spaghetti noodles

Add the noodles by breaking the pasta in half and laying it cross ways in the broth on top of the vegetables.

The pasta does not need to be completely submerged but should all be moistened. Do not stir once the pasta is added.

Lock the lid and seal the vent. Pressure cool on high for 4 minutes. Quick Release.

Stir in your kale and pre-cooked meat.

Serve and enjoy!

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Sourdough Almond Butter M&M Cookies

These are a fun treat and a fairly healthy sback since they are made with honey.

In a large mixing bowl combine the following….

2 eggs

1/4 cup mild tasting oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup sourdough

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup milk or cream

Mix until combined. Then add…

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together.

Scoop onto baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

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Instant Pot Chicken Corn Chowder

So, the kids have been tasked with making a soup for lunch each Saturday. Here is this week’s recipe.

Chicken Corn Chowder:

This meal works best with leftover, cooked chicken.

2 hours before meal time cook 1 pound of great northern beans with 1 tsp salt, 5 cups of water, 8 homemade chicken bullion cubes (5 cups of home canned, or store bought broth would work too) on High Pressure for 38 minutes. Quick release when done. Then add….

3-4 peeled, chopped carrots

3-4 ribs of celery, diced

1 cup diced onion

5 cloves of garlic, diced

1 cup frozen corn

½ cup frozen peas

1 tsp salt

4 shakes of black pepper

Dash of Cayenne pepper

Add 2-4 cups of water depending on how “soupy” you want your soup.

Cook High Pressure for 4 minutes. Quick Release.

Stir in chopped, cooked chicken and ½ cup heavy cream.

You could also add other optional vegetables like chopped kale, chard, or spinach.

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Cranberry Orange Scones

These scones are moist and yummy! What a treat on a cold winter night.

Cranberry Orange Scones:

In a large mixing bowl combine the following:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat or whole spelt flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbls baking powder

Cut in 1/2 stick of butter.

Stir in…

2/3 cup honey

1 cup chopped cranberries

Zest of 1 orange (or lemon)

1 3/4 cups of milk

Mix the dry and wet ingredients until just combined. The dough should be wet and sticky. Turn out on to a floured board and form into a rough ball. Press the ball into a small flat rectangle. Lift the rectangle and fold over in half on itself in order to laminate the dough. Continue to fold and flatten it 5-6 more times. Press into a flat rectangle as pictured below and cut out your scones.

Bake the scones at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. This recipe makes makes about 16 medium sized scones.

As a side note, if you have made my fermented Lemon Cranberry Honey, it is great to pour in as the sweetener and chopped cranberries all in one. If you use it, you can omit chopped cranberries, honey, and orange zest, and just add 1/2-2/3 cups of the fermented honey instead.

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Homemade Granola

I haven’t made this in ages. I used to make it every week for my husband’s breakfast, but since COVID the poor man has been mostly stuck with store bought cereal. Time to make another batch.

Granola:

First mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

6 cups oats (I prefer regular, not quick-cooking) Note: If you have an oat allergy, substitute spelt flakes for the oats.
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (You can use any nut you like or have on hand. I usually use walnuts but almonds or pecans even work.)
1 tbls. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

Stir the dry ingredients until mixed well. Then mix in following.

1 cup mild- tasting oil (whatever you’ve got – coconut (melted), canola, light olive oil, etc.)
1 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla

Stir well until all the oats are coated. Put in a baking pan with sides and bake on 350 for 20 minutes removing at the 10 minute mark to stir. When you stir be sure that you are careful to pull it away from the sides as the honey burns easily along the edges otherwise. When it has cooled off, stir in 2 cups of raisins. Makes a yummy breakfast or snack.

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Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

This is NOT your canned chicken soup. I cringe when I think of the difference in taste of canned soup when compared to this hearty, soothing, comfort food. This is a recipe that falls into our regular meal rotation. It’s a must have whenever anyone is sick, and it’s easy enough, that I can ask the kids to make it if needed.

This recipe is works best if you have leftover chicken meat that is already cooked. I’m also partial to it when used with my homemade chicken bullion cubes. These bullion cubes are still one of my favorite things to make, and dissolve so well in the Instant Pot. But, fresh or canned homemade broth or in a pinch store broth works too.

This recipe is written for an 8 quart Instant Pot. For a six quart, reduce all the ingredients slightly. For example, rather than four carrots, use three, rather than three celery ribs, use two, etc, etc.

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup:

Chop the following vegetables….

1 medium onion

3 ribs of celery

4 large carrots, peeled and chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Turn the IP setting to Saute on the Medium setting. Add 1 tbls of oil and saute the onions, celery, and carrots for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and aromatic. Add the garlic and stir. Saute for 1 minute. Don’t let it burn. Turn off the Saute setting and add the potatoes.

Add 1 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, a dash of cayenne, and 5-6 homemade chicken bullion cubes (if using). Stir.

Next add 1 package of egg noodles. Do not stir to mix. This is important. It’s better to leave the layer of veggies on the bottom so that the noodles don’t stick and activate the Burn setting.

Now, add 10-12 cups of water (if using the homemade bullion cubes), or 10-12 cups of chicken broth. You want the level of the liquid to be just below (about 1 inch) the level of the noodles or about how to the 2/3 line. Again, don’t stir.

Lock the lid on the pot, set the valve to the Sealing position, and set the IP on High Pressure for 4 minutes. Keep Warm button should be off. Quick Release when done.

Stir in your shredded or chopped cooked chicken, serve with some biscuits or homemade sourdough bread, and dinner is done!

If you want a creamy sauce add 1/2 cup of heavy cream when you add your chicken. You can also add other vegetables at this point if you choose, chopped kale is a good choice, as is frozen green beans, corn, or peas.

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Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Batter Bread

Add this to brighten your day. Tasty, chewy, and sweet, with just a bit of lemony tang.

Lemon Blueberry Batter Bread:

3 cups sourdough starter

1 tsp salt

1 cup water

1 cup honey (or 3/4 cup brown sugar)

1/3 cup oil

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix these ingredients together. Add the following….

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 – 6oz container of blueberries

Zest of 1 lemon

Any whole grain flour of your choice 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is the texture of a soft cream cheese or buttercream frosting.

Pour into two greased loaf pans (or you can use liners and make muffins instead). Cover with a damp towel and let it rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan.

If you use honey, bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 to avoid them browning too quickly like the loaves below. If you use sugar, bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Check for doneness using a cake tester. It should come out clean, or the interior temperature should register 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Slather with butter and enjoy!

And if you want to learn more, check out Homesteading Family’s the Art of Homemade Bread course. It will teach you all you need to know about making healthy bread at home.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

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Apple Cinnamon Granola Cookies

1/3 cup mild tasting oil

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg (or 3 yolks)

3/4 tsp salt

Cream the above ingredients together.

Then add…

3/4 cup finely chopped, peeled apples

Mix apples into the oil/honey/egg mixture.

Now add…

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups oats (or spelt flakes)

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

Makes about 16-20 cookies.

Cool and enjoy!

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Gemma’s Pumpkin Donuts

Don’t these look delicious!?!

Visit Bigger Bolder Baking for the recipe.

Another good recipe to try out for Fall. Stop by my Conversations page to see other websites, blogs and recipes that I find interesting.

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Allergy Friendly Pumpkin Butter – dairy, soy, gluten, nut, and egg free!

Pumpkin Butter on homemade spelt biscuits

This is one of my go-to Fall recipes. It’s a great option for people with lots of food restrictions. And it’s delicious! Scroll down on my Allergy-Friendly page for the recipe.