Alexis Mersel - Healthy Instant Pot: 70+ Fast, Fresh & Easy Recipes

HEALTHY

INSTANT POT

ALEXIS MERSEL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

ERIN SCOTT

ALEXIS MERSEL

CONTENTS

Drunken Noodles with Beef ()

Lemongrass & Garlic Pork Chops ()

I wrote this book with a new baby (my first) at home. While I didnt underestimate the exhaustion associated with caring for a newborn (well, maybe a little), I completely miscalculated the multitasking. Needless to say, after our daughter was born, my Instant Pot became my new best friend. In fact, the night of our daughters first major meltdown, I was still ableamidst all the chaosto cook Sesame Salmon with Soba Noodles () in minutes. I developed a new appreciation for the power of healthy, easy, set-and-forget-meals.

Ive been a champion of my electric pressure cooker for a while, which led me to write and develop the first title in this series, Everyday Instant Pot . But the challenge of cooking healthy dishes while caring for a tiny human took my journey to the next level. The Instant Pot makes eating well easy: lean proteins like chicken and fish are silky and tender; nutrient-packed beans dont need to be soaked; hearty grains and rice are fluffy but not mushy; and nourishing soups are surprisingly straightforward. Simply close the lid, forget about your meal, and focus on lifes more important things.

Whether youre a first-time Instant Pot user or an experienced pro in search of new healthy meals, this book is for you. Packed with more than sixty recipes, it has something for every lifestyle, including low-fat, low-sodium, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, vegetarian, and vegan dishes. Youll discover new ways to tackle classics, like swapping in zoodles for pasta in chicken soup, as well as some unexpected favoritesmy husband loves the vegan lentil soup, despite his Midwestern meat-and-potato roots. And if youre in the mood for meat, the Korean Steak and Brown Rice Bowl () is a hearty, healthy choice.

As with any cooking tool, its important to understand how the pot works before you start (see the primer on ). Everyday Instant Pot showed me how many people were so intimidated, they didnt even open the box. Please, open the box! The buttons and settings may seem confusing, but using your Instant-Pot will become second nature. No matter what makes life chaotic, these easy recipes will build healthy eating into your busy lifestyleand youll never look back.

Bon apptit!

EATING WELL IS EASY

INSTANT POT

PRIMER

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The tightly sealed pot boils liquid quickly, then traps the steam and generates pressure. With pressure cooking, heat is very evenly, deeply, and quickly distributed. The machine is available in a selection of models and sizes, each with slightly different cooking features and programs. A general rule of thumb regarding size is if youre primarily cooking for four to six people, a model with a 6-quart (6-L) capacity should be sufficient, but if youre often feeding larger crowds of eight or more, an 8-quart (8-L) capacity might be more useful. The recipes in this book were developed and tested using the Duo Plus 6-Quart Instant Pot. If youve just purchased an Instant Pot, read the user manual first to get comfortable with your models specific parts, buttons, settings, and indicator lights.

FUNCTIONS & SETTINGS

Each model has slightly different cooking features, with up to 18 different cooking programs to choose from, depending on the model. Since not all models have all settings,

most of the recipes in this book use the manual pressure cook setting. Essentially, you can saut, sear, steam, simmer, slow-cook, pressure- cook, and braise in this machine. The two most common functions used in these recipes are Pressure Cook and Saut. You will discover that recipes often use both, with many starting with a saut step followed by pressure cooking, or pressure cooking first and then finishing on the saut function. It might seem like a lot of fuss, but once you get the hang of it, it wont feel that way at all. Just think about all the time and effort you are saving by not transferring food from pot to pot or stove to oven and back again! Most models also have settings specific to a type of food, such as Soup/Broth, Meat/ Stew, Bean/Chili, Cake, Egg, Rice, Multigrain, Porridge, and Yogurt. These settings have built- in automatic programs set to the amount of time and pressure level needed for most dishes in that category, but you can adjust them as needed. Experiment with these for the recipes you cook oftenthey might help popular dishes in your household become truly set-and-forget meals. Some models also have a Sterilize

INSTANT POT PRIMER

Welcome to a new world of fast, even, and flavorful cooking. The Instant Pot cuts cooking to a fraction of the usual time, making traditionally long-simmering dishes at record speed. Meat is always tender and never dried out, because the pressure seals the liquid in the potand into the meat. Hearty grains and beans with typically long soaking and cooking times are ready for dinner without a lot of prep or planning. Soups come together in minutes, not hours, making a cozy weekend favorite possible any night of the week.

INSTANT POT

PRIMER

function, which can be used to sterilize bottles and jars easily and efficiently, but it is important to note that only the Max line of pots is safe for pressure canning. The Max also has a Sous Vide function, altitude adjustments, automated steam release, and a touch-screen interface.

Saut: This function allows you to sear meat, simmer liquids, reduce sauces, and more, similar to how you would work with a saut pan on the stove. It has three modes: Less is ideal for simmering, thickening, and reducing liquids; Normal is best for pan searing; More can be used for stir-frying or browning meat. The timer on this function is automatically set for thirty minutes, but in the rare case when you might need it on for longer than that, just press the Saut button again after it has shut off and continue cooking. Never put the locking lid on while using it.