instant pot

Instant Pot Hummus (without tahini)

November 30, 2020 by Sarah 8 Comments

Make hummus at home from frugal ingredients with help from your Instant Pot. There is no need to soak the chickpeas, and we're making it without tahini to make it even more budget-friendly!

hummus in white bowl with title text "Instant Pot Hummus)

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Hummus is a Mediterranean dip or spread made from chickpeas (garbanzo beans). It traditionally contains tahini paste (ground sesame seeds), but I find it to be very expensive and hard to find at my local grocery stores. I've made hummus both ways, and don't miss the tahini at all.

By cooking the chickpeas in the Instant Pot, we can skip soaking the beans overnight. From dried to fully cooked in 60 minutes, this Instant Pot hummus is insanely budget-friendly and I'll show you how to make the traditional recipe and a number of variations.

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Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

November 14, 2020 by Sarah 8 Comments

Make dinnertime easier with this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe. It's a frugal one-pot meal made in less than 30 minutes.

white bowl filled with chicken and rice with title text "instant pot chicken and rice"

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The Instant Pot saves dinner again! On a busy night, you don't want to spend a lot of time preparing dinner. With just a few ingredients, this dish is in the Instant Pot cooking away with less than 5 minutes of prep.

Ingredients

Boneless, Skinless Chicken: I call for chicken breast, but you can easily use chicken thighs with no change to the cooking time. You can also use bone-in chicken, but you'll need to remove the skin and bones before stirring into the cooked rice mixture.

Buy your chicken when it's on sale to help make this meal even more budget-friendly.

White Rice: Rice is one of my favorite frugal pantry ingredients. It is not only extremely affordable, it goes a long way. One cup of dried rice yields 3 cups of cooked rice. Cooked rice also freezes really well, so it is perfect for freezer meals.

overhead of instant pot chicken and rice in pot

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Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners

October 18, 2020 by Sarah Leave a Comment

Using your new Instant Pot can be a little intimidating. These Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners are just the ticket to get your comfortable with your Instant Pot.

collage of instant pot recipes for beginners

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I totally get it. You've seen how easy an Instant Pot can be, so you bought one. Now, what do you do? So often I hear from people who purchase an electric pressure cooker, yet it sits in the box for months because they are afraid to use it.

Gone are the days of pressure cookers exploding on the stove. Electric pressure cookers, like the Instant Pot, take all the guesswork out of how much pressure is needed and they have safety features in place so it couldn't be easier (or safer) to use.

With a couple of tips and some practice, you'll be a pro in no time.

Where to Start with Your Instant Pot

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Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipe

August 28, 2020 by Sarah Leave a Comment

Make Lentil Soup in the Instant Pot in minutes and enjoy a delicious, hearty soup that is naturally vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free. It's also a great pantry meal option!

instant pot lentil soup in white bowl with title text "Instant Pot Lentil Soup"

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Lentils are a fantastic source of protein and insanely budget-friendly. A 16 ounce bag of dried lentils costs just $.98 in my neck of the woods. They keep in the pantry for up to a year, and cook up in 15 minutes in the Instant Pot or 45 minutes on the stove.

white bowl filled with dried brown lentils

When it comes to cooking lentils, the kind of lentil to choose depends on how you want to cook them. Green and brown lentils hold their shape really well and are perfect for cooking in stews and soups. Brown lentils are the most commonly found variety in the US.

Yellow and red lentils cook more quickly and are better served in salads or pureed in curries. And the best part, lentils are naturally gluten-free, and pack 10 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber per serving.

Ingredients

Lentils: We will use dried lentils for this recipe, and I recommend using brown or green lentils. They hold their shape really well even in soup. You will need a 1-pound bag or two-ish cups of lentils.

Vegetable Broth: We will need 40 ounces of liquid total for this recipe. You can use a 32 ounce carton of vegetable broth and 8 ounces of water or use a vegetable base and water to prepare 40 ounces of broth.

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