Instant Pot Recipes

I got an Instant Pot for Christmas. Mostly to see what all the hype is about and whether it would make my life as a person with a disability easier. I got a 3 quart version since it is just me and Craig. It was easy to use, buttons made sense and I did not fear for my life, except the first time I did a quick release of the steam. Cleaning it is not much worse than cleaning my rice cooker. Although my rice cooker's inner pot is easier to clean. All the recipes in the world seem to be for 6 quart versions, so math was involved. Using it was was easier for some recipes, especially beans. They cooked fast and came out creamy and fabulous. But other recipes, like steel cut oats - not really, took about the same amount of time as my rice cooker and the cleanup seemed harder and the taste was not any better.
One recipe I tested wouldn't cook properly. I finally decided I didn't have enough liquid in the pot, which sort of defeated what I was trying to achieve. The pot also sits high, so it is hard to see into it. The inner pot comes out, so that is good for serving, but I had to be careful not to get burned. It may also be really great for meat dishes where the desire is to have falling off the bone deliciousness. Since I rarely cook that sort of meal, that was lost on me. The recipes I tried included, vegan sloppy joes, cauliflower/garbanzo bean curry, steel cut oats, fiasco beans, and red lentil soup with sumac.  Of these the easiest were the ones that were all cooked in the pot (so no dirtying of other pots) and were not overly complicated with levels, etc. Doing different levels using the steaming devices did not appeal, too likely to spill or burn me. It also doesn't grill steak or cook fish, unless you are doing a chowder. The recipes I tried were adapted from The Essential Instant Pot and 101 Cookbooks. Below are the ones I liked best. I think I'll keep the pot as I loved how easy beans were, but I'll not be using it everyday and it won't replace my rice cooker. And since I like to see and mess with what I'm cooking, I'll not use it for most of what I cook.

Fiasco Beans

1 cup cannelloni beans, soaked overnight, drained
3 cups water
2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
several thyme sprigs
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 t  salt
good squeeze of lemon
for serving:
herbs, lemon wedges, Parmesan cheese, preserved lemon, arugula/spinach

Place the beans, water, olive oil, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes in the Instant Pot. Close the lid, turn the lever in the back to "seal". Pressure cook on high for 22 minutes. When finished, allow to natural release for ten minutes, and finish with quick release and open. Stir in the salt and lemon juice. Version in the photo has Parmesan cheese, spinach, arugula and preserved lemon. The beans were excellent!

Red Lentil Soup with Sumac

2 t olive oil
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 onion, diced
pinch salt
1/2 cup red lentils
2 cups water
1 bay leaf, crushed
good squeeze of lemon juice
for serving:
ground sumac and olive oil

Select saute function on the Instant Pot and heat olive oil. Add the vegetables and salt. Cook until onion is translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add lentils, water and bay leaf. Stir. Close the lid, turn lever in the back to "seal". Select soup/broth and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. When finished allow for natural release for 10 minutes, finish with quick release and open. Stir in the lemon juice, taste for salt and fish out the bay leaf. Serve with drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sumac.

Sloppy Joes

2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/2 T chili powder
1/4 t ground cumin
1/4 t smoked paprika
1/8 cup tomato paste
1/2 can tomato sauce (7.5 oz)
1/8 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 T vinegar
2 cups broth
1 cup green lentils, rinsed
to serve:
shredded cheese, pickles, buns

Select saute function on the Instant Pot and heat olive oil. Add the vegetables and salt. Cook until onion is translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add salt, spices and tomato paste and cook a minute more.  Add rest of the ingredients and stir. Close the lid, turn lever in the back to "seal". Select bean/chili and cook at high pressure for 25 minutes. When finished allow for natural release for 10 minutes, finish with quick release and open. Put a big scoop of the sloppy joes on the buns, sprinkle with cheese (leave off or use vegan cheese if you want a vegan meal) and pickle slices. It was hard to pick up, so we ate these open faced. Very good vegetarian sloppy joes.