Steaming Broccoli in the Instant Pot

One of the things I was excited about with the Instant Pot was the steamer and I haven't used it nearly as much as I thought I would.  On this particular day we were having Mongolian Beef from my freezer meal stash and I thought some steamed broccoli for me instead of rice would be perfect.  The kids each took their obligatory bite - but they weren't super excited for it.  I was shocked!  :D

This is so darn easy that it's barely even a recipe.  Sometimes I put things on my blog for a reference for me to look back at for things that I tried and really liked.

What makes this a keeper to me is that the broccoli stayed tender-crisp.  It wasn't mushy and had a vibrant beautiful color after being steamed.  

Let's Get Crafty!

Cut the fresh broccoli crowns off leaving some of the stem.  I ended up with around 1 1/2 cups

In the instant pot - put in your steamer base (mine came with the IP) and add at least a cup of water.

Put your steaming basket on top of the steamer base.  There are special steaming baskets you can buy but I use the cheesecake tin Mark got me and the size works perfectly.  I also put just a touch of water in that tin.

Put the broccoli in the cheesecake tin.  Done and done.  Nothing else.

For the Instant Pot - set the knob at the top to sealing and close the lid.

Select the steam button and hit the minus sign to reduce the time to -0-.  This is telling your IP to build the pressure and then be done without actually cooking it once the pressure builds.

So good!  Have a great day.  Thanks for stopping by.

French Fries in the Air Fryer

This was our second go at the air fryer and I think this may just be my favorite.  Because - hello! - French Fries!

We used smaller russet potatoes and only about 2 cups so there would be plenty of room to grove while frying.

Let's Get Crafty!
Preheat the air fryer to 400

Toss together until the oil is equally distributed
4 small russet potatoes, cut lengthwise in as even sized fries as you can
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
seasoning salt

Air fry for 20 minutes (shaking the fries every five minutes or so)

Mark and I were laughing that the air fryer helps with healthier cooking/eating in two ways.  You are definitely using less oil but you are also eating less because the batches are smaller.  So after eating the first batch - you realize you are full before the next batch is ready. 

Now for the Sriracha Mayo:
We made it 2 parts mayo to 1 part sriracha for a little extra kick.  If you want it less spicy - 3 parts mayo to 1 part sriracha would also be awesome!  I tossed this together and put it in the fridge while the fries were cooking.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a great day!

Taco Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer

We got my husband an air fryer for Christmas.  I thought he would be super excited about it... but he didn't seem to be.  He loves fried food and we rarely make it at home.  I thought this could be the gateway to healthier "fried" food.  It uses such a small amount of oil and still gets the egg rolls super crispy.

Let's Get Crafty!
Preheat the air fryer to 370

Stir Together:
1 1/2 cups thawed taco meat (I used a freezer packet from my October 10, 2018 freezer session)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 can black eyed peas, rinsed (I would have used black beans but we didn't have any and these worked great in a pinch)
1/2 can corn, drained
(next time we'll add some avocado)

1 package egg roll wrappers (the brand we buy has 15 in one package)

Wrap up the egg rolls.  Our air fryer fit 4 at a time without over crowding it so I made 4 at a time as the others were coming out.

Brush vegetable oil on all sides of the wrapped egg roll and place in the air fryer

"Fry" for 10 minutes turning over around the halfway point.

For a quick and easy dipping sauce - I used equal parts of light sour cream and salsa.

The verdict:  These were really good and super crispy.  They were crunchier and crispier than we usually get from the oven versions we make.  I anticipate we'll go back and forth between using the air fryer and putting them in the oven.  These were really good but took more time overall because of needing to do smaller batches rather than one big batch.

Have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by.