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You'll find over 445 of my favorite recipes here, including ideas for Quick meals, Cooking for 2, Feasting on Leftovers, and cooking with 5 Ingredients or Less. I'm adding new posts regularly; you can subscribe by email or RSS feed if you'd like to receive the latest recipes. Bon appétit!
Easy Cashew Chicken
By Kath Dedon
This Easy Cashew Chicken was truly very easy. It required a bit of time to prep the ingredients, but then it took less than 15 minutes to cook. I loved it! Bob thought it needed some heat, but he remedied that with some Tabasco. (I tried to tell him that not every dish needs to be, or should be, spicy.)
I found the recipe on Megha Barot’s and Matt Gaedke’s Keto Connect blog. If you click on the link you can see Megha’s excellent video that shows just how easy it is to make.
Megha says it serves 3. It made 2 servings for us, which was perfect. It would double easily for a family dinner.
I will definitely be making this Easy Cashew Chicken again. I loved the non-spicy flavors and the ease with which it came together. I’ll just make sure we have Tabasco or Sriracha on hand for Bob. 😉
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Easy Cashew Chicken
(Adapted from Megha Barot’s and Matt Gaedke’s recipe on ketoconnect.com)
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Serves 2 – 3
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3 raw boneless, skinless chicken thighs
½ medium green bell pepper
¼ large white onion (about 4 ounces)
3 cloves garlic
1½ teaspoons chili garlic sauce (I used the Huy Fong brand)
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice wine vinegar
¼ cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for serving
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional, to drizzle on the finished dish – I didn’t use it.)
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It looks like there are a lot of steps, but I wanted to make the directions really clear. The recipe is so much easier if you have all of the ingredients prepped before you start cooking.
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- Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
- Cut the green pepper and white onion into equal-sized squares and set aside on a different plate from the chicken.
- Mince the garlic and add it to the green pepper and onion.
- Measure out the chili garlic sauce into a small dish.
- Measure out the ginger and salt into another small dish.
- Put the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar in a small dish.
- Heat a large skillet over low heat. Add the cashews and cook, stirring often, until they are starting to get toasted. It will take 5 – 8 minutes. Remove the cashews from the pan and set aside.
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8. Increase the heat to medium high. After it has heated for a couple of minutes, add the coconut oil and let it melt.
9. Add the chicken to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until it is done. It will take about 5 minutes.
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Chicken cooking. Not done yet.
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10. Add the green pepper, onion, garlic, chili garlic sauce, ginger, and salt to the chicken in the pan. Stir and cook for 2 – 3 minutes.
11. Add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and toasted cashews to the pan. Cook, stirring often, for a few minutes. Cook until the liquid in the pan has reduced until there is no more liquid in the pan.
12. Serve topped with the sesame seeds and sesame oil, if desired.
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Instant Pot Hard-Cooked Eggs in the 6-quart or 8-quart Pots
By Kath Dedon
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If you have followed my blog for any length of time, this post is going to make you think I’m obsessed with hard boiled eggs. I’m not really obsessed, but Bob and I both like having a few hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator for a quick breakfast or snack. So when I see a new recipe for “perfect” hard boiled eggs, I’m eager to try it.
You’ll note that I am not calling this post Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs. There’s a reason for that. I have already posted 3 different methods for “perfect” hard cooked eggs (Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs and Deviled Egg Salad Sandwiches, Perfect Instant Pot Hard-Cooked Eggs, and Perfect Hard Cooked Eggs, in case you’re curious). None of them turned out to be perfect.
I have come to realize that there are just too many variables that can affect how the eggs turn out. The size of the eggs (not all of the “large” eggs I buy appear to be the same size), the temperature of the eggs (right from the refrigerator or room temperature), and the freshness of the eggs are just a few of the variables that could make a difference.
And then, of course, there’s personal preference. My idea of a perfectly cooked egg may not be the same as yours. Although I think we can all agree that we don’t want the dreaded green ring around the yolk.
I really thought I had the best method for Instant Pot eggs, but there are a couple of problems with it. I’m not sure every electric pressure cooker has a Low Pressure function. And, if you have an 8-quart Instant Pot, it probably wouldn’t work for you. Carrie tried it in hers and the eggs were terribly over-cooked.
I wondered why it hadn’t worked for Carrie in her 8-quart pot. I turned to the Internet and discovered Kristine’s Kitchen. Kristine did a lot of research and testing and came up with a most reasonable explanation. It takes a bit longer for the 8-quart Instant Pot to get up to pressure, and those extra minutes add cooking time to the eggs. She recommends the 5-5-5 method in a 6-quart pot (5 minutes at high pressure, 5 minutes natural release, and 5 minutes in an ice bath) and the 5-5 method in an 8-quart pot (5 minutes at high pressure, then quick release, and 5 minutes in an ice bath).
Armed with this new information, I decided to try the 5-5-5 method myself in my 6-quart Instant Pot. It worked (ahem) perfectly, so this is my new hard-cooked egg method.
Laura tried Kristine’s 5-5 method in her 8-quart pot and she reported that it worked perfectly!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, I recommend steaming the eggs as I did in Perfect Hard Cooked Eggs. It’s a method that’s practically perfect in every way, and it’s the method I would use if I didn’t have an Instant Pot.
Do check out Kristine’s Kitchen to see the details of her research. She also tells how she makes soft-cooked eggs in the Instant Pot.
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Instant Pot Hard-Cooked Eggs for the 6-quart or 8-quart Pots
(Adapted from methods in Kristine’s Kitchen)
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Some say use older eggs for easy peeling. With this method for cooking eggs, I have noticed that freshness makes no difference in the outcome. I have used very fresh eggs and they are easy to peel.
These directions are for large eggs. I have not tested any other egg sizes, but I assume the timing could be different.
5-5-5 directions for 6-quart Instant Pot eggs
1. Place the desired number of large eggs on the trivet in your Instant Pot. (I used cold eggs, right from the refrigerator.)
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Eggs on the trivet that came with the Instant Pot
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If you have a steamer basket, you can use that instead of the trivet. It does make it easier to take the eggs out of the pot.
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2. Pour 1 cup of cold water into the Instant Pot.
3. Seal the lid and set it at Manual for 5 minutes.
4. Prepare a bowl with ice water so it’s ready when you need it.
5. When the 5 minutes of pressure cooking are up, do nothing and let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. (I always set the timer on my phone. If they’re left longer than 5 minutes they will continue to cook, risking overcooked eggs.)
6. After 5 minutes of natural release, move the pressure release handle to the venting position to quickly release any remaining pressure.
7. Immediately put the eggs in the ice water and leave them for a minimum of 5 minutes. (A bit longer is OK.)
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8. The eggs are ready to peel and eat or store in the refrigerator for later.
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Easily peeled eggs
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5-5 directions for 8-quart Instant Pot eggs
1. Place the desired number of large eggs on the trivet in your Instant Pot. (I used cold eggs, right from the refrigerator. You can also use a steaming basket, if you have one, instead of the trivet.)
2. Pour 1 cup of cold water into the Instant Pot.
3. Seal the lid and set it at Manual for 5 minutes.
4. Prepare a bowl with ice water so it’s ready when you need it.
5. When the 5 minutes of pressure cooking are up, move the pressure release handle to the venting position to quickly release the pressure.
6. Immediately put the eggs in the ice water and leave them for a minimum of 5 minutes. (A bit longer is OK.)
7. The eggs are ready to peel and eat or store in the refrigerator for later.
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I could say this is the last time that I’ll post about hard-cooked eggs. But I’m not making any promises. 😉
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Stir-Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds
By Kath Dedon
A few years ago I shared my take on Mark Bittman’s Cabbage Braised with Onions. It’s very good and we enjoy it whenever I make it.
Yesterday I made a very similar recipe, but it has a different flavor profile. Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe for Stir-Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds (Bhuni Bandh Gobi) is from her Quick and Easy Indian Cooking. Like Bittman, she uses cabbage, onion, and a bit of cayenne pepper. The cumin seeds, fennel seeds, sesame seeds, and garam masala that she adds gives the cabbage a very subtle Indian flavor.
We really liked the cabbage served with Uli’s Famous Sausage Hungarian Kolbasz.
(For those of you with an air fryer: I air fried the sausage. Prick holes in one side of the sausages. Put them holes-side-down in the basket. Air fry at 375° for 8 minutes; turn over and air fry for 8 more minutes. Perfect!)
I will happily make this Stir-Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds again! As Madhur Jaffrey points out in her book, it’s a great side dish with any meat.
(And…I just ate some leftover cabbage cold out of the refrigerator. It’s.really.good.)
Stir-Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds with Uli’s Hungarian Kolbasz
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Stir-Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds
(Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe in Quick and Easy Indian Cooking)
Serves 4
1 medium head of green cabbage (1½ – 1¾ pounds)
¼ cup vegetable oil (I used avocado oil.)
¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
½ large white onion (about 7 ounces), thinly sliced crosswise
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 – ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1/4 tsp. and it wasn’t really too hot. Use less if you prefer.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon garam masala
- Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut it in half through the core, and then cut each half again through the core. Remove the core. Cut the cabbage in thin strips lengthwise.
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2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the oil and let it heat up. When the oil is hot, add the cumin, fennel, and sesame seeds. Cook stirring often. When the sesame seeds start to pop, add the sliced onion.
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3. Cook the onion, stirring often, for 3 – 4 minutes or until the onion is just starting to brown.
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4. Add the cabbage to the pan. You’ll most likely have to add it in stages. Fill the pan with as much as you can, and cook, stirring, until it cooks down enough to add some more. Continue cooking, stirring, and adding more cabbage until it is all in the pan. Cook, stirring often for 4 – 5 more minutes, or until the cabbage is just starting to brown.
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5. Stir in the salt and cayenne pepper. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring often, for another 7 – 8 minutes.
6. Stir in the lemon juice and the garam masala and serve.
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Fudgy Keto Brownies
By Kath Dedon
These Fudgy Keto Brownies were a big hit with family and friends a few nights ago!
The recipe was developed by Carolyn Ketchum and can be found on her excellent blog, All Day I Dream About Food. If you’re starting the new year watching your carbs, I recommend checking out her blog and her books. She’s a very prolific low carb (and keto) recipe developer. I bought her four books that are currently available and find them very inspiring.
The brownies are sweetened with Swerve, a sweetener that I feel good about using. It measures the same, cup for cup, as sugar, making it easy to use. I think it’s available at my Safeway stores, but I usually order it from Amazon.
The Lily’s dark chocolate chips are sweetened with stevia. I can buy them, and many varieties of Lily’s chocolate bars, at my local West Seattle Thriftway, but they are also available from Amazon if you can’t find them.
The only change I made was I used a bit less gelatin than Carolyn. Gelatin is the “secret” ingredient that gives the brownies the “fudgy” texture. Carolyn uses 1 tablespoon. I had bought packets of Knox gelation. I did an online search and learned from the Knox site that each packet has about 2½ teaspoons of gelatin. (One tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons.) Knox recommends just using 1 packet if a recipe calls for a tablespoon of gelatin. That’s exactly what I did and it worked fine.
If you want a chocolatey, fudgy treat that’s low in carbs and sugar, give these Fudgy Keto Brownies a try. I think you’ll agree that they are pretty darn tasty.
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Fudgy Keto Brownies
(Adapted, barely, from Carolyn Ketchum’s recipe on alldayidreamaboutfood.com)
Makes 16 servings
½ cup butter, melted
2/3 cup Swerve Granulated Sweetener (or the equivalent of your favorite sweetener)
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup almond flour (50g) (I used Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon gelatin (or 1 packet of Knox gelatin)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
1/3 cup sugar-free chocolate chips (Optional, but so good. I used Lily’s.)
Ingredients for Fudgy Keto Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Grease an 8×8-inch pan.
- Mix the butter, Swerve, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl.
- Add the almond flour, cocoa, gelatin, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well-combined.
- Stir in the water. Then stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the dough out in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the edges are done but the center still looks a bit wet. (It took 20 minutes in my oven.)
I lined the pan with parchment paper. I don’t think it’s necessary and I won’t do it next time. The paper on the right side folded over the brownies while baking, leaving the mark that you see.
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7. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting them into 16 pieces.
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Roasted Eggplant with Anchovies and Oregano
By Kath Dedon
Not only do I own Ottolenghi SIMPLE, Yotam Ottolenghi’s latest book, but I have an autographed copy! Carrie went to hear him speak last fall when his book tour brought him to Seattle, and she got a signed copy for me for my birthday! She knows me well.
The SIMPLE in the title is actually an acronym for the 6 different ways that Ottolenghi feels a recipe can be “simple”. They are:
Short on time – quick recipes
10 Ingredients or less
Make ahead
Pantry – recipes that use ingredients that most people keep on hand
Lazy – recipes like long-simmering braises or one-pot wonders
Easier than you think
Each recipe in the book is “simple” in at least one of these ways, and they’re identified with colorful letters right under the recipe titles.
I’m excited to try a lot of the recipes in Ottolenghi SIMPLE. Every recipe is accompanied by a gorgeous photo which really makes me want to get cooking! I have several of his other books and they’re all amazing, but I think I’m most excited about this one.
I have twice made this Roasted Eggplant with Anchovies and Oregano. It is so good! It’s identified as being I (10 Ingredients or less) M (Make ahead) and P (Using Pantry items). Simple!
This is a recipe that, indeed, can be made ahead of time and served at room temperature. When I’m entertaining, that is my favorite type of side dish!
I recommend that you give this Roasted Eggplant with Anchovies and Oregano a try. I made the full recipe for just the two of us and we enjoyed the leftovers the next day. I just pulled them out of the refrigerator to bring them to room temperature. Delicious!
Eggplant served with Porcupine Meatballs
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Roasted Eggplant with Anchovies and Oregano
(Adapted, barely, from Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe in Ottolenghi SIMPLE)
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Serves 4
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3 or 4 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds total weight) sliced into ¾-inch thick rounds
½ teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and finely chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 small clove of garlic, crushed
1/8 teaspoon salt
About ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
¼ cup Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves, roughly chopped
These 3 beauties weighed a total of about 2¼ pounds.
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- Heat the oven to 450°.
- Put the eggplant slices in a large bowl. Sprinkle the ½ teaspoon of salt over them and toss them with your hands to distribute the salt.
- Line a large (21 x 15 x 1 in) baking sheet (or 2 smaller baking sheets) with parchment paper. Spread the eggplant slices out on the baking sheet. Measure out 2½ tablespoons of olive oil and brush all of it over the eggplant slices. Turn the slices over and brush another 2½ tablespoons of olive oil on the other side.
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My little OXO ¼-cup measuring cup was perfect for measure 2½ tablespoons of oil. The eggplant slices all fit on my large baking sheet.
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4. Roast the eggplant for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a bit.
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5. Mix together the chopped anchovies, vinegar, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a small bowl. Slowly pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the mixture while whisking until the ingredients are well combined. At this point the eggplant and dressing can be set aside at room temperature until you’re ready to serve.
6. When it’s time to serve, put the eggplant, oregano, and parsley in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the eggplant, toss gently and serve.
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Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs
By Kath Dedon
My mom used to make Porcupine Meatballs fairly frequently. I’m pretty sure her recipe involved a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup. I always liked the meatballs, so I was excited to see Coco Morante’s recipe for Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs in her new book, The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook. (The recipe is also on Elise Bauer’s Simply Recipes food blog.)
The recipe is easy and the meatballs are tender without the use of bread crumbs. They’re great for people who avoid wheat.
Coco states that the original recipe was from Betty Crocker. That sounds about right. It felt very retro to have the Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs last night. Peas seemed to be the perfect retro side dish.
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Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs
(Adapted from Coco Morante’s recipe on simplyrecipes.com and in The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook)
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Serves 4
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Don’t double this recipe. The meatballs need to be in a single layer to cook properly.
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1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped (about 6 ounces)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef (85% lean)
½ cup long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Chopped flat-leaf parsley or small basil leaves for garnish (optional)
- Put half of the onion and half of the garlic in a bowl.
- Add the ground beef, rice, salt and pepper to the bowl. Mix well with your hands so the onion and rice are evenly distributed. Don’t worry about over-working the beef.
- Shape the meat into 12 meatballs.
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4. Press Sauté and adjust heat to Normal on the Instant Pot. When the pot is hot add the olive oil. Let it heat for about a minute, and then add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened.
5. Add the tomato sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and let the sauce come to a simmer.
6. Press the Cancel button to turn the Instant Pot off. Carefully place the meatballs in the sauce so they are in one layer. Spoon a bit of sauce over each meatball.
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7. Put the lid on the pot and set the Pressure Release to Sealing.
8. Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button. Set the time for 15 minutes at high pressure.
9. When the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes. Then do a quick release to release the rest of the pressure. Open the pot and serve, garnished with parsley or basil, if desired.
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Chana Salaad (Chickpea Salad)
By Kath Dedon
There are already several chickpea salad recipes on my blog. We like chickpeas. This new recipe, though, for Chana Salaad (Chickpea Salad) is the one that we find is perfect. Bob is actually quite smitten with it, saying that I should be making it all the time.
Urvashi Pitre’s recipe in Indian Instant Pot Cookbook uses the Instant Pot to cook the chickpeas. I think freshly cooked chickpeas really make a big difference. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you could cook the chickpeas on the stovetop, or substitute 2 cans of chickpeas.
The first time I made this Chana Salaad I did wonder about Urvashi’s instructions to cook the dried chickpeas under pressure for 20 minutes, but I followed her directions. Sure enough, the beans weren’t done. That was really no problem. I simply sealed the pot again and cooked them for another 20 minutes and they were perfect.
In hindsight, I think she might have meant to have you cook soaked chickpeas for 20 minutes. Since I love to skip the soaking step with my Instant Pot, the next time I made this I cooked the dried chickpeas for 40 minutes. Perfect!
Give this Chana Salaad a try! Leftovers keep well. (We might have had leftover Chana Salaad for breakfast.)
If you have an Instant Pot and love Indian food, I highly recommend Urvashi’s book!
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Chana Salaad (Chickpea Salad)
(Adapted from Urvashi Pitre’s recipe in Indian Instant Pot Cookbook)
Serves 4 – 6 (depending on how many other courses are served)
The olive oil added to the beans helps to keep the foam down. Foam can clog the pressure valve.
While you can use canned chickpeas, I think you’ll find this recipe is vastly improved if you use freshly cooked beans.
To cook the chickpeas
1 cup dried chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 bay leaves
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the salad
1 cup finely minced red onion
1 large plum tomato, seeded and diced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Drained cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans rinsed and drained chickpeas)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Combine the chickpeas, water, bay leaves and salt in the Instant Pot.
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2. Stir in the olive oil. Seal the lid. Use high pressure with the Bean/Chili function, and set the time for 40 minutes.
3. When the time is up, use the natural pressure release (in other words, don’t do anything) for at least 10 minutes. (Longer is OK.) Then use the quick release and remove the lid. Drain the chickpeas and discard the bay leaves.
4. Combine the red onion, tomato, and cilantro in a large bowl.
5. Add the chickpeas to the bowl with the salt, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. Stir well to distribute the lemon juice and seasonings and serve.
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