Why You Should Use an Instant Pot and 3 Paleo Recipes to Get You Started

Bestselling author and blogger, Jennifer Robins loves her new Instant Pot! While at first she was scared to use it, once she had “her first Instant Pot experience, I was hooked.” Her new cookbook Paleo Cooking With Your Instant Pot features 80 delicious gluten and grain free recipes. In this excerpt, Jennifer shares how she uses the Instant Pot for everything from bone broth to stews and even desserts. She’s even included 3 delicious Instant Pot  recipes that you can make with your new pressure cooker.

The Paleo movement has inspired a global effort to take a look at the quality and source of our foods and has urged us to get back into our kitchens to make our food. After decades of convenience, cooking food from scratch can pose several issues….With increasingly busy schedules, people are overcommitted and have less downtime than ever.

When I became ill several years ago, I was housebound and mostly bedbound. I learned very quickly that in order for my body to heal, I HAD to cook. Not only was meal preparation at home a necessity, I was also limited to whole foods; so the days of microwaving easy-fix meals or tossing pasta into boiling water was a thing of the past.

Fortunately I was already a stay-at-home mom to my three children, but as I kicked off my wellness blog, Predominantly Paleo, I received massive feedback about two main issues facing those who were seeking out a Paleo lifestyle; time and money. People often feel as if they come up short with either one or the other, and the more I thought about it, the more I knew it was true.

Of course there are ways to work within these constructs. You can buy from farmers’ markets, purchase in bulk, batch cook on the weekends, make ahead and freeze. But about a year ago, I was introduced to a kitchen appliance that sort of changed the game entirely-the Instant Pot. This simply named apparatus is an electric pressure cooker with a host of other features. It can make yogurt, rice and beans…it can saute, slow cook and steam in addition to pressure cooking, and has manual settings for when you want to wing it.

I will be honest and say that in all my life I have never wanted a pressure cooker. In fact, they’ve scared me. I’ve seen images of catastrophes that I’ve literally never been able to forget…But when I saw how simple the newer models were to operate and how safe they were, I became tempted. Temptation led to purchase.  Purchase led to me trying it for the first time and forcing everyone out of the kitchen “just in case.” I even shut the doors to the kitchen and warned the kids not to return under any circumstances until I told them it was safe to do so. True story.

But once I had my first Instant Pot experience, I was hooked….I have been using my Instant Pot multiple times a week since that first fateful day. I have experimented and played and eaten to the point that I literally had no other choice than to write a book about all that I’ve discovered you can do with Instant Pot.

In my book, you will find over 80 recipes, including a bone broth so simple you’ll never slow-cook again; breakfast options like omelet packed with sauteed veggies; a jam-packed chapter of proteins and desserts! I use the pot to slow cook, steam, saute and pressure cook.

I am convinced that whether you are a veteran to pressure cooking or just cracking open that IP box for you first time, you will love the versatility and wide range of options.

Enjoy y’all….no pressure!

Teriyaki Jumbo Scallops

Individual Cheesecakes with Graham Crust

Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings

Jennifer Robins is the voice and whole-foodist behind the popular food blog, Predominantly Paleo, and bestselling author of Down South Paleo, The New Yiddish Kitchen and Paleo Kids Cookbook. After being diagnosed with several autoimmune conditions and chronic infections, including Lyme disease, Jennifer became gravely ill and mostly housebound. When traditional medical treatments failed to help, Jennifer turned to food for healing. Removing grain, dairy and refined sugars and eating “predominantly Paleo,” she started reclaiming her life, one whole-food meal at a time.

Excerpted with permission from Paleo Cooking with Your Instant Pot: 80 Incredible Gluten and Grain Free Recipes Made Twice as Delicious in Half the TIme

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