Blend with an immersion blender in a wide mouth mason jar all ingredients, except herbs for approximately one minute. Start with the immersion blender at the bottom of your jar working your way up to the top. Don't start moving your blender upwards until you see it thickening up.
Incorporate the herbs during the last 15 seconds or it will turn your ranch green. Store in the fridge for up to one week.
Recipe Notes
A large handful of fresh herbs of your choice can be used in place of dried parsley. Our favorites are cilantro, parsley and dill.
If your ranch is too thin:
Make sure you are using full fat canned coconut milk. If you want a dip like consistency use only the solid cream, but for a dressing, use the cream and the liquid. It may also thicken up just being in the fridge for a few hours.
Make sure you're using an immersion blender for guaranteed success.
Use a small container, like a mason jar or salad dressing container.
HERE IS THE TRICK TO SAVING YOUR DUMP RANCH... If your ranch never thickens it probably didn't emulsify properly. Just add another egg! Yep, that's all it takes to quickly save all those ingredients.
Select saute function on Instant Pot and let it heat until it says "HOT".
Add bacon to pot and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.
Cook the onion in the bacon drippings until tender, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot as the onions cook.
Add soaked beans and all other ingredients, except bacon. Select high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. When it has finished cooking, let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then do a quick pressure release.
Make sure beans are completely cooked, then add bacon and serve.
Put chicken pieces directly into the water inside the Instant Pot. Add cilantro and lime juice.
Combine seasoning ingredients and add to chicken.
Close and seal lid. Cook on high pressure for 15-20 minutes.
Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes after cooking is done.
Open lid and remove chicken breasts. Shred and add to tortillas, salads, rice, nachos or whatever you want, with your favorite toppings. For Whole30, this makes a great salad!
Recipe Notes
I used chicken breasts. 3 of them weighed 2 lbs. 20 minutes seemed about right for that size of breasts, but it was a little on the dry side.
This was my first attempt at spaghetti sauce in my Instant Pot. It might change later, but this was really good. The kids came back for seconds and thirds!
Put 1 cup of water into bottom of Instant Pot. Put sausages into water or onto trivet. (Mine were frozen and I put right into the water.) Cook on high pressure for 1 minute. Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes or so.
Remove sausages from the pot, but leave cooking water in the pot for additional flavor.
Add all remaining ingredients to pot. Pressure cook for 5 minutes. Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, slice the sausage. You can either add it to the sauce or serve it on the side. I chose to serve it with some pasta and Parmesan.
Stir and taste; add additional seasoning, if desired.
Set Instant Pot to saute. Wait for it to heat up (it will say "hot").
Season meat on both sides with salt and pepper. Add a little oil to the pot and sear meat for 10 minutes per side.
Hit cancel button.
Add 1 1/2 cups water to pot, along with the remaining ingredients. Set to manual pressure for 60 minutes. When time is up, release pressure naturally for 20 minutes.
If you have a 3 lb. roast, cook for 75 minutes. You don't need to change anything else.
If you would like, you can make a gravy from the broth. Remove the roast and put on a platter. Set the Instant Pot to saute. Combine a couple tablespoons of cornstarch or potato starch with enough water to make a thin paste. Drizzle it into the broth as you whisk continuously, until thickened.
Place inner pot into Instant Pot unit. Add ingredients. You can add a little salt and/or butter if you like. Put lid on and set to sealing mode. Set for pressure cook or manual setting for 4 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Manually release any remaining pressure and open lid.
Did you know that you can buy large bags of peeled, ready to use garlic from Sam’s and store the garlic in the freezer? Then just remove whatever your recipe calls for and use it like you would fresh garlic, except without the hassle of peeling it! This recipe is a wonderful way to use those bags of garlic. I roast a pound or so at a time, then mash them and store them in a jar in the refrigerator. Then, when I get ready to make something with garlic, I just take a spoonful out and add it to whatever I am making. It is so easy and very convenient!!!
I am in love with this recipe for cavatelli. It is a denser noodle than I normally enjoy, but it is relatively small shapes that are much neater for children to eat than the long strands of spaghetti. It goes extremely well with a hearty marinara sauce with meat. It is also fun to make. I made this the first time with our 3 1/2 year old granddaughter and she loved helping with it! She also loved how they tasted!
The cavatelli can be made up ahead of time and frozen, before boiling, in a single layer on a cookie sheet. No need to thaw before cooking.
Combine all ingredients in a mixer bowl. (I used a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, but probably any heavy duty mixer will do.) Mix until ingredients come together to form a ball. It may be necessary to add a little more water, but start with this and check it after it starts to come together. You don't want it too sticky, but you don't want it too dry either. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave on counter for about 30-60 minutes for the gluten to relax.
Divide dough into 4 portions and keep all unworked portions covered with plastic except what you are working with.
Flour your work surface and roll the first portion of dough into a long rope. Keep working on it until it is about 1/2" thick. Use a pastry scraper or knife, cut into somewhat equal lengths of about 1/3-1/2".
Flour your work surface. You can use a sushi rolling mat, a gnocchi board or just onto a cutting board or other work surface. I prefer the sushi rolling mat. I got mine on Amazon for $5. I can place a few pieces on the mat at a time.
Then using a pastry scraper or the back of a knife or even your thumb, press down on the pieces of dough and pull back. The dough will make a roll back on itself to make a cute tube shape.
Continue working the rest of the dough until all of it has been shaped into cavatelli.
You can go either direction on the sushi mat or the gnocchi board to get the pattern you desire. I like going the long way on the sushi mat.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and add sea salt liberally. I also added some olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
Boil the cavatelli for a few minutes, then remove from water.
This is excellent served with a hearty marinara sauce with meat and cheese.
Preheat oven to 400. Peel and cut carrots into 2-3" lengths. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, coarsely chop the garlic. After the carrots have baked for 30 minutes, remove from oven and add garlic. Stir to combine. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Recipe Notes
We buy peeled garlic from Costco in a large bag. Then it can be put in freezer and used as needed.
This is actually the start of my Breakfast Skillet (https://www.cherylsrecipes.net/recipe/breakfast-skillet/), but without the eggs and cheese. I make this often when I want a quick, healthy lunch. If you are watching your carbs, you can leave the potato out, although this is a very small potato anyway.
Heat cast iron skillet on stove. Add avocado oil.
Add potatoes and onions to skillet.
Let that cook while you prep the other veggies.
Add remaining veggies to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until they are cooked as desired.
I like to add roasted black sesame seeds to mine for extra flavor and nutrition.
Recipe Notes
Each serving contains 271 calories, 15 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 71 mg sodium, 1131 mg potassium (32%), 31 g carbs, 5 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 6 g protein, 44% vitamin A, 180% vitamin C, 9% calcium, 19% iron
