Instant Pot Coconut Rice

Soggy, strangely sweet, and topped with bland tofu, my first experience with coconut rice was terrible. It was also my first experience with tofu, and that probably didn’t help. Being seven years old didn’t really lean in my favor, either. I remember picking at my bowl and barely eating, even though the rule in our family was “you eat this now or you go hungry.” 

I eventually learned to like tofu, but managed to steered clear of coconut rice for twenty years, traumatized by that experience. So, I’m not really sure what possessed me one day in February when I decided to make my own coconut rice. I shocked myself further when, halfway through the first bowl I thought, needs more coconut, and served myself seconds. 

It turns out, I love coconut rice. That first sample was far too long ago for me to remember what was wrong with it. But, now I find myself on quite the coconut rice kick — it’s the perfect side for Thai dishes. 

All you need is rice, water, coconut milk and a sprinkle of salt. I find that the salt is necessary because it keeps it savory rather than sweet. In other applications, maybe you would want to swing more sweet and in that case you could skip the salt.

Of course, cooking it in an Instant Pot (affiliate link) is also key, which is the only way I cook rice because it’s fool proof and SO EASY. (I’m a home cook that tends to get distracted, or maybe just tried to juggle too many things at once. Cooking rice on the stove is a gamble: Will she burn it this time? But cooking rice in the Instant Pot is right on the mark every time, no matter how many other things I’m trying to do.)

Instant Pot Coconut Rice goes wonderfully with this Thai Basil Beef, or any stir fry, really.

Instant Pot Coconut Rice

Published April 24, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

   |     Print This Recipe

Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 2 cups jasmine rice 
• 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1-2 pinches salt 
• 1/4 cup toasted coconut
• Minced cilantro or green onions for garnish

Directions:

1. Add rice, coconut milk, water, and salt to Instant Pot (affiliate link!) and set to Rice setting with the vent turned to the sealed position. Timer should be set for 12 minutes.
2. When timer goes off, open vent to release pressure. Serve hot topped with minced cilantro/green onions and/or toasted coconut.

Paleo Pork Ragu with Grain-Free Garlic Bread

View fullsize

This Sunday, it snowed. It snowed the big soft flakes that float in the air for longer than normal. The world was a flurry of white before it melted away (not long after touching the warmer ground), and the chill in the air seemed to make everyone pull their slow cookers out of storage. No really--we had a potluck and the counter was lined with slow cookers! 

This pork shoulder, slow cooked in a savory tomato sauce spiced with fennel, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf was actually Oliver's dish. But it was so perfect for the snowy weather, and paired so well with my dish--the garlic bread- that I have to post them both! Hours before dinner started, the entire house was smelling like spicy marinara and garlic bread, and with grumbling tummies we refrained from starting without our guests (it was hard!). 

Have you tried making anything out of yuca root? Until a few months ago I had only eaten it steamed. Who knew that are only a bit of mashing transformed yuca into a pizza dough-like goop, that's sticky and get this--even tossable, so you can work on your pizza dough throwing skills!  Once the dough is ready, I just brush on some garlic-infused avocado oil and pop it in the oven. 

View fullsize

Do you know what I had forgotten? How glorious it is to dip a chunk of bread into a brothy, savory stew, lapping up the last drops like it's your job. 

Now, before you run away, thinking all paleo "breads" have way to many ingredients for me, just hear this one out. The bread technically only has three (yes THREE) ingredients. Are you ready for this one? 

Pork Ragu

1-1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 small white onion

4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup dry red wine

2 large carrots

1 24-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 cup bone broth

1 tablespoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

Black pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

1. Slice the onions, and sauté with the coconut oil in the bottom of a large pan. Mince the garlic and add it to the pan. 

2. Add the pork shoulder, and brown each side. Once the onions are starting to turn brown and the pork is browned, add the wine. Allow to simmer off. 

3. Transfer everything to your slow cooker. Add the bay leaf. Grind the other spices, adding them in, along with the tomatoes, salt, and broth. 

4. Dice the carrots, and add them. Give everything a final stir and cover the pot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until pork is tender and comes apart when pulled with a fork. Serve hot. 

Grain-Free Garlic Bread

2 pounds yuca root (also called cassava)

3 tablespoons coconut flour

2 tablespoons coconut milk (canned, full fat, unsweetened)

For topping: 

1/4 cup avocado oil

4 garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

If you're new to yuca, you may want to watch this video to see how this process goes. 

1. Shuck the yuca. Chop off the hard ends and cut off the thick, waxy peel. Chop the root into small pieces. I generally do 3 inch long sticks that are about 3/4 of an inch thick.

2. Steam the yuca until soft. I use the pressure cooker, and cook them for 13 minutes. It's possible to do this on the stove top (boil the root instead of steaming it) but takes much longer). Test with a fork to ensure the root is tender-- otherwise, keep cooking! 

3. Remove the yuca from the pot. Place in a blender or KitchenAid stand mixer along with coconut flour and milk. I have found that the Yuca will actually burn out my blender rather quickly (it's think and sticky), and that the stand mixer does a better job, however, your blender may be different. (In some countries where yuca is a traditional dish, they just mash it by hand). 

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. 

5. Once the mash has turned into a smooth, even and gooey batter, use a spatula and scoop the dough into a pile on a baking sheet liner with parchment paper (or a silicon mat). Allow to cool long enough that it can be handled. Using your fingers, pull out the tough fibers bits (there's usually one or two dense fiber strings). If the dough is exceptionally sticky you have two options: allow it to cool more, or work coconut flour into the dough and grease up your hands with avocado oil.

6. Once the dough is smooth and workable, shape it into a pizza crust. Ensure that the dough is even. 

7. In a blender, combine garlic, salt and avocado oil. Pulse until garlic is well minced. Use a brush to spread this oil over the yuca dough. Pot the whole thing in the oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until the dough is crispy and the top is golden. Slice into breadsticks and serve warm. 

Smokey Sausage and Cabbage Soup

View fullsize

The fall equinox was officially yesterday, which means we can all start exclusively eating soup, casseroles, and occasional slices of pie, right? 

Many years ago, I asked my mom the classic question: "What food would you eat if you could only eat one thing?" 

"Soup," she said. You, like me, might be thinking, Hey! That's not fair! Soup is more than one thing. Her loophole in the system seemed like a cheap answer at the time, but it only took a few minutes before I decided it was, perhaps, the best answer. Especially considering the number of times her soups had the entire kitchen table begging for a the recipe. (She rarely gave it up: "Oh this? It's just everything we had in the fridge.")

Adopting her love of soup was quick and easy. Adopting her nonchalant soup attitude was not. How could I pretend my soup "just happened" when everyone knows I was likely spinning some sort of soup web of a recipe in the back of my head all day? Despite putting some planning into these cozy bowls, the recipe is incredibly simple. A handful of cheap ingredients, a swirl of smokey hungarian paprika, a dash of salt, and the deal is done. 

View fullsize

One thing my mom always (always) had in the fridge was Kielbasa. And while I do not remember ever just eating kielbasa, I do remember always finding smokey chunks of European sausage in my soups. Between the paprika broth and the smoked sausage chunks, this soup has a unique flavor that makes it seem like an age-old recipe handed down from some great-great-grandmother who would spend all day working on dinner. (Don't worry, it doesn't take all day to make this dinner. I made the soup pictured here one hour before class, snapped the pictures, and jumped in the car with a tupperware full). 

If you're a fan of paprikash, you know exactly what flavor I'm talking about. This is like paprikash in a soupy form, with sausage, stewn potatoes, and cabbage. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, it's okay--you'll figure it out when this soup fills your bowl and you start to feel like you've been transported back to some little kitchen in Eastern Europe. 

Let soup season in: I'm ready hungry!

View fullsize

Smokey Sausage and Cabbage Soup

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |    Print This Recipe

Simple and comforting.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 45 minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 small white onion
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 12 oz pork kielbasa
• 1/2 head cabbage
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1/2 pound frozen cauliflower florets (optional -- using an additional sweet potato instead is fine too)
• 7 cups bone broth
• 2 teaspoons salt
  
  Optional: For the Cabbage Chips:
• 10 cabbage leaves
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare the cabbage chips: Carefully tear the outermost leaves from the cabbage head, with out tearing them (some tears are OK- just aim for larger pieces). Use a knife to cut the thicker stem portion from each leaf. You want to cut out the parts that are thicker (and will therefor cook slower) than the rest of the leaf. Place the remain leaf pieces in a bowl, drizzle with avocado oil, and use your fingers to gentle work the oil around the bowl until it covers each leaf (they shouldn't be soaked, just lightly coated). Place the leaves in a single, flat layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven. For 15-20 minutes, or until the leaves become crisp, golden chips. Sprinkle cooked chips with salt. Set aside to cool.
2. While the chips cook, prepare the soup. Heat the coconut oil in the bottom of a large soup pot over medium heat. Mince the garlic, and dice the onion. Once the coconut oil is hot, add the onion and garlic to the pot. Sauté them until soft and the onions are translucent. Tip: Adding a dash of salt at this point will draw water out of the onions and shorten their cooking time (optional).
3. Slice the kielbasa into 1/4-inch rounds or half-circles. Add them to the pot, stirring briefly. While the sausage browns, dice the sweet potatoes and cabbage.
4. Deglaze the pan: Pour a cup of broth into the pot, and use a wooden spoon with a flat edge to scrape the bottom of the pot (releasing the good sauté flavors into your soup). Stir in the paprika.
5. Add the chopped potatoes, cabbage, and cauliflower florets to the pot. Pour in the remaining broth and salt. Cover pot and bring to a simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.