A Grateful Meal

Meal Prep

How to Make Instant Pot Basmati Rice

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This blog post covers how to make Instant Pot Basmati Rice. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer brown or white rice, this recipe works for both!

Truth is, as much as I love to cook and feel that I’m a pretty decent cook, I am terrible at making rice – or at least I used to be. I especially struggled with brown rice – it just never turned out right until I started using my Instant Pot. I think one of the reasons I used to be bad at making rice is that I used to peek and lift the lid of the pot, which you are never supposed to do. What can I say? I’m impatient. 

One of the first things that I made in my Instant Pot, when I got it years ago, was rice. I was initially skeptical about having an Instant Pot in the first place, but how easy and foolproof rice was to make in the Instant Pot sold me. (Don’t worry, I have since discovered the many more benefits of owning an Instant Pot.) I love that I can set it and forget it. Whole grain rice doesn’t take forever as it does on the stove thanks to the pressurization. Plus, there is the fact that I can’t mess it up by “peeking” on the rice. 

So, I thought I’d put together a tutorial on making one of my favorite rice varieties, basmati. It’s fragrant, nutty, and goes perfectly with my Vegan Tikka Masala with Chickpeas. 

Brown and white instant pot basmati rice on a white background.

What you’ll need:

  • Basmati rice: You can use white or brown basmati rice. Did you know that white rice is just merely the inner carbohydrate part of brown rice? Brown rice has retained its outer layer and thus has B-vitamins and more fiber than it’s white counterpart. There is nothing wrong with preferring one or the other. Both are a good source of carbohydrates and energy. One just happens to retain extra vitamins and fiber.  
  • Liquid: Clearly, you could just water for the liquid portion of cooking the rice, but if you want to add more flavor switching to a broth or stock like chicken, beef, or vegetable will add more flavor to otherwise bland food. Basmati rice does have some fragrance to it and more flavorful than you’re typical rice. 
  • Seasonings: You could certainly spice up the rice any way you’d like, but adding at least a pinch of salt adds some flavor. 
  • Oil: Adds some flavor and a more creamy mouthfeel to the rice. Olive oil or butter are my usual choices. 

How to Make Instant Pot Basmati Rice

When it comes to the Instant Pot, the high-pressure setting is your friend. It gets the job done SO much faster! It might seem a little scary, but the Instant Pot makes it perfectly safe compared to the old pressure cookers of yesteryear. Simply dump all of your ingredients in the Instant Pot, make sure the pressure release knob is sealed, and that’s it. Because brown rice retains more fiber, it takes longer to cook, even with the high-pressure setting. Here is a breakdown of the cooking settings that I use: 

  • Brown rice: use the manual setting on high pressure to cook for 25 minutes. The rice button on the Instant Pot is typically used for white rice. 
Bowl of brown instant pot basmati rice with a cilantro garnish.
  • White rice: use the manual setting on high pressure for 12 minutes, or use the default rice setting (on my model it’s 12 minutes on high pressure). 
Bowl of white instant pot basmati rice with a cilantro garnish.

Also, you can use the quick release on this Instant Pot Basmati Rice if you’re in a hurry, but the texture will be best if you let it naturally release for at least 10-15 minutes. 

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Instant Pot Basmati Rice

Brown and white instant pot basmati rice on a white background with an instant pot next to it.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes for brown rice; 12 minutes for white rice
  • Total Time: 17-30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: side dish
  • Method: Instant Pot
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of basmati rice (brown or white)
  • 3 ½ cups of liquid (water or broth)
  • ½ tsp. salt (plus other seasonings, if desired)
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter

Instructions

  1. Put all of the ingredients in the Instant Pot. Cover with lid and seal the pressure release knob.
  2. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes for brown rice and high pressure for 12 minutes for white rice.
  3. Allow the pressure to release naturally (ideally 10-15 minutes) before serving.

Keywords: side dish, instant pot

Instant Pot Carne Asada

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This Instant Pot Carne Asada is full of fresh flavors like citrus, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, and is SUPER easy to make.

I love carne asada. Carne asada means grilled beef in Spanish. While I usually would grill my steak to make carne asada, I’m taking a slightly different approach and not using my grill. Instead, I decided to try making Instant Pot Carne Asada for those times that I don’t feel like firing up the grill, or the weather isn’t grilling-friendly. 

Platter of Instant Pot Carne Asada sliced up with cilantro garlic sauce and tacos on the side.

This recipe is super easy. It involves making a quick marinade, then cooking quickly in the Instant Pot under high pressure. The marinade helps tenderize and flavor the meat, and the high pressure from the Instant Pot helps tenderize and cook quickly. 

Carne Asada Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need:

  • Lime and orange juice: The acid in the citrus juice helps tenderize the meat. Plus, the sweetness from the fruit balances the acid. 
  • Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire has an umami flavor similar to beef, which makes it perfect for including in a beef marinade. 
  • Olive oil: This gives the steak a nice coating of oil to help prevent sticking in the Instant Pot. Plus, flank steak can be lean, so the fat helps with flavor. 
  • Jalapeño: A hot pepper for a little heat. If you’re heat adverse, you can skip the seeds to ease up on the spiciness factor. 
  • Cilantro: Cilantro adds a fresh burst of flavor to the marinade. 
  • Garlic cloves: You can leave the garlic cloves whole if you’d like to make it easier or you can mince them. If you use them whole, just give them a little smash before throwing them in the marinade. 
  • Seasonings and spices: A little chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper round out the Latin-inspired flavors.  Flank steak: Flank steak can be a bit tough, so that’s why this recipe marinates the steak for a few hours before cooking. Also, you’ll need to make sure to cut the steak into pieces that will fit in your Instant Pot – see below. 
Close of instant pot carne asada on a platter with cilantro garlic sauce drizzled on top.

How to Make Instant Pot Carne Asada

  • First, you make the marinade by combining all of the ingredients except for the steak into a large shallow dish that can be covered or a large ziplock bag.
  • Before putting the flank steak into the marinade, make sure that the steak is cut into pieces small enough to fit the length of your Instant Pot. For example, I used a little less than 2 lbs. of steak, and I only had to cut my steak into two pieces before cooking. 
  • Once you’ve marinated the steak for at least 4 hours, you’ll sear the steak in the Instant Pot using the sauté feature. Note: don’t discard the marinade!
  • After the steak is browned on all sides, you’ll add the marinade to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for about 4-5 minutes for a medium-well steak (3-4 minutes should get you medium). Use the quick release to depressurize the Instant Pot. 
  • Allow the steak to rest for about 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain, meaning slice in the opposite direction of the muscle fibers. This helps break up the tough muscle of the flank steak, making it more tender and easier to eat. If you’re going to use the carne asada for tacos, you definitely want nice thin strips of meat rather than big tough chunks. 
  • After you’re done, you’ll want to drizzle some of my cilantro garlic sauce on the steak. You can check out the link or the recipe card has a link as well. It technically could be optional, but really, it’s not optional. At least in my opinion. 
Platter of Instant Pot Carne Asada sliced up with cilantro garlic sauce and tacos on the side.

How to Serve Carne Asada

Tacos are my favorite vehicle for this Instant Pot Carne Asada. I’ve included my favorite taco toppings in the notes section of the recipe. But, this steak recipe would be equally good served up on a burrito bowl, salad, or just by itself with a side of rice and beans. You really can’t go wrong any which way you eat it. 

Close up of a taco with instant pot carne asada.
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Instant Pot Carne Asada

Platter of instant pot carne asada with cilantro garlic sauce drizzled on top and a jar of the sauce on the side.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 4 hours
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours, 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: beef
Scale

Ingredients

  • juice of 2 limes
  • juice of 1 orange
  • 3 tbsp. Worcestershire
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 jalapeño, chopped (with or without seeds) 
  • ½ cup packed cilantro
  • 3 garlic cloves (whole or minced)
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder 
  • 1 tsp. oregano 
  • salt/pepper
  • 1 ½ –2 lbs. of flank steak, cut into pieces that will fit into your Instant Pot
  • cilantro garlic sauce, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients together. Allow to marinate for 4 hours. 
  2. Preheat Instant Pot on the sauté feature. Sear steak on all sides in Instant Pot (save marinade). Add marinade to Instant Pot to deglaze. Cook steak in the marinade on high pressure for 4-5 minutes for medium-well steak, then quick release Instant Pot valve. 
  3. Allow steak to rest on cutting board for 7-10 minutes. Slice against the grain. Serve with cilantro garlic sauce. 

Notes

To aim for a medium-well steak, aim for 4-5 minutes on high pressure for thicker steaks.

If your steak is thinner, decrease the time to 3 minutes for medium-well. 

If you’re making carne asada tacos – try the following toppings/fixings:

  • Extra cilantro, in addition to the cilantro garlic sauce
  • Red onion
  • Guacamole or avocado
  • Crumbled queso fresco or cojita cheese
  • Corn or flour tortillas 

Keywords: beef, carne asada, tacos, Instant Pot

Cilantro Garlic Sauce

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This cilantro garlic sauce is light, fresh, and citrusy, making the perfect sauce that you can use as a salad dressing or drizzle on just about anything. 

I’m always looking for a good sauce or dressing to liven up my meals. Especially during warmer weather, I’m looking for sauces that taste light, fresh, and citrusy. This Cilantro Garlic Sauce is the perfect combination of all three qualities. Made with ingredients that I almost always have on hand, it’s easy to whip up at a moment’s notice to jazz up a boring meal. Plus, if you’re like me, you buy cilantro for recipes but have a hard time using it all up before it goes bad. This sauce will use up all of that leftover cilantro that you have hanging out in your vegetable crisper. 

Jar of cilantro garlic sauce surrounding by a spoon, limes, garlic clove, and cilantro on a white counter.

Ingredients for Cilantro Garlic Sauce

  • Cilantro: Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs. If you add it to anything, it instantly makes it taste fresher. Some people love it; others hate it. Me? I’m squarely in the LOVE it camp. I definitely don’t taste soap when eating cilantro. 
  • Plain yogurt: Plain yogurt adds a little sour tang to the sauce or dressing. You can use Greek or regular yogurt; it doesn’t matter. I used Greek yogurt. But it is essential to get the PLAIN yogurt – you don’t want to add vanilla yogurt to this sauce accidentally. That would not be good.
  • Garlic clove: Raw garlic is super pungent, so I found that adding just one small-medium clove is a perfect balance. If you have a larger clove, I would only use half. 
  • Lime juice: Just like cilantro, lime juice adds a fresh flavor and vibe to anything. I prefer fresh, but if you only have bottled, it’ll do. 
  • Olive oil: When you blend everything in the food processor or blender, adding a little fat from olive oil emulsifies the sauce making it extra creamy and rich. A little goes a long way, so this recipe only calls for two tablespoons. 
  • Seasonings (salt and cayenne): A pinch of salt goes perfectly with the cilantro, lime, and garlic. I like a little heat, so I used 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. It’s just the right amount to give a kick without being all out spicy. 
Food processor bowl with cilantro, lime juice, cayenne pepper, yogurt, and garlic inside the bowl getting ready to be made into cilantro garlic sauce.

How to Make the Sauce 

If you can push a button, you can make this sauce. Everything is added directly into the food processor or blender bowl and pureed until entirely smooth. Once you’re done, inspect the sauce to ensure that the garlic is chopped very finely, so you don’t end up taking a big bite of raw garlic later. If you want to be sure that the garlic is fully pureed, try mincing the garlic before blending. 

How to Use the Sauce

While this recipe is called a cilantro garlic sauce, I like to use it as a dressing as well. If you’re looking for a fresh, tangy dressing to use on salads, this is the ticket. I like blending this up on Sundays when I do some meal prep to use throughout the week. You can use it for:

  • Drizzling on tacos or burrito bowls – it’s an absolute must for my Instant Carne Asada
  • Tossing salads
  • As a dipping sauce 
  • As a marinade for meats 
  • The possibilities are endless! 
Jar of cilantro garlic sauce with a spoon in the jar and cilantro in the background on a white counter.
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Cilantro Garlic Sauce

Jar of cilantro garlic sauce surrounding by a spoon, limes, garlic clove, and cilantro on a white counter.

This cilantro garlic sauce is light, fresh, and citrusy, making the perfect sauce that you can use as a salad dressing or drizzle on just about anything. 

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 small jar 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • ½ cup chopped cilantro stems removed
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Pinch of salt 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne (optional for spice)

Instructions

Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Serve or refrigerate for up to 1 week. 

Notes

When storing in the fridge for up to 1 week, mild separation may occur. Simply shake or stir until re-incorporated. 

Keywords: dressings, sauces

Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce

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These mini chicken meatloaves with pineapple BBQ sauce are perfect for meal prep. You can make a batch (or two) for the week ahead or freeze for later. The pineapple, which is a natural meat tenderizer, makes the meatloaves pillowy soft and gives a tropical feel in the BBQ sauce. Clearly, I have a thing for tropical fruit inspired BBQ sauces. 

Close up of Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce on a plate

Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce Ingredients

You’ll need:

  • Scallions: You’ll need the white and green parts, but keep them separate. Make sure to chop these fine – especially the white parts, which will go into the meatloaves before cooking. You chop them fine because you don’t want to bite into a huge chunk of scallion. 
  • Ground chicken: Chicken is a natural choice to go with pineapple. You can also choose ground pork, which would work out perfectly. 
  • Ginger: Grate or mince the ginger finely. If you don’t have fresh ginger available, dried ground ginger will work fine as well, but use 1 tsp. of ground ginger in place of the 1 tbsp. of fresh ginger. 
  • Oatmeal: Oatmeal works perfectly to help bind the ground meat. You can use panko bread crumbs instead of oatmeal if you prefer. 
  • Egg: This works with the oatmeal to bind the meatloaves together.
  • Crushed pineapple: As I mentioned before, pineapple is a natural meat tenderizer and keeps the meatloaves from becoming tough. Plus, it adds a sweet Hawaiian/tropical note to the BBQ sauce by using some of the pineapple juice. 
  • Ketchup: The basis of some of the most delicious BBQ sauces – it’s sweet tomato-y flavor can’t be beaten.  
  • Seasonings: Garlic powder, salt, and pepper round out the seasonings for these meatloaves. 
Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce on a plate with sweet potato fries

What to serve on the side

I served these with baked sweet potato fries, but you also can’t go wrong with these Grilled Potato Salad Skewers with Zucchini or my Caramelized Corn and Green Bean Skillet. The corn and green bean skillet recipe is one of my top recipes of all time. They both would go perfectly with these Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce. 

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Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce

Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce in a Muffin Tin
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
  • Total Time: 35-45 minutes
  • Yield: 12 mini meatloaves 1x
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped, separated
  • 1 lb. ground chicken
  • 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
  • 1/2 cup of oatmeal
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 small can (8 oz.) of crushed pineapple, drained and keep the juice
  • 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, divided
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 4 tbsp. ketchup
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 12 cup muffin tin. 
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the white parts of the scallion, ground chicken, fresh ginger, oatmeal, egg, crushed pineapple, 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix the contents until just incorporated. Divide evenly amongst the muffin tin.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix ketchup, 1 tbsp. of pineapple juice, 2 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce together. Season with salt and pepper. Brush ketchup mixture on top of mini meatloaves. 
  4. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until thermometer reaches 165 degrees F. 
  5. Top of green part of scallions. Serve. 

What You Should Know About Meal Plans

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I’ve been asked countless times in my nearly 7 years as a dietitian, “can you give me a meal plan?” The simple answer is no. Me giving someone an inflexible, rigid plan to follow for however long never ends well. It sounds great in theory, but it never works because it can’t factor in cravings, activity, stress, and a million other factors that I can’t anticipate. A better question is “how do I meal plan?” Meal plan or meal planning is most effective when it’s an action, not an object that you get from someone that doesn’t know your needs or preferences. I teach clients how to meal plan and offer a meal planning service tool that helps them stay organized. I may offer suggestions if a client is having trouble with ideas, and my service is chock-full of meal and snack ideas. Still, ultimately it’s not me that makes the meal or snack choice – it’s YOU. 

Two containers of meal prepped food with the title "What You Should Know About Meal Plans"

By having the skill to anticipate your own needs, wants, and challenges, you’re better equipped to handle the million extra factors that may or may not come into play throughout your week. You’ll have a plan, which means you’ll be prepared and more likely to make healthy choices, but you’ll also know how to be flexible, work through challenges, and know when it’s okay to change directions. It’s the idea of giving a man a fish to feed himself for the day vs. teaching a man to fish to feed him for a lifetime. 

Here are 3 tips on how to start meal planning:

  • If you don’t usually plan your week, start with just 2-3 meals per week to prep and/or plan. It can feel much less daunting than planning your every move throughout the week. If you’re already meal planning some, but want to increase, then pick a couple of extra meals to plan or prep.
  • Buy 2-3 items to jazz up leftovers throughout the week. Maybe you had chicken tacos one night, but throwing in some BBQ sauce and putting the same meal on top of rice instead of tortillas can make leftovers feel like a brand new meal.
  • BE FLEXIBLE. I cannot stress this enough. It’s okay if plans change, it’s okay if you decide on something else. I see a lot of people that beat themselves up for “not sticking to the plan.” It’s fine. The plan is more of a guide, not a rigid rulebook.

As I mentioned before, I offer a meal planning service through a simple and easy to use software. You have complete control over what you choose for the week. Once you pick out your recipes for the week, then a grocery list is generated. You can simply check off what you already have at home, then print or view on your phone for stress-free grocery shopping. Hop over to my meal planning page, and grab your free 3-day trial (no credit card required)!

Two containers of meal prepped food with the title "What You Should Know About Meal Plans"

Chicken Soup with Buttermilk Dill Dumplings

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Overview of chicken soup with buttermilk dill dumplings on top of a cloth napkin
This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Last week I came down with something fierce. So fierce that I canceled my connecting flight home so I could get some rest in a Baltimore airport hotel for the night to regroup for my flight the following day. Eighteen hours later, I was so happy to be home that I could have kissed the ground in Charleston. While it was a balmy 70 degrees in Charleston last week, I was freezing thanks to my neverending low-grade fever, but I wanted soup. 

Just like my Italian Wedding Soup, this Chicken Soup with Buttermilk Dill Dumplings is perfect to have around for the long, cold days of winter and all the illnesses that tend to pop up. It’s warm, comforting, and requires minimal effort thanks to my Instant Pot. Before my Instant Pot, a soup like this could take hours to simmer to get the chicken perfectly tender and the broth perfectly seasoned. 

Close up of chicken soup with buttermilk dill dumplings on top of a cloth napkin

Not only is my method easy, but I use something special to make my dumplings. Pancake mix. Yep, good ol’ fashioned pancake mix, specifically the buttermilk kind for the fluffiest of pancakes. One day when I thought I had all of the ingredients to make this soup, I was entirely out of flour. However, what I did have is a giant box of buttermilk pancake mix. The mix has leavening ingredients to make them “rise” or “fluff up” when they cook. If you choose a pancake mix that also has dehydrated buttermilk, the dumplings will be super tender in texture. I could technically make dumplings from scratch and include regular buttermilk, but first of all, it’s easier and just as enjoyable to use the mix. And second, I always end up with a half-used buttermilk container, and it always feels wasteful. 

Now since the buttermilk makes the dumpling fluffy, what can we add to buttermilk dumplings extra flavor? Why, dill, of course! Buttermilk was made to be paired with dill (hey, any ranch dressing lovers out there?), so naturally, I included some dried dill in the dumplings. A little goes a long way with dill in terms of flavor. The buttermilk dill dumplings add a nice punchy flavor to the soup. 

Soups are also a great place to sneak in extra nutrition. For example, I threw in some hearty, winter greens like kale to add a nice dose of vitamins A, K, C, and B vitamins (B6 and B9 [folate]) as well as fiber. You can also up the fiber dose even more by using a whole-grain buttermilk pancake mix for the dumplings.  

Overview of chicken soup with buttermilk dill dumplings on top of a cloth napkin

This recipe is tried and true in my household. So trust me when I say, you can’t mess this one up. It’s indestructible. It also makes a lot, so if you’re trying to do some batch cooking for meal prep, this is a perfect recipe. 

Don’t forget if you’re loving these recipes, sign up for the email list. Not only do I share when new recipes release on the blog, but you get exclusive content that’s not shared on the blog. For example, this past week, my email list received an email about How to Grocery Shop with No Plan. Next week, we’ll be covering how to create balanced meals and snacks, so don’t wait to sign up!

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Chicken Soup with Buttermilk Dill Dumplings

Overview of chicken soup with buttermilk dill dumplings on top of a cloth napkin
  • Author: Melissa
  • Total Time: 30-45 minutes
  • Category: Soup
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. oil 
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast and/or thighs, boneless, skinless 
  • 6 cups of chicken stock
  • 2 cups of buttermilk pancake mix
  • 1 tsp. dill
  • 2 tbsp. butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 bunch of kale, chopped, stems removed
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in Instant Pot on saute function. Add onion, celery, and carrots to oil and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and turn off saute function. 
  2. Add chicken to Instant Pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and cook on high pressure for 13 minutes. Quick-release the steam and pressure on the Instant Pot. Remove chicken from Instant Pot and shred meat. Set chicken aside. 
  3. Add kale to the hot chicken stock and stir. Mix together pancake mix and dill in a mixing bowl. Add butter and milk and mix until just incorporated. Take a spoon and drop batter by the spoonful into the hot chicken stock. Seal up Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Quick-release the steam and pressure again. 
  4. Add chicken back to soup and serve immediately.