BBQ Beef Short Ribs in Instant Pot over Spaghetti Squash

A few years ago, on Amazon Prime Day, in a moment of weakness, I purchased the mysterious Instant Pot that everyone has been raving about. I unboxed it about a month later and did the boiling water test. And that it just set there for a while. And all I make in there is boring things like oatmeal and eggs and chickpeas. And while I do like it, it, for me, it has been a slow sloooooow learning curve. Saw a version of this recipe and decided to try it. It was a fast weeknight dinner and a huge hit so I figured I would share. The original recipe had both the spaghetti squash and the meat cooking in the IP but I roasted the squash in my Breville while the meat cooked.

Ingredients
2 shallots chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 pounds of boneless beef short ribs
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 spaghetti squash
Cooking Oil (I use grape seed oil)


Spaghetti Squash
Wash/Dry Piece a few small holes
Microwave for 2 minutes to soften
Cut in half and scoop out seeds
Roast face down for about 1/2 hour at 420, flip over face up and roast another 10-20 minutes till soft.
        *I used my Breville for this but it would be just fine in a regular oven
Scoop out the spaghetti like flash, add seasoning and keep warm.

Beef Short Ribs

Brown cut up short ribs about 2 minutes per side. I used a regular pan not IP for this.
But you can also use the IP saute feature. When cooked, add to IP. You may want to do this in batches to not crowd the meat.

Sauté 2 chopped shallots and 2 garlic cloves in a little oil. Added to IP.

Added 1 cup BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, quarter cup of water to IP. Used Meat/Stew setting for 30 mins. I think next time I would go 5 minutes longer. Use Natural Release (aka wait till you can open the pot). This came out quite saucy. If you would like, you can simmer it a bit to thicken the sauce. I did this in another pot on the stovetop (bc IP newbie). Taste the sauce, you may want to add a bit of sugar to it at this point if you like the sauce a bit sweeter.

Serve over the cooked warm spaghetti squash. As you may be able to see in my photo, I also added a bit of already cooked chickpeas and quinoa. Because you know, us working moms want to spread that delicious meal into 2 days.

Voila. Drop me a note and let me know how you like it.

Balsamic Glazed Turkey Meatloaf with Zucchini

In addition to helping me get more organized with my recipes, an unexpected benefit of the blog has been challenging me to try new recipes! This tasty turkey meatloaf was a big hit the first time I made in January of this year and I has become a frequent flyer in my cooking rotation. In fact, it has been requested by my older daughter several times.

There is a bit of prep but it makes about 8 generous servings and the leftovers freeze extremely well!

Ingredients:
2 pounds of lean ground turkey
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
1 large or 2 medium zucchinis diced into small pieces
1 cup panko (I used whole wheat panko)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps aged balsamic vinegar 
5 smashed garlic cloves
1-2 chopped shallots (optional)
Cooking spray (I used coconut from Trader Joe's)
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
1 large egg lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley or  2 tablespoons of dry
3/4 cup ketchup divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup (I used Annie's brand)

Preheat over to 425 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Saute garlic for a minute till it becomes aromatic, add shallots if using, cook another minute. Add chopped zucchini and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt and 1/4 teaspoon of  red pepper flakes.

Set aside to cool (though I never have enough time for this step).

In the meantime, in a large bowl, whisk egg, add parsley. 

Add turkey, panko, cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and cooled zucchini mixture. Mix until combined, best done by hand. Don't over mix.

Spray a 9 x 5 inches loaf pan with cooking spray. Press turkey mixture into it. 

In a small bowl, prepare your graze by combining  1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4  cup balsamic, 1/4 teaspoon of  red pepper flakes. Brush glaze over entire loaf.

Bake for about 1 hour. Internal temperature for well done is 165 F. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. I served this with a side of sauteed kale. 

For freezing, I wrapped individual slices in foil and froze. Defrost in fridge, use oven to reheat. 

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flays Vegetable Meatloaf