Instant Pot Shrimp
Shrimp is a delicious simple protein but tricky to make. This recipe violates only one Dr Dan principle in that it cannot be used as a “planover” as shrimp does not keep well even over night. Add this to a guacamole or as an extra protein in a soup, or just by themselves. Start with a 12-16 oz bag of frozen shrimp. Place in your steamer basket inside your Instant Pot. Add water ( 1 cup for 6 quart, 1.5 cups for 8 quart pot) Pressure cook high for 3 minutes, rapid release Enjoy!
Easy Instant Pot Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs are quick and nutritious, yet many people have difficulty making them perfectly. Here is a simple way to ensure they are perfectly cooked every time. First, put the trivet in the pot. Add 1 cup of water for a 6-quart pot, or 1.5 cups for an 8-quart Instant Pot. Add as many eggs as you like. Pressure cook high for zero minutes. On some pots you must choose one minute and hit cancel as soon as it reaches pressure, others will allow zero time and auto shutoff. Do not open the steam valve; let it sit. This is called “natural decompression.” Set a timer for 14 minutes if you want your yolks to turn out like this. I think these are slightly over cooked but it’s your egg, your choice. A ten minute rest time will turn out more like this; Reduce the decompression to six minutes and they will look like this; I like both six and ten minute versions. Here’s a side by side comparison; Your Instant Pot may cook differently than my eight-quart model. Try the six, ten, and fourteen minute settings and find your favorite. Once you find the settings you like, this method is perfectly repeatable and very easy. A caveat about eggs: Most eggs sold in the U.S. are inflammatory! It may be tempting to buy discount eggs, but please don’t. Eggs from high-volume factory farms come from chickens fed corn, soy, and often, chemicals to change the yolk color, as well as antibiotics. The best option is local farm eggs, if you can verify that the chickens roam around and feed themselves. Corn- and soy-free eggs are available at Sprouts and Whole Foods. “Pasture-raised” can also mean corn- and soy-fed, and “free-range” just means they have access to an open door. It does not mean they are actually on a pasture. Chickens are omnivores who prefer to eat insects. They do not naturally eat corn and soy. It’s worth paying more for quality eggs. Poor quality eggs will harm your nutrition.
Vegan Kimchi – a four flavor powerhouse
Kimchi is a popular Korean dish in the world of fermented vegetables. This version omits seafood and fish sauce, though they can be added if desired. The vegan version has a much lower odor profile while maintaining its nutritional value and unique flavors. Kimchi is famous for having all five flavors in one dish: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. However, this vegan version lacks umami, so consider adding mushrooms to achieve a more authentic taste. Place everything in a bowl and zero out the scale. Then, weigh everything. This will determine how much salt and chili flakes to add later. A 1.5-liter fermentation jar can hold up to 1,000 grams of raw ingredients, while a 2-liter jar can hold up to 1,500 grams. If your jar cannot hold all of your ingredients, adjust now before processing. The photo shows all of the ingredients except for the salt. Split and chop the napa cabbage, but save one leaf for the top. Roughly chop the onion and radish. Peel and slice the apple. Julienne the carrot, or just slice it. Finely chop the garlic and peeled ginger. Place all the chopped ingredients in a bowl and add 2% salt by weight of the original raw ingredients. Multiply your initial weight in grams by 0.02 or use the percentage function on a calculator. Sprinkle the salt on top, then mix by hand just like you would with sauerkraut. Let it sit while you clean your kitchen. Allowing a little time for the salt to work helps draw water out of the ingredients. Next, select your preferred level of spiciness with Korean gochugaru chili flakes. There is no substitute for this type of chili pepper. You can find them in Asian markets, but I buy mine on Amazon. Or, skip the chili flakes altogether and try “White Kimchi,” which is similar to the 3,000-year-old original. Peppers originated in the New World and were not included in traditional Old World cuisine. One tablespoon of gochugaru chili flakes equals spicy. Two tablespoons of gochugaru chili flakes equals hot. Three tablespoons of gochugaru chili flakes equals very hot. More? You’re on your own! Using either gloved hands or a large spoon, mix in the chili flakes. Add all the ingredients to a fermentation jar and pack them down with a kraut pounder as you go. Place the reserved whole Napa cabbage leaf on top, followed by the weight. Press down. If needed, make a 2% saltwater solution and use it to fill the jar until the water level is about an inch above the weight. Do not fill the jar all the way up. Kimchi expands quite a lot during fermentation. If the brine rises above the bubbler and comes out, simply remove the bubbler, wash it, refill it with water, and reinstall it. It is also a good idea to put paper towels and/or a tray under the fermenting kimchi. Now comes the hard part—you have to wait ten days. It will taste good after seven days, but the extra time allows the flavors to blend even better. While it’s not wrong to ferment it longer, I can’t promise that you’ll like the flavor. You might like it, though.
Top Sirloin Steak – sous vide and air fry affordable goodness
Another affordable cut of meat is top sirloin. You can buy a whole roast and cut your own steaks for even more savings. Even the grass-fed version is at the lower end of the price spectrum. When cooked sous vide and then dry-brined and air-fried, it has the texture of a New York strip steak, but with a bit less flavor. A generous amount of salt helps boost the flavor, but it will never reach NY or Kansas City strip levels. Start with your vacuum-sealed, frozen top sirloin steaks. Place a small trivet on the bottom, add the steaks, and then add water. Fill your sous vide with about two inches of water above the steaks. I like to put a small plate on top to keep them from floating. Set the temperature to 131°F and the time to 2.5 hours (for frozen meat) or 2 hours (for fresh meat). When finished cooking, remove the steaks from the bag and place them on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Sprinkle coarse salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides, then dry brine in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. To finish, place them in your air fryer on high and fry for 10 minutes.
“Palmaroni” and cheese – wheat free comfort!
In the cold winter months, nothing hits the spot like a warm meal. Macaroni and cheese is a classic, but it contains a lot of wheat. This version uses Palmini linguine noodles made from hearts of palm—yes, a vegetable! The cheese, flavor, and texture are all authentic. Now, you can enjoy a low-inflammatory version of this classic dish! Ingredients: 2 packages Palmini Linguini noodles 8 oz A2 Grass-fed raw sharp chedder (try for grass-fed even if not A2/A2) 8 oz of grass-fed classic jack or chili jack cheese, split into two parts. The Origin brand is so creamy! 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon each garlic and mustard powders 1 cup grass-fed half and half or heavy cream 2-4 tablespoons grass-fed butter Pork King Good Pork Rind Crumbs (original flavor) Begin by soaking the Palmini noodles in water. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a stainless steel pot, shred 8 ounces of cheddar cheese and 4 ounces of pepper jack cheese. Add them to the pot with the half-and-half and spices. Slowly melt the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring often. Once the cheese has melted completely, drain the noodles and place them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Spread them out and bake for 5-10 minutes until dry. It’s important to dry the noodles before adding them to the cheese mixture so the cheese incorporates properly and doesn’t become runny. While the noodles are drying, increase the heat until the cheese mixture comes to a boil. Watch carefully and turn off the heat as soon as the mixture begins to bubble. Transfer the dry Palmini noodles to a 9×13 Pyrex baking dish. Pour the cheese mixture over the noodles, spreading it around to cover all the noodles and blend it in. Sprinkle the remaining 4 oz of Jack cheese on top, followed by the pork rind crumbs. Bake until bubbling, about 10-15 minutes. Then, transfer to the top rack and broil until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Watch carefully and adjust the time according to your broiler.
Sous Vide Flat Iron Steak – a budget friendly cut
We all love ribeye steak. But with prices soaring, it’s difficult to feed a family. The flat iron steak is one of the more affordable cuts of meat to try. It’s a tougher cut of meat that’s perfect for sous vide cooking. Heat the water to 131°F and cook the steak sous vide for 1 hour and 30 minutes if it is fresh or thawed, or for 2 hours and 30 minutes if it is frozen. When finished cooking, remove the steak from the bag, sprinkle salt on both sides, and place it on a wire rack in the refrigerator for a dry brine. This can take as little as 30 minutes or as long as overnight. To finish, cook in a frying pan or on the grill for 2 minutes per side to achieve a nice color. Slice and enjoy! The flavor and texture is similar to a New York strip steak, but at half the price!
Instant Pot Salmon
This recipe for perfectly cooked salmon is as easy as it gets. Start with wild-caught salmon and sprinkle it with salt and any other seasonings you like. I often use turmeric. Place the salmon on a wire rack in a pan and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Add one cup of water to the pot. Cut the salmon into pieces that are easy to serve and place them in a steamer basket or on the Instant Pot trivet. Set the pot to high pressure for three minutes for well-done, or two minutes for soft, flaky salmon, and start cooking. Quick release and enjoy! The only limitation of this recipe is the small quantity, but the cooking time is short enough to empty and reload for another round.
Probiotic Dairy – AKA Healing Yogurt
Stay tuned to this post. I am working on recipes to make Dr. Davis style probiotic dairy. It is not technically a yogurt, but is made using the same techniques. The main difference is the use of specified bacteria and a fermentation time of 36 hours which increases bacterial numbers to the twelfth power! Commercial yogurt is not comparable. I’ll update this post with exact recipes and techniques as soon as I have them dialed in. I’ve talked about the benefits of fermented foods in the sauerkraut and kimchi sections. I’ve also warned about the raw components in milk that we don’t want to ingest. Fermented dairy is a different. The fermentation process reduces or eliminates the compounds we don’t want and adds in the beneficial compounds we do want. I’ve been experimenting with different types of bacteria and milk products and am not ready to post the winners just yet. I don’t have enough data yet to talk about some of the health claims but I can tell you this is the most delicious “yogurt” type food I have ever tasted. I won’t be buying much off the shelf yogurt anymore. As with all Dr. Dan recipes, until I have it in my normal food rotation I won’t post it. Basic recipe: I start with grass-fed half-and-half or heavy cream. I then mix in an L. reuteri or L. crispatus starter with two teaspoons to a tablespoon of inulin. Blend well, then top up the container with grass-fed whole fat cow’s milk. I usually place the container in the yoghurt maker before topping up. Repeat this process for the second bowl, then snap on the lids and add water. Fill it almost to the top — just shy of 3.5 cups in my machine. Place the cover on. Plug in the machine, set the temperature to 98°F (37°C) and set the timer for 36 hours. These are human strains of bacteria, so we want to use body temperature. Pay attention to your start time because of its effect on the finish time. For example, if you start at 6 pm on Monday, the fermentation will finish at 6 am on Wednesday. We don’t want the fermentation to exceed 36 hours. Shorter fermentation times will work, but the bacteria count won’t be the same. The goal of a 36-hour fermentation is to double the bacteria 12 times, so that there are hundreds of billions! Once finished, I prefer to strain it using a yoghurt strainer (Greek style). I like how thick and creamy it becomes. It’s delicious, and I’ve been eating it daily. I’m still working on the health claims and will have more to say on this later.
Malanga and Elephant Taro Root Air Fries
Malanga root can be found in Asian or Latin markets. It resembles a large, brown, furry carrot. Malanga root and elephant taro root can be found in Asian and Latin markets. Elephant taro can grow to be enormous — I once bought a 15-pound root! Check for soft spots, as they are prone to mold. Both roots are prepared the same way and produce delicious, yet different, fries. Begin by peeling off the outer skin with a potato peeler. Both contain oxalates that must be detoxified before consumption. Do not eat either of these raw. I have not had any issues handling them with my bare hands, but some people are sensitive to oxalates and should wear gloves during preparation. The malanga will feel slimy. Just rinse it under water as needed so that it doesn’t slip out of your hands. The skin on both roots peels easily. Cut into fry wedges and or thin chips. Rinse in water and drain the water. Place it in a strainer basket in your Instant Pot and pressure cook it for 5-6 minutes. The cooking time depends on how much root is in the pot and how they are cut. Fries usually need 6 minutes while the thin chip style does well with 5 minutes. It is better to do two batches than stuff the basket very full. Both should be fork-tender when done. Avoid overcooking, or they will fall apart. If you overcook them, you can mash and season them like mashed potatoes. If they are undercooked, add another cup of water to the Instant Pot and pressure cook for one more minute. Pour them onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Let them cool. Place them on a baking sheet and freeze overnight. The next day, break them off and bag them up for later. Remove from the freezer and place directly into the air fryer pan on parchment paper. Here they are in the air fryer, covered in olive oil. Malanga is on the left and taro is on the right. Take a close look at the preparation. Simply douse it with olive oil and salt. Here are the finished, crispy fries. Notice the color of the taro and the brown exterior of the malanga. Both roots have a lower glycemic index and are higher in fiber and nutrients than potatoes.
The Sprungl Brunsli
Many years ago, Dr. Dan had a friend named Jeff. Jeff owned a business that imported Swiss chocolate. I had the idea to use that chocolate for brownies. After nearly two years of experimenting, the final result was a success. Of course, this was the 1980s, when we thought that sugar and wheat flour were great. As tasty as the original recipe is, I can’t recommend it today. With the help of Grok AI, I modified the original recipe and substituted healthier ingredients. The result is a brownie that is nearly identical to the original but without the wheat and sugar. However, it still contains refined flours (blanched almond and sorghum), so it is a source of carbohydrates. If you occasionally must have a sweet treat, then give this recipe a try. side note: cocoa is processed cacao beans. Cacao is the pure ground beans. I recommend five 50-gram bars of Lindt 100% cocoa (250g total). You can use another brand of 100% cocoa, but you may need to adjust the amount of butter. For pure cacao powder, use 170 grams of powder and 200 grams of butter. I haven’t found another brand that delivers an amazing chocolate flavor like genuine Lindt. These brownies get their name from the original Lindt & Sprungli chocolate. 250g 100% Cocoa 175g grass fed butter (A2/A2 if you can find it) 170g allulose 4 eggs (corn and soy free if you can get them) 50 g blanched almond flour 50 g sorghum flour 1/2 teaspoon gluten free baking powder (Otto’s naturals grain-free) 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract (vanilla, water, alcohol – no sugar) Method Preheat oven to 325 F Using a double boiler (water in the bottom pot, butter and cacao in the upper pot) melt the butter and cacao together. Stir as it melts and make sure it is completely blended before next step. While butter/cacao are melting, beat the 4 eggs with the 2 teaspoons vanilla in a bowl. Set aside. Weigh the 50g almond and 50g sorghum flour. Add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon salt and mix well. Set aside. Weigh the 170g allulose. Once the butter and cacao are fully melted and mixed into a ganache, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the boiling water. Mix in the allulose. This step is critical because it will remove enough heat to safely add the eggs without cooking them. Once the allulose has completely dissolved, pour in the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. This combination will look greasy but will hold together. Scrape the sides well, then add the remaining dry ingredients via a sifter or strainer.. Mix well to blend in all the dry ingredients. Scrape the sides as needed. Line an 8×8-inch metal pan with parchment paper and pour in the batter. Spread it evenly and let it rest for about 10 minutes. For thinner brownies use a 9×9 inch metal pan. Glass bakes different and won’t have the same result, use metal with parchment paper. Bake the 8×8 inch pan for 22 minutes, the 9×9 inch pan 20 minutes at 325 F. Remove and let cool. Then, remove them from the pan and cut them into whatever size squares you prefer. I like to make 16 cubes. Place in a glass container and refrigerate once completely cooled. The flavor and texture will improve over the next several days.