APPETIZERS AND DRINKS

Not only can you make party offerings quickly and easily in your pressure cooker, but you can also transport them well because the lid seals! No more sloshed hot chocolate or BBQ sauce in the backseat of your car. And reheating dips and drinks is a snap using the sauté setting.

Recipes

18 Chili Cheeze Dip
20 Middle Eastern Eggplant
Hummus
21 Creamy Salmon and Caper Dip
22 Bufalo Chicken Meatballs
23 Pesto Meatballs with
Balsamic Glaze
25 Smoky Turkey Meatballs with
BBQ Sauce
26 Quick and Easy BBQ
Chicken Wings
27 Smoky Hot Mixed Nuts
28 Sweet and Spicy
Teriyaki Wings
31 Sriracha Deviled Eggs
32 Apple-Cranberry Wassail
33 Creamy Hot Chocolate
for a Crowd
34 Gingered Apple Cider

Chili Cheeze Dip

When I was a kid, I loved mom's chili cheese dip — a simple concoction of chili con carne and Mexican cheese sauce that would drain a bag of tortilla chips faster than anything else. I created a paleo-friendly version of my favorite party dip that was met with lip smacks and finger licks and sighs of disappointment when the bowl was scraped clean.

Prep time 15 minutes
Pressure time 5 minutes
Serves 8-10

1 tablespoon (15 ml) bacon drippings,
ghee (page 234), or avocado oil
1 pound (455 g) ground beef
1 pound (455 g) ground pork
1 tablespoon (10 g) minced garlic
2 tablespoons (15 g) chili powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and diced
One 6-ounce (170 g) can tomato paste
2 cups (475 ml) beef broth, homemade
(page 242) or store-bought
1½ cups (355 ml) Spicy Nacho Sauce
(page 240)

1 Turn the cooker to the high sauté setting and add your fat of choice. When the cooker has preheated, add the ground meats. Cook, breaking it into bits, until the meat is fully cooked and begins to form crispy edges.

2 Add the rest of the ingredients (except the Spicy Nacho Sauce) and stir well.

3 Cover the cooker and close the steam valve. Set it to high pressure for 5 minutes. Release the pressure manually. The texture of the dip should be similar to an extra-thick chili. If there seems to be an excess of moisture in the dip, cook it on the sauté setting for a few minutes to cook off some of that liquid.

4 Transfer the chili dip to a large serving bowl. Drizzle the Spicy Nacho Sauce into the chili dip. You can either leave it swirled together or mix it together completely.

5 Serve with vegetable sticks, mini bell peppers, and/or baked vegetable chips.

Middle Eastern Eggplant Hummus

Eggplant is such a funny vegetable, with its foamy texture and dolphin-like skin. It really shines when it's cooked and blended with tahini, fresh lemon juice, and my Middle Eastern Seasoning blend — a legume-free alternative to hummus.

Prep time 5 minutes
Pressure time 5 minutes
Makes about 2½ cups (600 g)

3 tablespoons (45 ml) avocado oil
3 large cloves of garlic, smashed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoons Middle Eastern Seasoning
(page 245)
1 large eggplant, trimmed and cut into
2-inch (5 cm) pieces (peeling optional)
¼ cup (60 ml) chicken broth, homemade
(page 242) or store-bought, or water
1/3 cup (80 g) tahini
3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed
lemon juice
3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin
olive oil

1 Put the avocado oil in the cooker and set it to high sauté. When the pot has preheated, add the garlic, cumin, and Middle Eastern Seasoning. Cook for a minute and then add the eggplant, stirring to coat it in the spiced oil. Add the chicken broth.

2 Cover the pot and close the steam valve. Set the cooker to high pressure for 5 minutes. Release the pressure manually when it finishes.

3 Transfer the eggplant and any pot juices to a blender or food processor. Add the tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Taste and add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon, if needed.

4 Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve warm or at room temperature with crudités.

Creamy Salmon and Caper Dip

This creamy salmon dip can easily double as a salad! I love making a batch at the beginning of the week and pulling it out for a quick lunch alongside some bell pepper chunks or plantain chips or spooned into lettuce cups.

Prep time 15 minutes
Pressure time 4 minutes
Makes about 3 cups (710 g)

1 pound (454 g) fresh salmon fillets
½ teaspoon sea salt, divided
Generous pinch of black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
2 large lemons, divided
1 tablespoon (15 ml) melted ghee
(page 234) or grass-fed butter
1 cup (225 g) Paleo-Friendly Mayonnaise
(page 230), divided
2 heaping tablespoons (8 g) chopped
fresh dill or ½ teaspoon dried dill
1 tablespoon (9 g) capers, chopped
1 tablespoon (4 g) nutritional yeast
(optional)
4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 Prepare your cooker by putting 1 cup (235 ml) of water in the insert pot as well as the wire rack. Put the salmon fillets on the wire rack and sprinkle them with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, the pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the minced garlic.

2 Cut one of the lemons into slices and put 3-4 slices on the salmon.

Drizzle the ghee over the salmon and then close the lid and the steam valve.

3 Set the cooker to high pressure for 4 minutes. Use a quick release to manually release all the pressure.

4 Transfer the salmon to a plate.

Remove the skin from the back and break up the salmon with a fork, checking to see if there are any bones. Transfer the salmon to a medium bowl.

5 Add 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of lemon juice from the other lemon, 2/3 cup (157 g) of the Paleo-Friendly Mayonnaise, dill, capers, nutritional yeast, scallions, the remaining 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt.

6 Stir very well for a couple of minutes until the salmon is shredded finely and everything is thoroughly combined. Add a little more mayo, if you'd like the dip to be creamier.

7 Serve with crudités or spoon into lettuce cups for serving.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

I've always been more interested in the game day snack offerings than the actual sports event — whatever it might be. I'll shamelessly admit that I go for the food. These meatballs are a great addition to a game day spread and will please everyone, regardless of the degree of sports devotion.

Prep time 25 minutes Pressure time 5 minutes + 5...