Farro Grain Salad with Dried Cranberries, Feta and Pecans

1 cup uncooked farro

½ cup toasted pecans

½ cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup green onions, chopped

¼ cup parsley, chopped

1 ½ tbsp lemon juice

4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Black pepper

½ cup feta cheese

Place 2 cups of water, and uncooked farro in a NESCO Pressure Cooker. Cook on High Pressure for half the time of the instructions on the package. Let pressure come down naturally for five minutes, then quick release. Strain the farro and rinse with cold water.

Gently fold in all other ingredients. Serve either room temperature or chilled.

Recipe of the Week: Trail Mix

Don't waste money on expensive snacks at the gas station. Make your own healthy trail mix using your NESCO Dehydrator and Vacuum Sealer, perfect for those long summer road trips or packed lunches!

Ingredients:

1 package of raw cashews

1 package of raw almonds

1 package of raw peanuts

1 package of sunflower seeds

1 pineapple sliced in 1/2" to 3/4" thick pieces

1 package of fresh cranberries or cherries

1 Tbsp salt

Water

Directions:

Place the nuts in a bowl and add the salt. Cover with filtered water by at least 1½ inches. Soak at least 7 hours or overnight except the cashews - soak them for 6 hours exactly. Cashews will become too slimy after a prolonged soaking time.

Rinse the nuts thoroughly and drain in a sieve. Place them in a single layer on the dehydrator trays.

Dehydrate at 100°F for 24-36 hours. The timing varies depending on the nuts and seeds. Make sure your nuts/seeds are completely dry. Moisture can cause them to mold during storage. Set nuts aside.

Place a single layer of pineapple slices on the dehydrator trays.

Dehydrate at 135°F for 12-16 hours, turning the fruit after 8 hours to ensure even drying.

The dehydrated pineapple will be finished when it is firm, chewy, and lightly sticky. Vacuum seal and place in refrigerator until needed.

Wash cherries and pit them by slicing in half.

Place a single layer of cherry halves on the dehydrator trays.

Dehydrate at 125° F - 135° F for 9 -16 hours. Cherries are finished when they look plump, but not wet.

Combine dried nuts and fruit in a large bowl. Vacuum seal in desired portions for freshness.

Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week: Firecracker Wings in a Roaster Oven

Take a page from Uncle Sam's cookbook and try these Firecracker Wings at your Fourth of July celebration. Roasted to perfection in our Patriotic Roaster, there's no better way to show your love for the red, white, and blue!

 

 

Ingredients:

     3–5 lbs chicken wings
     6 cups water
     1 Tbsp cold water
     1 Tbsp cornstarch
       ¹⁄₄ cup kosher salt
       ¹⁄₂ cup chili sauce
     3 cloves of minced garlic
     1–3 tsp of chili powder (mild or hot depending on preference)
     1 cup honey
     2 Tbsp soy sauce
     Juice of one lime
     3 Tbsp siracha sauce
       ¹⁄₄ cup apple cider vinegar
       ¹⁄₄ cup minced ginger
     1 tsp sea salt
     1 Tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
     1–2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Preheat roaster to 425°F.

Make the garlic-chili sauce by combining the chili sauce, minced garlic, and chili powder. Spice to taste and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine water, salt, ¼ cup of the garlic-chili sauce, and ¼ cup of honey. Stir until salt and honey are completely dissolved. Add the wings and chill for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

To make the basting and dipping sauce, combine the remaining chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, sriracha, remaining honey, vinegar, lime juice, and ginger in a small bowl and mix well. In another small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cold water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch and whisk together. Add to the sauce slowly until desired thickness is reached. Set aside half of the sauce for serving to avoid contamination.

Drain wings and season them with sea salt and pepper. Place the wings on the rack inside the roaster, baste them with half of the sauce, and reduce the heat to 350°F. Roast until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160°F for approximately 25-30 minutes.

 

Remove the chicken pieces with a pair of tongs to a serving platter. Let the chicken pieces rest, loosely covered with aluminum foil, for 5-10 minutes before serving.

 

Garnish the wings with lime and cilantro.

 

Enjoy!

 

Recipe of the Week: Mexican Street Corn

No summer fiesta is complete without this NESCO Mexican Roaster Corn! It's the perfect dish to pass or devour yourself. 

¼ cup of mayonnaise

¼ cup of sour cream

1 medium clove of garlic finely minced

1 lime cut into wedges

½ cup of crumbled Cotija cheese

½ teaspoon of ancho or guajillo chili powder

¼ cup of chopped cilantro

4 ears of corn

Preheat the Roaster to 400F.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder and lime juice and set aside.

Place corn husks directly in the Roaster on the wire rack and cook until corn is soft, about 35-40 minutes.

When corn is soft, remove, and peel down the husks and spread each ear with the mayonnaise mixture.

Garnish the corn with chili powder, Cotija and cilantro and serve immediately.

Recipe of the Week: Pressure Cooker Ribs

You haven't had tender ribs until you've tried them in a NESCO Pressure Cooker. Enjoy our recipe for fall-off-the-bone-tenderness in under an hour. 

Rack of Baby Back Ribs

2 teaspoons of salt

1 cup of water

¾ tablespoon of paprika

¾ tablespoon brown sugar

½ tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Optional, remove the membrane from the ribs – if you choose to remove the membrane from your ribs, take a butter knife to the back side of the rib. Work the knife between the membrane and the bone and grab with a paper towel and pull membrane off the ribs.

In a small bowl stir in the salt, paprika, brown sugar, chili powder and black pepper. Set aside.

Season the ribs with the rub on both sides and cut the ribs into 4 pieces.

Pour 1 cup of water into your NESCO Pressure Cooker. Stack the ribs in bone side down. Lock your pressure cooker and cook on high for 30 minutes and then let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 more minutes.

Put the ribs bone side down on a rimmed baking sheet. If you choose to, brush ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce. Put the ribs in the oven under the broiler on high. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and just starting to brown. Remove the ribs from the oven, brush with another layer of sauce, and serve.

Recipe of the Week: Sundae Bar in a Roaster

Your classic NESCO Roaster can be used for serving up cold food as well as cooking everything to perfection. All you need is an 18 Qt. NESCO, Buffet Kit, ice and your favorite ice cream toppings. 

How To:

1. Leave your Roaster unplugged and fill with ice. 

2. Place Buffet Kit in Roaster on top of ice. 

3. Fill with your favorite sundae toppings. 

4. Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week: Italian Beef Sliders

These Italian Beef Sliders are slow cooked to perfection and guarantee to have your summer guest coming back for more. Serve them in your own style by topping with cheese, more veggies, or pepperocinis for some heat. 

4 lb boneless beef chuck pot roast

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

2 green bell peppers, sliced

2 yellow onions, sliced

1 12 oz jar sliced pepperoncinis

10 sandwich rolls, split and toasted

Spray the crock of a 6 Qt. Slow Cooker with cooking spray.

Drain the pepperoncinis reserving three tablespoons of the liquid.

Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning in small bowl.

Trim the fat from the roast and season each side with roughly one-third of the seasonings and place in Slow Cooker.

Pour the tomato sauce over the roast.

Top with the green bell peppers, onions, and pepperoncinis.

Sprinkle the remaining third of the seasonings on top as well as the reserved pepperoncini liquid.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours.

Use two forks to shred the meat and serve on toasted sandwich rolls.