Your Energy. Your Money. You’ll Devour These Delicious and Energy-Efficient Recipes
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Give your traditional oven a rest and lean on your microwave or slow cooker and save.
By substituting your microwave or slow cooker for your conventional oven, you use significantly less energy. Big on flavor, small on electricity consumption — these cooking options will win over taste buds and energy bills by using smaller appliances that use less electricity than a traditional oven. Pretty tasty, right?
Recipes Below
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Microwave Super-Fast Breakfast Burrito
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Yes, you could go to a high-end breakfast place, wait in line and do your best to charm the waitstaff — and you’d still not hit the culinary sweet spot that this surefire morning hit has. You save energy. You save time. And you only have to spend your charm on the family dog, who can be a surprisingly tough audience.
Ingredients
- 2 slices of bacon
- 1 egg
- 1 tortilla
- ¼ cup shredded cheese
Serves: 1
Serve with: Salsa or hot sauce
Instructions
- STEP 1. Place bacon on a plate between a double layer of paper towels and microwave for 2 minutes or until it reaches desired crispiness. It will continue to crisp after cooking. Set aside.
- STEP 2. Crack the egg into a 4-inch ramekin. Add milk and use a fork to scramble. Cover with a small plate and microwave for 90 seconds. Set aside.
- STEP 3. Place tortilla on a plate, sprinkle cheese on top and microwave 10–15 seconds until cheese is melted.
- STEP 4. Top the tortilla with cooked egg, bacon and salsa or hot sauce as desired.
- Wrap and enjoy.
Recipe Credit: Cookin’ With Kilowatts
Jibarito Plantain and Steak Sandwich
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Sure, we love bread. Who doesn’t? But we’d put this bread-free option up against other gluten-filled options in your kitchen any day. Plus, this Puerto Rican hometown hero (no sandwich pun intended) might have hints of the Caribbean, but the jibarito originated right here in Humboldt Park. Consider it your civic duty to enjoy it. Get it to your mouth even faster with an induction cooktop.
Ingredients
- 2-3 large green plantains
- Oil for deep frying
- ½-1 pound thinly sliced steak
- 1 tablespoonsazon seasoning
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Serves: 2–4
Serve with: Spicy mayo and top with tomato, onion, lettuce and cheese.
Instructions
- STEP 1. Cut plantains in half and fry in 2–3 inches of oil on medium heat for 3–4 minutes on each side. Remove from oil and flatten to about 1/4-inch thick. Refry until golden (about 2–3 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.
- STEP 2. Season steak with remaining ingredients and set aside. Heat skillet on medium with 1–2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot (within minutes on an induction cooktop), add the steak and fry each side for 2–3 minutes. Remove from pan.
- STEP 3. Assemble and enjoy. Spread spicy mayo on the fried plantain. Add tomatoes, onions, steak, lettuce and cheese. Top with another plantain and savor.
Recipe Credit: Immaculate Bites
Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork Tenderloin Awesomeness
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If two of your favorite things are eating and doing nothing, then this may be the greatest recipe on the planet — which will also help save the planet via your energy-friendly slow cooker.
If done right, these fall-apart, crazy-tender tenderloins will make you slow cooker royalty.
Ingredients
- 1 2‐ to 3-pound boneless pork tenderloin
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
Servings: 8
Instructions
- STEP 1. Place pork tenderloin into the insert of your slow cooker. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix all remaining ingredients. Pour over pork and set the timer for your slow cooker (6–8 hours on low).
- STEP 2. Once pork tenderloin has cooked, remove it from the slow cooker with tongs onto a serving dish. Break apart lightly with two forks and then ladle about 1/4–1/2 cup of gravy over pork tenderloin. Be warned—you may need a big, slotted spoon to transfer from pot to plate. It’s that tender — and that delicious. It serves eight adults or four teenage boys. Totally your call.
Recipe Credit: Add a Pinch
Rice Cooker Chocolate Upside-Down Cake
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Traditionally, a rice cooker was meant for healthy, nutritious, decadence-free fare. Until now. It’s time to transform your rice cooker into a contraption that would make a pastry chef jealous. Just properly clean your rice cooker after this recipe or your rice may taste like chocolate. Wait. Maybe we have two recipes here.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup raw or white sugar
- 4 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 90ml teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 cup water
Serves: 12
Serve with: Powdered sugar, berries or any other desired toppings.
Instructions
- STEP 1. Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt (optional) and cinnamon into a bowl. Mix all dry items with a whisk.
- STEP 2. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl — oil, vanilla, vinegar and water. Mix again. Pour mixture into the rice cooker.
- STEP 3. Cook in your rice cooker for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean to test the cake. Bring the bowl out of the rice cooker and cool for 5 minutes.
- Flip the cake to top with berries, powdered sugar or other sweet garnish of your choosing.
Recipe Credit: Food.com (Vegan-Friendly Recipe)
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Time for an In(tro)duction
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You’ve got four new must-try dishes. Why not add a little efficiency to the mix? We’re talking about induction cooking, and once you know how it works, we’re pretty sure you’ll be drawn to it. And not just because of its electromagnetic energy — though that helps.
Science-fiction-like safety
Unlike your typical electric stovetop that heats glass burners, induction cooktops heat only your cookware. In this case, compatible stainless steel and cast-iron pans. With nothing lost in the heat transfer process, that safety also equals energy savings.
Speedy sips
For caffeine lovers, no matter if you’re from Wicker Park or Downers Grove, it’s all about getting the day’s first cup in record time. Induction cooktops bring water to a boil 2 to 3 times faster than their gas counterparts. A steaming kettle that’s good for your mood and your monthly energy costs? We’ll take two cups.
Quick cleanup
The bigger the mess, the better the meal, right? Not so much here. With no grates, dials or burners, spills and splashes are easily wiped up once each masterful meal is complete. We will admit that this does ruin your “I’ll clean that spill up once things cool down” excuse.
Meet electric’s cooler, younger cousin
Induction and electric cooktops are both powered by electricity, but their similarities pretty much end there.
Speed — Induction heats water 20–40% faster than standard electric
Safety — It takes standard electric 10 minutes or more to cool down after cooking, while induction remains cool throughout
Savings — Induction is up to 10% more efficient than standard electric, plus ComEd offers a $100 induction rebate on select models
