Dinner

I had some prepared vegan gravy and made a simple meal. I simply poked Russet potatoes a few places (to make sure that pressure wouldn't cause them to explode) then put them in my  Instant Pot  pressure cooker atop the trivet with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water and pressure steamed for 20m. I mixed in mushrooms and cooked the gravy down a bit, then served atop the potatoes. I also had a massaged kale salad and baked beans.

Brussels Sprouts are on sale and I had a 1 pound bag of them. I thought that I'd use the Sprouts and cook them with baby lima beans, starting with a gentle saute of the Sprouts. Here is what I did. Ingredients 1/2 cup onion, cut into 1/4" cubes 1 garlic, finely (1/8") diced 1 pound Brussels Sprouts (I counted 34), outer leaves and ends trimmed and then halved (almost 4 cups) 1/4 + 1/2 cup water 1/4 t salt Vegan bouillon cube 2 cups frozen baby lima beans 1 1/2 cups carrot (I used one large carrot) cut into approx. 3/8" slices 1/2 cumin seed 1/4 garlic powder 1/4 t turmeric 1 T dried chives 1/2 cups onion cut into 3/8" cubes Process I put the garlic, onion, and Brussels Sprouts into  my  Instant Pot  pressure cooker and used the saute function to saute, waterlessly, frequently stirring, on low for about 5 minutes till the onion was lightly browned. I added 1/4 cup water, salt, and the bouillon cube, and reduced the saute to low. I continued stirring but less freq...

I thought I'd make a brown lentil dhal; lentils cook under pressure in a ratio of 1 to between 1 1/2 and 2 for 15-20 minutes; I wanted a souply dahl so thought I'd go for a 1:3 ratio for 20 minutes. Here is what I did. Ingredients 1 cup brown lentils 3 cups water 2 cups Russet (or other) potato cut into larger 1/2" cubes (a medium potato) 1/4 cup onion cut into 1/2" cubes 2 cloves garlic, finely (< 1/8") minced 2 cups carrot cut into 3/8" slices (about 3-4 small carrots) 1 packed cup kale, roughly hand-torn into approximately 1" pieces (stems excepted) and then cut down into approximately quarters via knife 1 cup frozen sliced mushrooms 1/4 t turmeric 1/2 t black salt 1/2 t cumin seeds (optional) small piece of organic Meyer lemon, skin and interior intact Another 1/4 cup onion, this time cut into 1/4" cubes 1T lemon juice (I used Meyer lemon juice) (optional) 2 T organic Meyer lemon skin, cut into 1/2" pieces Process I put the lentils, wat...

I had some friends over and had made a very early dinner for them when my daughter and wife came home, so I had a fun, extended cooking time, launching right into our own dinner. I used pans that I had just used for the earlier meal, so I didn't have extra cleanup. I wanted to get a meal going and served quickly, so decided to make a waterless meal. Here is what I did. Ingredients 1/2 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes 2 cloves garlic, finely (1/8" or so) chopped 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes (just under 1/2 cup) 1 cup eggplant, cut into 1/4" pieces 1 cup frozen chopped spinach 1/2 of a small (about 14 1/2 ounce) can of diced tomatoes (i.e., about 7 ounces) 1/2 t salt 1/4 freshly ground black pepper Process I put, in this order, the onion, garlic, potato, eggplant, and spinach into a small  Saladmaster stock pan; it almost filled the pan. I cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started j...

I had a half head of cauliflower that I wanted to use and found that my wife had cooked some black-eyed peas. I also had a turnip that needed to be used. I decided to make a waterless main course, and serve sauteed plantain slices on the side, along with a lovely purple carrot and icicle radish slices. Here is what I did. Ingredients 1/4 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes 1 clove garlic, finely (< 1/8") minced Medium turnip, peeled and cut into 1/4" cubes About 2 cups of cauliflower florets (about half a head) 1/4 of a medium Meyer lemon juiced and remainder chopped into 3/8" cubes (only if organic; if a non-Meyer lemon or lime is used, use just the colored outside zest) 1/4 t salt 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper 1/8 t turmeric 1/8 t dried oregano Process I put, in this order, the onion, garlic, turnip, cauliflower, and black-eyed peas into a large Saladmaster stock pan. I cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor rel...

I have a little Miyoko's Kitchen   vegan mozzarella left and thought I'd make an eggplant dish with some cheese. Eggplant cooks nicely (in just 3 minutes!) in the pressure cooker, so I started that going. By the time the eggplant was done, it tasted great with no cheese, so I skipped the cheese. Here is what I did. Ingredients 5 cups eggplant (skin intact) cut into 1/2" cubes (maybe 4/5 of a medium eggplant) 2 cups shelled edamame 2 packed cups kale, hand-ripped into roughly 1" squares 2 cloves garlic, finely (< 1/8") minced Vegan bouillon cube 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup onion cut into 1/4" cubes 1/2 t tarragon (I couldn't find my tarragon so used oregano instead) 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper 1/8 t salt Process I put the eggplant, edamame (I used frozen; if fresh, I'd just mix in at the end), kale, garlic, bouillon cube, and water into my  Instant Pot  pressure cooker and cooked for just three minutes. After the cooking was done, I waited a few m...