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...

I had a little potato leek soup leftover and had purchased a head of cauliflower today. I thought I'd make a soup with cauliflower and seitan (I had some chorizo seitan from Upton's that I also bought today). I steamed about half the cauliflower, cut into florets, for about 3 minutes, covered, then removed the water, put about a cup of the soup base in, as well as 1/4 of the seitan package (about 2 ounces), 3/4 of a bell pepper cut into strips, a tablespoon of nutritional yeast, a pinch of salt, 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper, and 1/2 t garlic powder. I simmered, uncovered, for 7-10 minutes, then served, along with cucumber slices and crackers. Simple, fast, and nutritious! Results Dinner was good. I like thick soups, but this also would have been good with more of the soup base. nding Ideas for the future Chunks of potatoes would have been good, as well as chives. I was in a bit of a rush to put dinner together, so something more "interesting" than crackers, su...