Instant Pot Southwestern Corn Chowder [oil-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan]

NOTE: The reason for cutting the jalapeno in half and removing before blending is simply because it will turn the soup a brown color if you don't do it this way. Also, it adds a nice fleck of green throughout the soup.

4 cups frozen corn, divided
1 large onion, cut into large chunks
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 red pepper pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, cored, seeds removed, cut in half lengthwise
1 small can of mild chopped green chiles
1/2 t chili powder
3/4 salt (more or less to taste)
1 t liquid smoke
3-4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Fresh baby spinach, chopped (optional)
Cilantro, chopped (for garnish)


Place 3 cups of frozen corn, onion, garlic, jalapeno halves, red and yellow bell peppers, green chiles, chili powder, salt, liquid smoke, and 3 cups of broth into the pressure cooker. Cook on HIGH pressure for 4 minutes with QUICK RELEASE. Remove the jalapeno halves; set aside and let them cool. Chop finely when they are cooled. In the meantime, place the soup  (in batches if necessary) into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Return the blended soup to a large pot or back into the pressure cooker pot. Add in the chopped jalapeno and 1 more cup of frozen corn. If desired, add greens in now to wilt. Set the pressure cooker to WARM, and cover the top. Let it simmer for another 10 or so minutes before serving. Add chopped cilantro for garnish.

Instant Pot Creamy Potato Lentil Soup

This truly decadent, nutrient-loaded soup is one of my husband's favorites. A friend shared the recipe with me, not remembering the source where it came from. I have modified it some anyway, but I do wish I could give credit because it's really stunning!!

NOTE: This soup freezes and reheats REALLY well!

SOUP BASE:

1 yellow onion, diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups vegetable broth (more if needed)

2/3 cup dry green or brown lentils, rinsed and drained

2 medium red or yellow potatoes, peeled and small diced

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

CREAMY BASE:

1/2 cup raw cashews

2 medium red or yellow potatoes, peeled and boiled for 15-20 minutes until soft

15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 t salt

3/4 cup water

In the Instant Pot, steamfry the onion, celery, and carrots with a little water or vegetable broth for about 5-6 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add garlic, veggie broth, lentils, potatoes, and black pepper. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes with NATURAL release. Open the lid and stir in the chopped spinach.

While the soup is cooking, boil the potatoes for the sauce. Then, blend the ingredients for the creamy soup base (boiled potatoes, cashews, Cannellini beans, lemon juice, and broth or water) until smooth in a high-speed blender. Pour the sauce into the soup mixture and stir well to combine. Add salt to taste. Add more black pepper if desired. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add more broth.

Instant Pot Creamy Potato Soup [Dairy-Free, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan]

1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped finely
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large carrots, chopped into larger bite-sized chunks
3 lbs. of peeled Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into larger bite-sized chunks
1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk or canned coconut milk
1 T Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning or other salt-free seasoning
Salt and black pepper to taste

Steamfry onion and celery in the pressure cooker pot until tender (using SAUTE/BROWN setting), adding a small amount of water if the pieces begin to stick to the bottom. Add in the garlic and steamfry for one more minute. Add the rest of the ingredients, seal the lid, and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes with NATURAL RELEASE. Open the lid, let the soup cool a few minutes, then ladle out HALF of the soup, AVOIDING THE CARROTS, and blend in a high-speed blender until very smooth. Pour the blended soup back into the remaining soup into the pot. Stir well, taste, and add salt and/or pepper if needed. Top with chopped green onion and chopped avocado, if desired.

Mexican Tomato Soup [ oil-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan]

During this pandemic, I've had to be even more creative with my cooking. I don't want to waste any food in the fridge, so I came up with this delicious soup with several ingredients that needed to be used.

1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
1 jalapeno, chopped
1/4 of a red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 of a yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup of yellow and red grape/pear tomatoes
1 cup leftover fat-free blended pinto beans (you can use canned if needed)
1 container of low-sodium vegetable broth
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
4 oz can of green chiles
1/2 T cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste

Steamfry onion in the pressure cooker pot until tender, adding a small amount of water if the pieces begin to stick to the bottom. Add in the garlic and steamfry for one more minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes with QUICK RELEASE. Open the lid, let the soup cool a few minutes, then blend in two batches in a high-speed blender until very smooth. Taste and add salt and/or pepper if needed.
Garnish with crushed baked tortillas chips, avocado cubes, and/or chopped cilantro.

Instant Pot Loaded Miso Soup for Two

I love Miso soup SO much, but more often than not, it's hard to find a vegan version in a restaurant. I decided to add several healthy ingredients to create a nutrient-rich soup that will warm your soul.

Serves 2!

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 piece of roasted nori, ripped into smaller pieces
1 small piece of kombu (optional, use if you have it)
1/2 - 1 cup water
4 T white miso paste (this is a very mild miso and perfect for this soup!)
5 green onions
4 oz. firm tofu, cut into very small cubes
3 oz. fresh shitake mushrooms or dried then rehydrated, remove stems (discard), then slice caps thinly
5 large chard leaves, stems removed, sliced into strips
4 oz. of cooked Asian noodles (We love the Explore Cuisine brand of brown rice ramen) -- Udon, Ramen, etc.

Cut off the root ends of the green onions, cut them in half--separating the green halves and white halves. Chop the green ends into tiny pieces and set aside for garnish. The white halves will go into the soup when it's cooking, so just set them aside until called for.
Pour the broth, roasted nori pieces, and kombu (if using) into your pressure cooker pot. Press the SAUTE button until it says LESS. As the broth is warming up, you may need to add a little more water if the Instant Pot gives you a "hot" signal.
In a small bowl, add the miso paste and 3 T of hot tap water. Stir until smooth and creamy. Add to the pot. Stir well to combine.
Add in the white halves of the green onions. These are for flavor and can be removed when serving because you will garnish with chopped green onions.
Add in the mushrooms and tofu and stir well.
Finally, add in the chopped chard.
Cook for about 5 minutes, then cover with the lid, set to SEALING, and press CANCEL then WARM. Let the soup simmer on the warm setting for about 15 minutes (or more) until ready to serve. Serve over cooked noodles and garnish with chopped green onion.

My Mom's Sweet and Sour Hungarian Soup - VEGANIZED

NOTE: You can replace the black raisins and brown sugar in this recipe with 4 chopped Medjool dates and replace the 1/4 cups of lemon juice with 3 T apple cider vinegar and 1 T lemon juice, if you prefer. Both ways are AWESOME!

This is MY version of my mom's Sweet and Soup Hungarian Cabbage Soup -- veganized and made in the Instant Pot! She never added caraway seeds, but feel free to if you love them. She also didn't have a measured recipe, so I did my best to duplicate this soup, which was my FAVORITE growing up!

1 large onion, diced small
1/2 large green cabbage, chopped into 1/4" ribbons
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
Two 15-oz cans salt-free diced tomatoes, with the juice in the can
1/4 cup black raisins
1 T brown sugar (more if needed after tasting)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 T. Better-than-Bouillon No-Beef Base
3-4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or enough to cover the ingredients in the pot)
1/8-1/4 t black pepper (add more if needed after tasting)
1/2-1 t salt (add more if needed after tasting)
1 can of rinsed and drained chickpeas, optional

In the Instant Pot, saute the chopped onion in a little broth until soft and translucent. Add all of the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Set the Instant Pot to 15 minutes on high pressure. When the 15 minutes has counted down, leave the soup WITH THE LID STILL SECURED for another 30 minutes to an hour (or more!) on warm. This soup is best when it has been slowly cooked a long time. After you release the lid, stir and taste the broth. Add more brown sugar if needed. Add salt or black pepper, if desired. The flavor should be RICH and perfectly SWEET and SOUR. Add in a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas, if desired.

Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Mrs. Plant's Instant Pot Hoppin' John

NOTE: It is essential that you use black-eyed peas that have been soaked in water for at least 8 hours before making this dish. I bought pre-soaked black-eyed peas from Sprouts in their refrigerated section. They only carry them for New Year's!

1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped small
3 stalks of celery, chopped small
5 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 large bunch of chard (or other green), chopped finely
1 t Liquid Smoke
2 t McCormick’s Salt-Free Garlic and Herb Seasoning
1 t dried rosemary
8 oz. of black-eyed peas, soaked overnight
1 cup wild rice mix (I got mine in the bulk bins at Sprouts and it had 2 kinds of brown rice, black wild rice, and red rice in it)
1 15-oz can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
4 cups of vegetable broth
1/4 - 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast flakes (depending on how much you like nutritional yeast)
Additional water
Salt to taste

Using the sauté feature (click on adjust to HIGH) on the Instant Pot, steamfry the onions, celery, and carrots with a little bit of water or broth until the onions become translucent.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and add additional water about 1 inch above all of the ingredients.
Seal the top, click the BEAN/CHILI button, and adjust the time to 25 minutes (instead of the default 30). Allow the Instant Pot to come down from pressure naturally.
The stew should be creamy and tasty, and the black-eyed peas and rice should be very tender.

Potato Leek Soup [iPot Recipe]

4 small leeks, white part only, sliced into rings
3 stalks of celery, cut into very small (1/4-inch) pieces
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water
1/4 t black pepper
4 cups vegetable broth (if using low-sodium or salt-free, add salt to recipe)
5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
salt, to taste
vegan bacon bits, optional
green onions, chopped

In the Instant Pot, add leeks, celery, garlic, and water. Set to saute/more mode and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Add in the black pepper and veggie broth and bring to a boil (still on saute mode). Let cook another 5 minutes AFTER it begins to boil. Add the potatoes and put the top on the iPot. Set to sealing and cook for 6 minutes on high pressure with QUICK RELEASE. Stir in nutritional yeast flakes and blend smooth with hand blender (or regular blender if you don't have a and blender). Serve with vegan bacon bits and chopped green onions a top.

Wedding Soup

I'm calling this Wedding Soup because it will slim me down more before my son's wedding ;-) You can add or delete any veggies that you like! You can even add potato chunks. It's a flexible soup!

2 leeks (white part only) or 1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
1/2 head of cabbage, sliced thinly
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
3 organic carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
8 oz. baby bella or button mushrooms, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium zucchini, chopped
One 28-oz. can crushed organic tomatoes with basil
1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 T. Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Tomato Basil Garlic blend seasoning
1 T Italian seasoning (or 1/2 T basil and 1/2 T oregano)
1/4 t. black pepper
1 bag of frozen organic spinach or fresh spinach and/or kale
salt to taste

NOTE: Add any other non-starchy veggies you like!

Put all ingredients into the Instant Pot EXCEPT the spinach and/or kale and salt. Fill the pot with water to the max line. Secure the lid and set for 10 minutes on high pressure with NATURAL RELEASE. Add greens and salt AFTER cooking and the pressure has come down.

Pueblan Roasted Pepper Chowder

1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2 -inch wide strips
3 cups frozen corn
2 medium-sized yellow potatoes (or you can use sweet potatoes), diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 container (4 cups) of low-sodium vegetable broth
1 T. cumin
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. Ancho chili powder (or your favorite chili powder)
a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper
salt (to taste, if desired)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place pepper and jalapeno pieces on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes (until the edges are beginning to blacken).
While the peppers are roasting, add the corn, potatoes, broth, and seasonings to a large saucepan.
Bring mixture to a low boil and cook for 10-12 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Turn the heat off.
Place HALF of the soup mixture into a high-speed blender along with all of the red/yellow peppers (but NOT the jalapeños). Blend until very smooth. Pour mixture back into the soup pot and stir well.
Chop the jalapeños into small pieces and add to the soup pot, along with the black beans.
Warm over medium-low heat for another 5 minutes and serve!

Creamy Sweet Potato "Coconut" Soup

I try not to use coconut milk or eat coconut often as it is quite high in fat and has saturated fat, as well. But, I LOVE the flavor. Taking on an idea I got from Mary McDougall, I made some "coconut" milk for this recipe that TASTES like it but without the extra fat.

1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large celery stalk, diced

2 lbs (3 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1/2 t. dried thyme leaves

1 - 1 1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. ground black pepper

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/4 t. coconut extract

raw pumpkin seeds to garnish (optional)

NOTE: This soup could easily be made on the stovetop. By following the directions below, but instead of pressure cooking, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20-25 minutes before blending.

Pressure Cooker Instructions:

Add coconut extract to the soy milk and set aside.

Steamfry onion and celery in the pressure cooker pot until tender, adding a small amount of water if the pieces begin to stick to the bottom. Add in the garlic and steamfry for one more minute. Add in the sweet potatoes, veggie broth, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes with QUICK RELEASE. In batches, blend soup in a high-speed blender until smooth. Return soup to the pot and stir in the "coconut" milk. Serve warm with raw or toasted pumpkin seeds atop (optional).

Inspired by Natashaskitchen.com and Madison Fredrick

Slow-Cooker Chipotle Butternut Squash Chili

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped into bite-sized (or buy a bag pre-chopped)
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 15-oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes
1 15-oz. can of tomato sauce
2 cups veggie broth
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin powder
1/2-1 T. coconut sugar
1 bay leaf
1 T. chili in adobo sauce (more or less depending on your spiciness level)
salt to taste (added after cooking)

Add onions to your pressure cooker pot, and steamfry until golden brown on SAUTE/BROWN setting. Add a bit of veggie broth if the onions begin sticking to the bottom. Then, add all of the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the salt to the pot. Cook on SLOW COOKER setting for 4-6 hours (make sure to move the valve to VENTING)--making sure the butternut squash pieces are tender. If the chili seems thinner consistency than you'd like when it's finished, open the top and cook on the SAUTE/BROWN setting for about 5 minutes until it thickens a bit more. Stir gently while cooking. Serve with Oil-Free Cornbread or Corn Muffins.

Overcooked Broccoli Soup

Did you slightly overcook your "steamed" head of broccoli? That's OK! Let's make soup!

1 medium onion, sliced finely
1 previously COOKED head of broccoli florets
1 large or 2 small russet potatoes, diced
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened cashew or soy milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper

In a large soup pot, steamfry onions until golden.
Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes (or until potatoes are tender).
Turn stove off.
Add previously cooked broccoli, non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast flakes, salt, and black pepper.
Then, blend the soup in a high-speed blender (BlendTec or Vitamix) until very smooth. Warm to serve!

Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!

Oil-Free Amy's Kitchen-Style Black Bean Chili

My husband loves Amy's Kitchen Organic Black Bean Chili in the can, but it contains oil. He asked me to try to recreate this chili to see if we could reproduce a very similar version with no oil. We tried to use all organic ingredients because we feel that organic food always has a richer flavor; however, you can make this with or without organic ingredients. In addition, we wanted to make this recipe in the pressure cooker for simplicity and time savings. It came out awesome!

NOTE: This recipe can ALSO be made with 6 cups of PREVIOUSLY COOKED or CANNED black beans instead and then cooked in the pressure cooker with all of the other ingredients for 8 minutes with NATURAL RELEASE. Then, use a hand blender to blend the chili or blend 2 cups of the chili in the blender, then return it back to the pot and stir well.

2 cups dried black beans, soaked in water for 8 hours or more, rinsed and drained*
1 medium onion, diced finely
3  garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red or green bell pepper, diced small
1 14-oz. can salt-free diced tomatoes
2 T. tomato paste
1 4-oz. can of chopped green chiles
1 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin powder
1/4-1/2  t. cayenne pepper
salt to taste
1/4 t. black pepper
2 t. coconut sugar or other sweetener (optional)
3 cups water (to add to the chili)

PRESSURE COOKER DIRECTIONS:
Steamfry the onions in the pressure cooker on the saute/brown feature. Add water if they begin to stick. Add the garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chiles, and spices/sugar, and stir together well. Add the black beans and 3 cups of water, and stir one more time. Set the pressure on high for 40 minutes with NATURAL RELEASE.

Remove 2 cups of the chili and blend in your blender until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the pot of chili to thicken it. Serve with avocado slices and fresh or dehydrated cilantro.

* To soak dry beans, place them in a large bowl covered by water that goes a minimum of 2 inches above them (but also leaving space in the bowl for the beans to expand). Soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse well before using the beans in your recipe.

Smoky Mexican Soup

As I am working on designing new recipes that do not contain flours or sugars, I am finding that I definitely have to be more creative. However, it's a challenge that I'm really enjoying!

Soup is filling and hearty. Dr. Fuhrman's new book, THE END OF HEART DISEASE, recommends a bean and veggie soup daily. So, I was inspired to make this one for this week's lunches. Hubby approved!

1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes
1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
4 cups veggie broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 cups cooked red kidney beans (or 1 can rinsed and drained)
1 can of hominy, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1 small can of green chiles
1 T. cumin powder
1 t. coriander powder
1 t. liquid smoke
1 t. salt
1/2 t. chili powder

Pressure Cooker Instructions:
In your electric pressure cooker, steamfry onions  with a bit of broth or water for about 6 minutes on the BROWN or SAUTÉ setting. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add all of the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine, and set the pressure manually to 5 minutes with QUICK RELEASE. 

Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required. 

Un-Pasta Fagioli

Since I am working to get off my weight loss plateau, I decided to make a soup I love into a weightloss-friendly brew. Made without the whole grain pasta this time, this soup is still tasty, filling, and satisfying!

2 cups of dried cranberry beans (you can also use dried pinto beans), soaked overnight or prepared using “quick method” below
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped finely
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 large zucchini, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
3 t. dried basil
2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. dried rosemary
1/2 t. smoked paprika
2 t. salt (or to taste)
1/4 t. black pepper
¼-1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 28-oz can of organic diced tomatoes
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 cups of water
16 oz. fresh baby spinach

Quick Method for Soaking Dried Beans:
At least 1 hour before making the soup,  Remove any stones or pebbles from your beans. Wash and drain the beans. Add the beans to the pressure cooker and cover with 2 inches of water. Set pressure cooker to SAUTE or BROWN mode. Bring beans to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the pressure cooker. Let beans rest in the water for 1 hour before preparing the soup.

Move the beans to an interim bowl as you begin making the soup in the pressure cooker.
Add the onions and celery to the pressure cooker. Sautė until tender.
Add the garlic, zucchini and dried spices. Add in the broth, water, beans, and diced tomatoes, and stir well to combine. Pressure cook for 10 minutes with natural release. Open the lid and check the beans for tenderness.  If done, stir in the fresh baby spinach. If the beans need more time, close the lid and cook on high pressure for 1-2 more minutes with quick release.  Then, stir in the spinach. Serve!

Inspired by Susan Voisin from FatFreeVegan.com

Vegetable Cabbage Soup

We don't count calories on a WFPB lifestyle, but because this soup is so low in calories and contains NO FAT, you can eat a little more decadent at another meal. Packed with veggie goodness, this soup will allow you to check mark off several items on Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen app!

1 head of green cabbage, shredded (or use a 16 oz bag of shredded cabbage)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 medium organic zucchini, diced
8 cups of organic vegetable broth
1 T organic tomato paste
1 28 ounce can Italian-style diced tomatoes (with basil, garlic, oregano)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 t dried basil
1 t. dried oregano

Dump everything into the pressure cooker (or slow cooker) and set to SLOW COOK for 3-4 hours. You can also make this in a big pot on the stove. Bring ingredients to a low boil for a few minutes, cover, and cook for 2-3 hours on medium low until all the veggies are tender. Stir occasionally.

Adapted from Fred Detwiler's amazing recipe. Visit his YouTube channel at Plant-Smart Living with Farmer Fred!

PlantPure Nation Cookbook: White Bean Chili

Call me lazy. It's OK! I made this outstanding White Bean Chili from the PlantPure Nation cookbook (p. 281) in my pressure cooker in 8 minutes (quick release)! Here's what I did...

I steamfried the chopped onions, garlic, celery, and jalapenos in veggie broth in the pc for about 3 minutes. Then, I added everything else from the recipe EXCEPT the nutritional yeast flakes. After the pressure cooking was complete (8 minutes, quick release), I removed 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and blended it with the nutritional yeast flakes in a high-speed blender until smooth. I poured the blended mixture back into the pot with the rest of the chili and stirred it in to thick the mixture. The taste is OUTSTANDING!!!

Veggie Dumpling Stew

Often, I find recipes on the Internet that sound REALLY tasty. Then, I skim through the ingredients developing questions in my brain. Can I remove the oil and still get the same texture/flavor? If I replace the highly processed white flour with whole wheat, will anyone be able to tell? Can I make this recipe in a pressure cooker instead? Fearing not, I revamp and revise and then...TEST!

This perfect-for-cold-weather dish made it onto my web screen the other day, and here is the result. Whole-family approved and easier and healthier than the original...I present to you...Veggie Dumpling Stew!

Stew:
1 cup onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and diced into 3/4-inch chunks (if organic, wash but do not peel)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium (or 2 small) sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch chunks
2-3 medium organic Yukon Gold or white potatoes, scrubbed and diced (you do not need to peel them) into 1-inch chunks
1 cup frozen organic corn
4 cups water
2 t Better-Than-Bouillon No-Chicken Broth or other veggie stock base concentrate/soup base
1 t each of these dried herbs—rosemary, thyme, basil, sage, and oregano
1 T dried parsley
2 T. whole wheat flour or spelt flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup frozen peas

Dumplings:
1 flax egg (1 T ground flaxseed meal and 2 ½ T warm water)    
1 cup whole wheat or spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 T dried parsley
1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk

Pressure Cooker Instructions:
In your electric pressure cooker, steamfry onions  with a bit of broth or water for about 5 minutes on the BROWN or SAUTÉ setting. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add all of the rest of the stew ingredients (EXCEPT the frozen peas and the flour!) and set the pressure manually to 8 minutes with QUICK RELEASE. Open the top of your pressure cooker and stir the mixture. Remove 1 cup of the broth, pour it into a small bowl, and stir in the 2 T. of flour until thickened. Return the blended mixture to the stew, stir in to thicken it. Add the frozen peas and salt and pepper, if needed.

In a small bowl, mix together the flaxseed meal and warm water to make the flax egg.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley) for the dumplings. Add in the flax egg and non-dairy milk and gently fold ingredients together, just until moistened.
Drop the mixture by tablespoonful into the stew.

Close the top of the pressure cooker and cook on the SLOW COOKER setting (with valve set to RELEASE) for 15-20 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked (firm, but still a little doughy). After about 10.minutes, open the lid and gentle stir the dumplings  around so they get well cooked on all sides.

ServeAdapted from http://veganmotherhubbard.com/

Minestrone Soup

We had the honor of spending an evening with three lovely plant-based ladies last weekend on our getaway to Austin. Since it was pouring rain and our plans to eat at the only whole foods, oil-free restaurant in Austin were waylaid, one of the ladies (Jill of Simple Daily Recipes) invited us to come over for an impromptu cooking session/dinner. She had all of the ingredients to make minestrone soup, so that's what we made! Along with Patty's fresh dinner salad and fruit salad and Jill's cornbread, a delightful meal was born!

After we returned home, I knew this would be our lunch soup for the next week. I tried to remember what we put into the pressure cooker so I could recreate it. Here's what I came up with and it was FABULOUS once again! This one will be a new staple in our home.

1 large onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped small
2-3 zucchini, roughly chopped
1 can of chickpeas (or 1 1/2 cups of homecooked), rinsed and drained (Jill had previously cooked her own chickpeas in Vindaloo spice which gave the soup an exceptional flavor)
6 cups of veggie broth
1 28-oz can of organic diced tomatoes
1/4 t. black pepper
1-1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. oregano
2 t. Italian seasoning (I used the mix I made from the PlantPure Nation cookbook, p. 147)
Whole grain pasta

Pressure Cooker Instructions:
Place the chopped onions, carrots, and celery in the pressure cooker and cook for 5 minutes on the brown or saute feature (stirring occasionally).
Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT for the pasta.
Set to pressure for 3 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, boil your pasta, drain, and set it aside.
Allow the pressure cooker to cool down  before releasing the top.
This soup can sit on warm for several hours before serving, so you can make it in the morning and leave it to serve at lunchtime.

Serve the hot soup with desired amount of pasta.

NOTE: This soup could easily be made on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. It is a versatile soup that only gets more delicious as it sits over low heat.