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instant pot

Vegan Lentil Soup-Hearty, Healthy, Delicious and Ready in 30 Minutes!

By • December 1, 2017 • All Things Food, Recipes

My kids are on a lentil soup kick right now. What can I say? I grow ’em wonderfully weird. I made this recipe last week, and it was such a hit that I’m making it again today, this time with my pal, Ingrid.  This recipe is perfect for this time of year. It’s vegan, and full of fiber and vitamin-C rich greens, so it’s a good detox food to try in between all of those Christmas cookies. Try it tonight!

If you don’t yet own a beautiful goddess like Ingrid, you can still make this recipe. Just see the note below on increasing the cook time.

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Vegan Lentil Soup

Course Main Course
Cuisine Instant Pot, Soup
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion chopped
  • 2 carrots peeled and chopped
  • 2 celery stalks chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves pressed or 2 T minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric curry powder or other spices you enjoy
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 large can 28 ounces diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 cup brown or green lentils picked over and rinsed
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups chopped fresh greens- spinach kale, collards-tough ribs removed
  • Juice of ½ to 1 medium lemon 1-2 Tablespoons, to taste
  • Feta cheese optional

Instructions

  1. Hit “Saute” button on Instant Pot. Add oil. When hot, add the onions, carrots, and celery.
  2. Saute, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the 2 T garlic, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric or curry powder, 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.
  4. Add the cup of lentils and pour in the 4 cups of broth, 2 cups of water and can of diced tomatoes. Stir.
  5. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the release valve is in the “sealing” position. Press the “Manual” button and set the timer at 12 minutes.
  6. The Instant Pot will warm up for about 10 minutes and then start cooking. After the 12 minutes is up, quick-release by flipping the release valve to “venting” (a little bit at a time at first).
  7. Once venting is complete, remove the lid of the Instant Pot. Stir in the spinach. Serve sprinkled with feta cheese and seasoned with salt and pepper, if needed.

Recipe Notes

  • Keeps in the refrigerator for about 3 days, and freezes well too.
  • If your kids, like mine, prefer more of a pureed soup, throw 3 cups of the cooked soup into the blender. Blend until smooth and then stir back into the pot.
  • I omitted the celery and carrot when I made this for my kids because they won't eat them, but upped the greens to three cups.
  • If you don't have an Instant Pot yet, you can make the soup on the stove, but increase the cook time from 12 minutes to 35 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from: KitchenTreaty.com and CookieandKate.com

Happy healthy eating…..or happy cookie eating! I don’t judge.

♥ Erin

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Instant Pot, Whole 30 Pot Roast-Fridge to Table in Under 2 Hours

By • November 28, 2017 • About, All Things Food, Recipes

I jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon hard when, in a momentary lapse in judgement, I went out to Target. On Thanksgiving. At 11:30 PM. This is something I swore I’d never do, and now I was doing it just to save $20. I apologize to retail employees everywhere.

So….now that my conscience is clear, let me tell you how much I’m loving my new bae, Ingrid. Yes, I named her. So far, she has already made me two of my childhood favorites, mashed potatoes and pot roast, and in record time. What have YOU done for my lately? I rest my case.

On Saturday, I used this simple recipe to make mashed potatoes for a crowd. They were done in 25 minutes, and I didn’t have to peel a single potato! Yay for no skinned knuckles! Monday, I tried this pot roast recipe from this hunk over at The Domestic Man. Damn!

(Perhaps, my back-up bae?)

I was really pleasantly surprised with the flavor after the roast cooked for only 45 minutes. It tasted just as good as the ones I’ve slow-cooked all day. All three of my kids loved it too, which almost never happens! If you have an Instant Pot that you haven’t even taken out of the box, this is a great place to start! It’s Paleo-friendly too so you can feel good about this one.

MEEEEAAAAAAATTTT!!

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Instant Pot, Whole-30 Pot Roast

Course Main Course
Cuisine Pressure Cooker
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2-3 lbs boneless roast
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp ghee, or butter if not doing Whole 30
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 10-12 mini potatoes any type, cut into bit-sized chunks
  • 1/2 pound brussel sprouts
  • 8 oz white mushrooms
  • 1 bunch of red or golden beets peel and cut beets into bite-sized pieces, wash and chop the beet greens
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Season the roast with salt and pepper. Add the ghee or butter to the Instant Pot and press the “Sauté” button; wait for it to heat up, about 2 minutes, then add the roast. Brown on one side, about 6 minutes, then flip and brown the other side, about 6 more minutes. Remove the roast and set aside on a plate or cutting board. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and stir together until aromatic, about 30 seconds; add the broths, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer, then add the roast and any accumulated juices.


  2. Cover the Instant Pot. Press the “Stew/Meat” button, and set it on high pressure for 45 minutes. Next,use the quick-release valve on the lid to force-depressurize the rest. You do this by turning the valve on top of the lid to the "venting" setting. You may want to read the user manual before beginning this step to get a better understanding of what to expect. I got a little confused, but the recipe still turned out well.


  3. Remove the lid and transfer the roast to a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Add all of the veggies, including the greens to the Instant Pot, re-cover with the lid, and set to “Stew/Meat” on high pressure for 6 minutes. While the vegetables cook, place the roast in the oven on broil until the top of the roast is crispy and some of its fat renders, about 4 minutes. Remove the roast and transfer it to a cutting board; loosely tent with tin foil to keep warm. Once the vegetables are finished, use the quick-release valve on the lid to force-depressurize the Instant Pot. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the baking sheet. Press the “Sauté” button on the Instant Pot to simmer, uncovered, and reduce the liquid; as that happens, place the vegetables in the oven and broil until browned, about 5 minutes, flipping and jostling the vegetables every couple of minutes.


  4. Slice the roast and place it on a platter; add the vegetables to the platter. Once the liquid has reduced by about half, taste it and add salt and pepper as needed, then pour some of it over the roast and vegetables. Serve immediately with the sauce as a gravy.


Recipe Notes

  • These recipe steps may seem a little complicated at first, but, to simplify, you're really just 1)sautéing the meat on each side 2)high pressure cooking the meat(45 min) and the veggies(6 min) in the IP 4) Roasting the meat(4 min) and veggies (5 min) under the oven broiler. 5) sautéing the remaining sauce so it reduces by half.
  • Feel free to substitute any vegetables with whatever your family likes. My kids won't eat carrots so I left those out, but I threw mushrooms that we all love.
  • On his site, The Domestic Man, Russ Crandall, details how to make this in a dutch oven on the stove and a slow cooker.

Be on the lookout for more Instant Pot recipes coming soon, as Ingrid and I get better acquainted. 😉

♥ Erin

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