instant pot Archives - Feast of Plants

The Best Instant Pot Tomato Soup (Vegan & GF)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 11:30:47 +0000

See the recipe Tomato soup is the ideal comfort food. As we head into February, weather predictions are that we’re going to hit minus temperatures again here in London. So, when you come home from this cold, an easy but comforting tomato soup is just what you need to warm you up. There are probably as many recipes for tomato soup as there are fish in the sea at this point, and I’m sure everyone will claim theirs is the best. Recipes will vary wildly from using cream, spices, to using a vegetable base such as carrots and celery. Some people only use fresh tomatoes while others will swear that you only need tinned. Then comes the debate about whether is should be smooth and creamy, or chunky and interesting. Personally, I love a good creamy tomato soup on a cold day. I like to roast my tomatoes first so fresh are a must, paired with some roasted garlic and a good vegetable base and you’ll have a winner every time. To great that great creamy taste while staying vegan, I add cashews to the mix. Cooking them with the rest of the soup negates the need to soak them and they blend well with the rest of the soup. What to serve with it? This is an easy question. The traditional pairing with tomato soup is a good grilled cheese, the creaminess of the cheese really compliments the acidity of the tomatoes. Want to go a little bit fancy? Why not make some grilled cheese croutons for a fun option. As for toppings, a generous lump of basil pesto (vegan of course), or a swirl of vegan crème fraiche both pair very well here. Ingredient tips? This is one of the most accessible recipes and I imagine most items will be easily found in your local supermarket. The perhaps oddest item may be the vegan fish sauce, I use this one but you can substitute some gluten free soy sauce if you’d prefer. This homemade tomato soup is both creamy, smooth and super easy to make - the perfect solution for those cold winter nights!

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Peach Caramel Rice Pudding (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 17:00:22 +0000

It’s the weekend and we all need a little bit of a reward for making it through another week in lockdown. This is the perfect compliment to those few occasions when I want to finish dinner with something a little sweet. I don’t often make dessert so on these days I’ll turn towards rice pudding as a quick solution. Pulled together in the instant pot rather than the oven, this is the modernised version of the rice pudding I grew up on that takes so much less time. I watched my mother throwing rice pudding in the oven in a fairly regular basis, it’s one of those dishes she always had memorised for an easy dessert but it was never quick. Normally baked in the oven, a traditional rice pudding can take up to 2 hours. In the pressure cooked it only take 5 minutes – 25 minutes if you count the time to come up and down to pressure. Topped of a with a quick and tasty peach caramel sauce this a quick and easy dessert you can whip together while clearing up after dinner. Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients For the Rice Pudding: 200g Pudding Rice (risotto rice works well too) 750ml Coconut Milk (tinned) 250ml Water 100g Sugar 1 Cinnamon Stick 1 tsp Vanilla Essence 1 Tbsp Vegan Butter For the Peach Caramel Sauce: 2 Peaches, pitted & sliced 70g Vegan Butter 70g Brown Sugar 1/4 cup Chopped Hazelnuts 2 Tbsp Mint, chopped Directions Seriously, this is one the easiest things you’ll make for a while. Put the butter to one side and place the other rice pudding ingredients into the instant pot and stir well. Seal, and cook on high for 5 minutes. When cooked, wait 10 minutes before releasing the pressure. While the rice pudding cooks, whip up the peach caramel. Place the butter and sugar into a small pan and cook on a low heat until the butter melts. Add in the hazelnuts and toast for 2 minutes before adding the peaches. Cook, stirring very rarely, for 10 minutes or until a caramel forms, and the peaches have started to brown. Turn off the heat and stir through the mint. When the rice pudding is cooked and the lid has been removed, add the butter and stir until well combined. Taste and add more sugar as need before serving, topped with a generous heap of the peach and caramel. Enjoy! Notes Allergy Notes; This recipe is vegan, gluten free and soy free. If nuts are an allergen for you then skip the hazelnuts and add a dash of cinnamon instead for an equally delicious sauce.

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Leek & Potato Soup – Three Ways (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 13:30:05 +0000

There are few things more comforting during cold, damp weather than a bowl of steaming hot soup. A few simple ingredients, cooked together to make something special. The best soups are ones you can throw together with a few kitchen basics and come out with something everyone will love. Leek and potato soup is one of those French classics that everyone has heard of. It’s incredibly simple and only a needs a few simple touches to make it a success that anyone can make. Lets a look at some of the important points here; Leeks – I’m not always a great fan of leeks since they’re so difficult to clean. You’ll likely find grit in between every layer. The easiest way to clean your leeks for this recipe is to half them lengthways first. You should then be able to fan out the leaves and rinse well. Potatoes – If you have a choice, floury potatoes work better in a soup than waxy version. They’re break down easier and make for a more cream soup while waxy potatoes can make it a little gloopy. Maris pipers are my favourites since they also make great roasties! Stock – you can make this with water if you really must but … don’t. A great vegetable stock is the secret to making so many dishes better and adding in that hint of depth. Bacon – this is a traditional base to the soup BUT this is a vegan blog and I haven’t had meat in a long time. I’ve found that adding smoked paprika adds same depth while keeping it vegan – and so much cheaper. Cream – Like so many French soups, this is creamy and would traditionally have plenty of cream and butter stirred through to make it rich. I whip up some tasty, savoury, cashew cream for the same effect. That’s all it takes! I’ve given you three cooking techniques here using the slow cooker, pressure cooker or hob. Slow cooker is my favourite but do what works best for you! Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients 150g Cashews 1800ml Good Vegetable Stock 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil 2 Large Leeks, dark green sections remove & washed 60ml White Wine Vinegar 850g Potatoes, peeled & chopped 1 Garlic Clove, minced 2 Bay Leaves 1 tsp Dried Thyme 1 tsp Dried Rosemary 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika Salt & Pepper to taste Directions For best results, I recommend soaking your cashews overnight but if you loose track of time then try to soak them for at least an hour in boiling water. Once soaked and soft to the touch, drain and blend with 300ml of the stock until completely smooth. Put to one side until needed. Quarter your leeks lengthways (remembering to wash them when halved), before chopping. Place a large pan onto a medium heat and melt the coconut oil. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Deglaze the pan with the white wine vinegar, making sure to scrape up all those tasty brown bits. This is where our three cooking methods diverge. Slow Cooker: Add all your ingredients, apart from the cashew cream, to your slow cooker and stir well. Be a little heavy handled with the salt and pepper here. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. The potatoes should be soft and the leeks will melting away. Pressure Cooker/Instant pot: In most pressure cookers you should be able to sauté the leeks within the cooker – go for it! It’ll keep all the flavours in one place. Add all your ingredients, apart from the cashew cream, to the pressure cooker and stir well. Be a little heavy handled with the salt and pepper here. Seal and cook on high for 9 minutes. This is a soup so a quick release really isn’t a good idea – you want to do an intermittent pressure release. Carefully, open and close the pressure release valve in short intervals. This allows to the pressure to gradually release without the risk of being sprayed with boiling liquid. Hob Cooking: Skip the deglazing step for now. Add the potatoes to the pan and continue to cook until they just start to brown around the edges. Now deglaze with the vinegar, and scrape up all the lovely brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan (apart from the cashew cream) and season very generously with the salt & pepper. Simmer on a low heat, partially covered, until the potatoes are soft and cooked through and meltingly soft. For all cooking methods, once your potatoes are meltingly soft, blend the soup with an immersion blender till smooth. Stir in most of the cashew cream (keep a tiny amount back for garnish). Now taste and season as needed, don’t be shy with adding more pepper if needed. Serve with a swirl of your reserved cashew cream with a side of crusty bread. Notes Allergy Notes; This is naturally vegan, gluten free and soy free. If nuts are an allergen for you then substitute your cashew cream with about a cup of soy cream instead.

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Marinara Sauce (Kitchen Basics)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 17:00:52 +0000

I have a somewhat paranoid method of managing my kitchen. With my various health conditions, I’ve had many periods where I’ve been too ill to make dinner so I tend towards making sure I’ve always got backup. This takes many forms from piles of leftovers in the freezer, to recipes so easy I can make them when ill. My marinara is part of this. Every now and then I’ll make up a big batch then save in individual portions. Want to make some pizzas, pull together some easy pasta, or have a sauce ready for (vegan) meatballs? Then you’ve already got a lot of the heavy lifting done. I’ve given instructions for making this with your pressure cooker, slow cooker, or even on the hob so you can do what works best for you. My version of this classic Italian base sauce isn’t entirely traditional, I’m no Italian Grandmother, but it’s oh so tasty. What’s more, it’s an incredibly easy recipe and makes for several dinners with very little effort. Let me know what you think of my marinara! Makes: 1.5 Litres (aprox) Ingredients 1 Onion, diced 1/2 Large Carrot, diced 1/2 Celery Rib, diced 4 Garlic Cloves, minced 125ml Vegetable Stock 1200g Tinned Tomatoes (3 x 400g Tins) 1/3 cup Tomato Puree 1 Tbsp Dried Basil 2 Bay Leaves 1/2 Tbsp Dried Oregano 1/2 Tbsp Dried Thyme 1/2 tsp Crushed Chillies 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar Sugar, to taste Salt & Pepper to taste Directions Instant Pot: Using the sauté function, place your pot on low with a touch of oil. Sauté the onions, carrot, and celery until softened and the onions have just started to brown. Add in the garlic and continue to cook for a minute, just until the garlic is fragrant. Deglaze the pan with a touch of stock, making sure to scrape up all the tasty brown bits at the bottom (this is very important with some models of pressure cooker. Neglecting to deglaze after sautéing can cause the dreaded burn warning). Turn off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well. Cook on high for 30 minutes, allowing a natural pressure release. Slow Cooker: If you have time, soften and lightly brown your veg in a small pan before cooking but it’s not essential. Put all your ingredients in the bottom of your slow cooker and stir well. Cook on low for up to 8 hours (this isn’t a recipe that happily converts to high in a slow cooker). If your slow cooker has a tendency to loose some liquid then check halfway through and add an extra half cup of stock if running dry. Hob Cooking: Place a large, heavy based pot on a medium heat with a touch of oil. Sauté the onions, carrot, and celery until softened and the onions have just started to brown. Add in the garlic and continue to cook for a minute, just until the garlic is fragrant. Deglaze the pan with a touch of stock before adding the rest of the ingredients and stirring well. bring up to a low simmer, cover, and turn heat down low. Gently simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the carrots are soft and the sauce if flavourful. Which ever method you use, once the sauce is cooked, season to taste and add a touch of sugar if needed. At this point I like to bring out the immersion blender and blend until mostly smooth. If you prefer a chunky sauce then blend slightly less but I like it smooth to make the perfect pizza sauce. Use immediately with pasta or on a pizza base, or freeze in individual portions to take out as and when needed. Notes Allergy Notes; This recipe is vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free! If you have any issues with any of the ingredients in this dish then let me and I can suggest substitutions.

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Instant Pot Lentil Sloppy Joes (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 12:00:37 +0000

Sloppy Joes is one of those iconic American foods that you see on TV but don’t really get over here in the UK. Originating in the early 1930s, the basis of this dish is cheap mince meat in a tangy, barbecue or tomato based sauce, served in a white roll. It’s one of those cheap dishes that was created during the depression to serve hungry workers and it’s survived all this time by being greater than the sum of it’s parts. Incredibly tasty and comforting, it’s perfect for those days when you need to make something filling from basic pantry stores – in other words, perfect for during lockdown! There are several vegan versions of this dish online but getting a version that’s just as tasty as the original can be tricky. My version of this classic dish offers bold, meaty flavours, while still being both easy and cheap to make. Serve in a good size bread roll (gluten free in our house) with a spoonful of smashed avocado, and a side of tasty salad. It’s messy but it’ll make the perfect end to a hard day. Makes: Serves 6 Ingredients For the Sloppy Joe filling: 1 Green Pepper, diced 1 Large Onion, chopped 1 rib of Celery, chopped 2 Garlic Cloves, chopped 1 tsp Chilli Powder 1½ tsp Smoked Paprika 1 tsp Chilli Flakes 1 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Dried Thyme 1 tsp Dried Oregano 110g Urad Dhal (Black Lentils), soaked* 110g Green Lentils 1lt Vegetable stock 400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes 3 Tbsp Tomato Puree 2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce 1 Tbsp Mild Mustard (Dijon works well here) 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar (or more depending on the tomatoes) 1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar ½ tsp Liquid Smoke (Optional but really worth it if you can find it) 100g Walnuts 200g Mushrooms 125g Black Beans salt & Pepper to taste Oil for cooking Serving Suggestions: Bread Rolls Smashed Avocado** Slices of Pickled Red Onions Directions Set your instant pot to saute and add a touch of oil. Gently cook your chopped onions, celery, and pepper until softened and just starting to brown. Add the garlic with the spices and saute briefly, until the garlic turns fragrant. Turn off the instant pot and use a dash of the stock to deglaze the liner. Make sure you scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as that’s flavour and leaving too much can cause your instant pot to overheat when coming up to pressure. Now add the rest of the ingredients apart from the mushrooms and walnuts. Don’t add salt at this point as it can make the lentils turn hard. Stir well to make sure everything is well combined before locking on the lid. Cook on high pressure for 12 mins and allow a natural release. While your lentils are cooking it’s time to cook your flavours boosters – the mushrooms, walnuts, and black beans are here to add that deep meaty taste that will ensure even the most hardened vegan won’t miss the meat. Finely chop your mushrooms, I like to to this in my food processor but don’t let them become mush if you do this. The walnuts should also be chopped finely until they are slightly larger than breadcrumbs. I also like to roughly chop the black beans but that’s entirely optional. Heat a wide bottomed saute pan on a medium to high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Add in your mushrooms and saute until they loose most of their liquid and start to brown. Stir occasionally and scrape up any brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan as you go. Add the beans and walnuts and mix well. Keep cooking until the mix is nicely toasted. When the pressure has released on the instant pot, remove the lid and stir through your mushroom mix. If needed, simmer down until thick, taste and season well. Serve in good size bread buns with a spoonful of smashed avocado. Notes * We always tend to have black lentils in the house as they’re essential for a lot of great Indian dishes. They add some great textures here but if you don’t have them to hand then you can use more green lentils instead. **If you’re not planning on using the avocado with this then I’d suggest halving the vinegar and mustard in this recipe. I’ve built it out to be a deliciously tangy recipe that is balanced out by the avocado so you may want to compensate here. Allergy Notes; This is already vegan and gluten free but there are a few points to note. Check your gluten free buns for dairy or egg as this can be a common tripping point in gluten free bread. Check your stock as wheat is often used as a thickener. If walnuts are an allergen for you then you should be able to substitute in sunflower seeds for a similar effect.

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Jackfruit Carnitas (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 12:00:21 +0000

Lets do some real talk folks, I’m a white girl living in suburban London. Authentic Mexican food can be a little hard to track down round here and I’ve never been to Mexico so I’m left to look at pictures on the internet and imagine. I’m not going to be your most authentic source of Mexican food but I can tell you whats tasty and these carnitas are so tasty! Inspired by the traditional Mexican dish of pork carnitas where a shoulder of pork is slow cooked until it starts to fall apart, then grilled to crisp up the edges. Cooked with tons of aromatics, this tender and flavourful dish is eaten as a snack with salsa, used as a taco filling, or stuffed into burritos. What’s more, it’s crazy easy to veganise this by using jackfruit instead of pork. For something so tasty, this is an amazingly easy dish and I’ve included 3 different cooking methods in the recipe below so you can fit it to what works for you. Got a busy day coming up? Then your slow cooker is your friend. Realised you’ve forgotten to plan ahead for dinner? Then the pressure cooker has your back. Don’t have a slow cooker or pressure cooker but still want to enjoy this deliciousness? I’ve got your back with a method for your hob. Use this as a filling for your over stuffed burritos, serve on tacos with salsa and guacamole, I’ve even sprinkled this on pizza (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!) – this recipe is sure to become one of your firm favourites! Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients 2 tins of Young Green Jackfruit, rinsed and drained 1 Large Onion, quartered then sliced 5 Garlic Cloves, minced 2 tsp Ground Cumin ½ Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika 2 tsp dried Oregano 1 tsp dried Thyme 2 Bay Leaves 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute (see allergy note below) 2 Tbsp Tomato Puree 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke 1 Tsp Ground Coriander 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar/Maple Syrup ½ Tbsp Chilli Flakes 60ml Vegetable Stock 1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar 1 Large Orange, quartered ½ Tbsp Strong Coffee (weird I know – trust me here!) Oil for Cooking Salt & Pepper to taste Directions Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker Method; set your instant pot to saute and use the adjust button to set the heat to low. Add a touch of oil with the onion and gently saute, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens just faintly starts to brown. Turn off the instant pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Mash the oranges with the end of your spoon so they release their juices and stir really well to make sure everything is completely combined. Now lock on the lid and cook on high for 5 minutes, allowing a natural release. Remove the oranges and but leaves from the pot and set the oranges to one side. This is the point where I like to shred the jackfruit, I like a potato masher for this task but a couple of forks may do just as well if you don’t have one. Gently mash the jackfruit until it’s broken up and resembles pulled pork. Place the jackfruit on to a tray with the oranges and put under a hot grill for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through, or until the edges of the jackfruit are just starting to char. Slow Cooker Method; Gently saute your onions on a low heat until they begin to soften and lightly brown. Turn the heat up to medium, add the garlic and orange quarters and saute for another minute or so, stirring constantly. The garlic should become fragrant and the orange may just be beginning to catch. Tip this mix into your slow cooker along with all the other ingredients, set to low, and cook for 8 hours. Remove the oranges and bay leaves and set the oranges to one side. As above, shred the jackfruit with a masher or a pair of forks. Place the jackfruit on to a tray with the oranges and put under a hot grill for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through, or until the edges of the jackfruit are just starting to char. Hob Method; Set a large, wide pan on a low heat with a touch of oil. Slowly saute the onions, stirring occasionally, until they soften and just begin to brown. Add the garlic and continue to saute until the garlic is fragrant. Now add the rest of your ingredients and stir well. The liquid should just cover the jackfruit, if it doesn’t you might need to add a little more stock with this method. Bring up to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until your jackfruit is tender. Remove the lid and simmer until the liquid almost evaporates. Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaves, mash up your jackfruit and spread onto a tray. Put under a hot grill for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through, or until the edges of the jackfruit are just starting to char. Serve stuffed into a burrito, in tacos with guacamole and salsa, or anywhere else that needs it! Notes Allergy Notes; I’m going to keep saying this – Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally contains little to no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. As always, check your brand to make sure you’ve not accidentally picked up one of the few brands which uses gluten. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you.

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Tomato Risotto with Basil & Garlic Breadcrumbs (Vegan, Gluten Free & Nut Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 12:00:34 +0000

Risotto is one of those comforting recipes that can seem so unapproachable when served in a restaurant but it’s really not! The secret to a traditional risotto is hot stock, and stirring – never stop stirring. it can be an extremely soothing way to end a stressful day to stand at your hob and gradually nurse a risotto to life. On the other hand, if you don’t have the time or inclination to stand there, constantly stirring, then just leave it to your pressure cooker. Seriously, with very little work you can have dinner ready in 15 to 20 minutes by just leaving the risotto to your pressure cooker. This creamy, rich, tasty risotto is my take on the Italian classic. It’s an incredibly simple dish that comes out greater than the sum of it’s parts. I’ve included instructions for both the stove top method and using a pressure cooker so you can try whichever works for you but I have to admit that more often than not I tend to just use the pressure cooker as its so much easier. If you want to take a look at the science of perfect risotto then Serious Eats did a brilliant article on this subject many years ago. I use their method for washing the rice to add to the creaminess but it’s entirely optional so if you’re short on time do feel free to skip this step. Credit should also be given to Laura at Hip Pressure Cooking who first mastered pressure cooker risotto here – give her site a look! Makes: Serves 2-3 Ingredients For the Risotto: 750ml Vegetable Stock 3 Tbsp Vegan Butter 400g Tinned Chopped Tomatoes 500ml Risotto Rice 1 tsp Vegan Fish Sauce ½ Tbsp Cider Vinegar* 2 Garlic Cloves, minced 1 Onion, chopped 1 Rib of Celery, very finely diced ½ tsp dried Basil ½ tsp dried Thyme 1 tsp Dried Rosemary 1 tsp Dried Oregano 1 tsp Smoked Paprika ½ Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 Medium Potato, very finely diced Salt & Pepper to taste For the Crispy Basil & Garlic Breadcrumbs: 2 Tbsp Oil 4-5 Basil leaves, roughly ripped 1 Slice of Gluten free bread, grated to form breadcrumbs 2 garlic cloves, minced or fine diced 1 tsp Nutritional Yeast ½ Tsp Chilli Flakes Salt & Pepper, to taste Optional Finishers: 3 Sun dried Tomato halves, thinly sliced Lemon Juice 1 Tbsp of vegan Creme Fraiche or Cream 150g Spinach Handful of Vegan Cheese Fresh Basil Directions I’ll start by walking you through the basil and garlic breadcrumbs, if you’re doing the risotto on the stove then I recommend doing this first as you won’t have time while doing all that stirring. However, if you’re leaving the risotto to your pressure cooker then I tend to throw the breadcrumbs together while the risotto is cooking – it all depends on what works best for you. Put a small fry pan on a high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the basil leaves and allow to fry until bright green and just starting to crisp (this will take literally seconds so don’t look away). Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, or until fragment. Now turn the heat down to low and add your breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, chilli, and season well. Mix well and toast gently until the breadcrumbs are browned and crunchy, stirring occasionally. Put your breadcrumbs to one side until needed. Mix together your stock, fish sauce, and vinegar in a large bowl. Add your rice to this mix stir well to ‘wash’ your rice and remove the starch into your stock. Drain well into a separate bowl so that you retain all the starch you’ve just rinsed off and your rice is mostly dry. Now stir the tomatoes into your stock. If you’re cooking on the stove you’ll want to place this mix into a small pan and heat gently so it’s ready when you need it. Stove top Method; Add 2 Tbsp of your butter to a wide saute pan on a medium heat. when your butter has melted, add the chopped onion and celery, and saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Throw in your herbs, paprika, 1 tsp of salt, as well as the garlic and continue to cook until the onions have started to very gently brown. Add the potato and rice, stirring continuously and cook until the rice grains are translucent, ever so slightly golden and smell toasty. Use a dash of your stock to deglaze the pan (i.e. scrape up all the tasty brown stuff that’s stuck to the bottom) and now we’re ready to start adding the stock for real. Add your simmering stock mix a ladle full at a time, ensuring each addition is fully absorbed before adding the next and stirring well. Once all the stock is absorbed, taste your rice to ensure it’s cooked – you’re looking for soft rice that still has a slight bite to it. Stir in your last tablespoon of butter and season to taste. Instant Pot method; Place your instant pot onto saute and add 2 Tbsp of your butter. As with the method above, when your butter has melted add the chopped onion and celery, and saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Throw in your herbs, paprika, 1 tsp of salt, as well as the garlic and continue to cook until the onions have started to very gently brown. Add the potato and rice, stirring continuously and cook until the rice grains are translucent, ever so slightly golden and smell toasty. Turn of the saute function and use a dash of the stock mix to deglaze the pan. Add the rest of your stock and mix well. Seal the lid and set to cook for 6 minutes at high pressure. when the time is finished, do a quick pressure release. The risotto will look far too wet but stir well and the excess liquid will be adsorbed. Add your last tablespoon of butter, season to taste and stir until the butter is melted and mixed through. For either method you can add whichever finishers you feel it needs that day, if the risotto needs a burst of acidity then add a little lemon juice (this will often depend on the tomatoes). Spinach is a great addition and bumps up the amount of veg in your dish – just add with the butter and stir through until just wilted. If you’ve got some vegan creme fraiche or cream hanging around in your fridge then they can really up the creaminess of your dish. Serve topped with cheese (if that’s your thing), a good helping of the breadcrumbs you prepared earlier, and a few leaves of fresh basil. Notes * Traditionally, this should be white wine but I don’t drink so we never have any in the house. If you do then feel free to sub in about a quarter of a cup of white wine. Don’t mix this with the rest of the stock but use it at the deglazing stage instead of using the stock. move on to the next step when the wine has been fully absorbed. Allergy Notes; This should be naturally vegan, gluten free and nut free. As always, double check your stock for any allergens and if soy is an issue for you then check your vegan fish sauce – if you can’t find one without and need to skip the soy then feel free to skip it entirely.

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Vegan Spaghetti Alfredo

Feast of Plants — Fri, 01 May 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Carbs are my comfort food, and there’s no mistaking it, some days you just want a big bowl of pasta with a creamy sauce. But its a weeknight, so you want it to feel decadent but to be relatively healthy too, and well, I’m still me, so vegetables were going to have to be involved here. So in response to that urge I revisited Pasta Alfredo with the thought of putting my own stamp onto it. Done right, with a cauliflower and cashew base, the sauce is wonderfully smooth and creamy. However, I like a little bit more depth to my meals – it needed more than your standard pasta and sauce combo. If you’re a regular follower of my Instagram page you’ll know I have a slight obsession with roasted tomatoes and these made the ideal counterpoint to this dish. Seasoned before roasting with dried herbs, garlic, and chili these come out of the oven bursting with flavour. These little umami bombs lift the dish into something else along with a little curve ball of balsamic vinegar. You’ve now got an almost sinfully creamy sauce, thanks to the addition of the cashews, enough flavour and depth from the toppings to make your mouth water and yet I think there’s 3 of your 5 a day squeezed in here (the cauliflower, peas, and tomatoes). Not bad for a quick weekday pasta craving. Serves: 4, Generously Ingredients 12 Large Vine ripened tomatoes 1/2 tsp Garlic Granules 2 tsp Oregano 2 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes 2 tsp Rosemary 1 Large Cauliflower 1 tbsp Oil 3 Large cloves of Garlic 90g Cashews 750ml Vegetable Stock 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 tbsp lemon juice 350g Frozen Peas Balsamic Vinegar, to taste (optional) Fresh Parsley, to taste (optional) Salt & Pepper to taste Past of your choice, I like spaghetti or tagliatelle Directions Preheat your oven to 200°C (190°C Fan) and lets start by looking at the tomatoes. Halve them, put them on a lined baking tray cut side up and season well with salt and pepper. Mix together your dried herbs, garlic granules and chili flakes and spread this mix evenly over your tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and place in your oven and roast for about 60 minutes or until they take on a good colour. While they’re cooking its time to pull together the main part of the dish, the cauliflower alfredo sauce. Preheat your instant pot in the saute function and while its warming you can prepare the rest of your vegetables. To prep the cauliflower, discard the leaves*, break up the florets, halve the stem and cut into even chunks. I want to be quite clear here – don’t throw the stem away, it’s perfectly edible, you’ve paid for that and its going to be used and eaten as part of the recipe – as such you may want to clean or trim off the very end if you’re feeling fancy. Roughly chop your garlic and add this along with the the oil into your warmed instant pot. Saute until the garlic becomes fragrant and add the cauliflower, cashews, and stock. Stir well, turn off the saute function, seal, and cook on high for 5 minutes. As there’s a lot of liquid here, you’ll want to use a 10 minute natural release when the cooking is complete. Now this next bit is where you may want to be careful, everything wants to be transferred to a blender and pureed until completely smooth. Whether you prefer to use an immersion blender or a stand blender – you’re dealing with very hot liquids so please be careful. When the sauce is smooth, transfer back to the instant pot and set to keep warm (if needed), gently stir in the peas, nutritional yeast and lemon juice. When your pasta is just ready, stir through the sauce, taste and season as needed – the sauce and pasta are ready when the peas are just cooked and still taste fresh. When your tomatoes are ready, chop them very roughly. Serve your pasta with a potion of the chopped tomatoes on top, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Not your traditional spaghetti alfredo but oh so tasty! Notes * Cauliflower leaves are perfectly edible too so don’t just throw them away! While I wouldn’t recomend putting them into your stock pot (like most brassicas) they roast up a dream, add interest to salads, or why not throw them into your next kale or cabbage recipe? Allergy Notes; I used GF pasta and keep an eye on your stock – I like to use my own or use Marigold Vegan Bouillon when I don’t have any in. I’d suggest checking your shop bought stock powders as gluten sources like wheat are often used as thickeners. I’m afraid this one can’t be nut free!

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Instant Pot Cauliflower and Black Bean Masala

Feast of Plants — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

My mother has always had this vast, Aladdin’s cave of herbs and spices that she viewed as essential in food and equally essential in our cooking education. An old coffee grinder, that is likely older than me, serves as a spice grinder for an array of whole spices that live on the top shelf before being toasted, ground and decanted into the jars for the ground spices on the bottom shelf. In my childhood memories I can still remember being taken to the Bangladeshi food shops in Yorkshire, so that she could get spices you couldn’t find in supermarkets in those days, bulk bags of rice, beans, pulses and the occasional trip the butcher – As welcoming as my parents have been my diets, my parents have never been vegan. Thanks to this, my education in spices and flavour started in those spice shops in Yorkshire. On one memorable occasion I wandered off while my mother was paying and started to play in the chilies section so a glowing woman in a sari taught me why that was a bad idea and why each shiny fruit was different. On special occasions we would make biriyani, which could take all day, as the center piece of the table. Other days, we would be challenged to see just how creative we could be in the kitchen and I have one memory of one of my siblings making a parsnip pie with garam masala and chilli (possibly other things as well). I, being the horrible child that I was, refused to eat it as it both had parsnips in it, which I hated, and was too spicy. Everyone else loved it. In traditional Indian households pressure cookers often play a central role in the cooking as they can enhance the spices and push in flavours, so it is in this dish. There’s no need for cream or yoghurt substitutes as the cashews add the same smoothness of those additives and they also act to thicken the sauce. I would suggest to pay attention to the instructions to turn off the pot after sauteing as the pot may need to cool down before coming up to pressure. As you’re working on minimum liquid these suggestions are in place to avoid the burn error message (or overheat on older models). Even now I tend to be somewhat of a whimp when it comes to heat in my food so I would encourage you to spice yours to suit you. If you want a touch more heat maybe add another Kashmiri chillie, if you want a lot more heat then I’d add a green chillie at the garlic and ginger stage. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients 60ml Oil* 300g Onions, Sliced 4-5 Whole Cloves 4 Green Cardamon 1 Black Cardamon 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds 1/2 Star Anise 2 Kashmiri Dried Red Chilies 5 Garlic Cloves, sliced 6g of Ginger (aprox), peeled & chopped 2 Tins of Chopped Tomatoes (400g each) 1/2 Cup cashews 1/2 Tsp Salt 1 Tbsp Oil 1 Large Cauliflower 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander 1 Tsp Paprika 1/2 Tsp Tumeric 2 Tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves 1/4 Tsp Cayenne 1 Large Onion, chopped into large chunks 1 Tsp Garam Masala 250g Cooked Black Beans** Handful of fresh chopped Coriander Directions Press saute on the instant pot and add the oil, reserving a tablespoon or so for later on. You can prep the onions while you wait for it to heat, adding them when the oil is hot. Cook the onions till they start to brown, stirring very occasionally this should take a little over 10 minutes. Add the whole spices and saute for a few moments until fragrant. Now throw in the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute or so. Turn off the instant pot at this stage and add one of the tins of tomatoes, the cashews, salt and aprox 1/2 a cup of water. Use the liquid to deglaze the pot and stir well, make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. Seal the pot and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally. This sauce should now be blended till completely smooth and then set to one side. When prepping your cauliflower I would suggest cutting the florets into small to medium pieces, putting the leaves to one side for another day, while trimming the stem and cutting it into at least bite size chunks. Clean out your instant pot liner, put it back into your instant pot and turn on the saute setting while adding the tablespoon of oil you reserved earlier. When heated, add the onion and cauliflower and briefly saute until the cauliflower starts to take on a little colour. Now, apart from the garam masala, add all your ground spices, including the fenugreek leaves and stir well. Turn off the instant pot before adding the last tin of tomatoes along with 1/2 a cup of water and stir well. Seal the lid and set to cook at on high for 1 minute. Its important that the pressure is quick released as soon as it is ready otherwise you’ll end up loosing some of the texture of the cauliflower. At this point stir in the sauce we prepared earlier, the garam masala, black beans, and coriander leaves. Simmer gently for a minute or so until fully heated though and all the flavours have gotten to know each other. Taste to check for seasoning, add more salt if needed and serve with rice. Notes * I like groundnut oil for its high smoke point but it can be fairly pricey so feel free to go with what you have on hand. ** I batch cook my beans in the instant cooker from dried as I prefer the texture and find it cheaper but if you want to use tinned, this is about the same as one tin of black beans, drained and rinsed. Allergy Notes; this recipe is naturally gluten free and vegan but nuts are an issue here. I’m afraid this is another one of those recipes where a substitute for the cashews just won’t work as they’re quite key to the dish. Sorry about that!

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