Instant pot tomato soup

 So excited about this easy and delicious instant pot tomato soup recipe, made with canned tomatoes! I have always found it kinda ironic that winter is th emost appealing time to hbave a nice, hot bowl of tomato soup, but also the time when tomatoes are hardest to come by.

https://peasandcrayons.com/2019/01/instant-pot-tomato-soup.html

I added:

1 diced red bell pepper

2 sticks sliced celery

1 extra cup chicken stock

And used Penzey's Italian seasoning rather than dried basil and oregano

(before cooking)

And after cooking, stirred in 1/3 cup heavy cream.

Instant pot tagine

 We LOVED this instant pot moroccan chicken dish from the food network:

 https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/instant-pot-moroccan-chicken-6551992

 So flavorful! The contrast of tangy olives with sweet apricots - so good!

 A few mods I made that turned out well:

• added 1/2 sliced red bell pepper (same step as onions)

•  used kalamata olives rather than ones with pimentos
• used craisins rather than prunes
• all cilantro rather than cilantro and parsley (all parsley may actually be tastier - I just didn't want to buy both)

I served it on couscous with roasted broccoli and cauliflower (which also goes nicely with Harissa sauce!)

Instant Pot Beef Barley Stew

 LOVE this recipe!!! It is such a thick, filling stew, and because it contains barley, you don't need to serve it with an additional starch. We make it with Knoche's stew beef. I've made it with chicken stock - works in a pinch, but loses some of the richness you get from the beef stock. Five stars, highly recommend!

https://momsdinner.net/instant-pot-beef-barley-stew/

Instant pot Cuban black beans

 Cheryl has turned us on to this recipe, which quickly became a household staple:

https://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/the-ultimate-mexican-instant-pot-black-beans-no-soak/print/25343/

Yes, the link says "Mexican," I think it has a more Cuban/Adobo type flavor. I haven't done it with salsa verde (...because I never remember to buy it) but don't miss it - I just add a little extra water. Tried adding some diced tomatoes and think it's better without. 

We serve it with rice, wheat tortillas, pickled red onions, cheddar, and, if we're feeling fancy, blackened Mahi Mahi.

baba ganoush take-off

 On Jody's rec I got a Vitamix which arrived today.  I made my usual lunch smoothie, which had a nice little foam topping.  Then I made this:

• roasted eggplant, halved and scored, roasted at 350 for 30 min
• Onion, same as above
• 3 garlic cloves put in for the last 5 min
  

Meanwhile I roasted 1 c unhulled sesame seeds over medium heat on a skillet, 5 min.  And while doing that, I put juice of 2 lemons and 1 t. cumin and the garlic in the Vitamix for a spin.  Then added 3 T olive oil, then the sesame seeds.  They were pretty stubborn, even after I added the onion and the eggplant.  It took a lot of tamping, and I think that hulled seeds would have produced a much smoother blend, much more quickly.  And it would have come out of the Vitamix a lot more readily.  Next time I will try adding vinegar, but I think it would take a lot of vinegar to loosen the mix up.  And the tahini recipes all say to add water, so I should try that too.

I'm having it on top of black sesame crackers.  Definitely rough-looking, and rather gritty, but I do think that unhulled sesame seeds are nutritious, and it tasted good.

Parsnip leek soup

 Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons roasted almond oil

• 4 large leeks, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or 2 leeks plus one big shallot)

• 5 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon garam masala (rec. called for ground turmeric; pull date on mine was 2006 so I boldly tossed it)

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• Extra-virgin olive oil, crème fraîche or yogurt, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Put oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallot. leeks and parsnips, and stir to coat.

2. Let vegetables sizzle and cook, stirring frequently until nearly caramelized, but without browning, until softened, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Add bay leaf, garam masala and garlic, and stir to coat. Increase heat to high, add broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes more. Taste broth and adjust seasoning.

4. With a blender, purée soup to a creamy consistency. Thin with water or broth, if necessary — it should be like a thin milkshake, not thick and porridge-like.

5. Reheat the soup before serving. Serve plain, or give each bowl a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil or a dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt, if desired.

Slow cooker Italian sausage pasta sauce

Loved this sauce, inspired by the following recipe: https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/slow-cooked-italian-sausage-pasta-sauce-with-spaghetti/90f4ca32-b131-4db1-946c-d8c46ca5f28d

Brown 1-1.5 lbs bulk Italian sausage or 5-6 Italian sausage links, cut into 1 inch pieces. Brown for about 10 minutes in a skillet. Pour off fat.

Place the following ingredients in a slow cooker: 16 oz marinara sauce, 28 oz diced tomatoes (2 cans), 1 can tomato paste, 1/2 t dried oregano, 1/2 t dried basil, 1 diced medium onion, 1 diced red bell pepper, 2 large cloves garlic (peeled & crushed), and browned sausage. I did NOT add any salt - none of the tomato products I added were 'no salt added' - and it was already pretty salty. Also, original recipe called for 3T of sugar - I prefer it without.

 Cook for 8-10 hours on low, stirring about once every 2 hours (this prevents the edges from burning. More frequent stirring, though, loses too much heat). Serve over spaghetti. Garnish with parsley and/or Parmesan cheese.