I think I enjoy the cooking more than eating, there is nothing better than to watch the smile grow after someone’s first bite. Note from Steve: I am a flow of thought writer and apologize up front if I lose you. My family is used to it.
Lyn and Maria (Niece that is living with us) are on an anti-inflammatory kick so being their chief cook and bottle washer I made them this chicken Pho soup from woman’s Day which Ly used to gently hint what she wanted for dinner. It was Thursday which is chicken dinner day after all. Personally I can’t stand the smell of fish sauce, but it does add great flavor. Don’t tell them I held my nose and only used half of what it called for while putting it in.
Ingredients
4 whole star anise
4 whole cloves
1 small cinnamon stick smashed Steve Note: they were all the same size how the heck do I in know if it was small 😊
1 tsp coriander seed crushed
½ tsp black peppercorns
A 2” piece of ginger quartered then smashed
½ red onion, coarsely chopped
½ Fuji apple Steve Note: I only had honey crisp
1 ½ lbs bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed and discarded
2 TBS fish sauce divided into 1TBS
3 oz instant rice noodles
5 cups of water
Bean sprouts, sliced red chili and red onion, mint or cilantro and lime wedges for serving.
How
Press Sauté on instant Pot and add spices and cook stirring occasionally, until fragrant 3-4 minutes
Add ginger and chopped onions and cook stirring occasionally 4 minutes
Add apple, chicken, 5 cups of water. And 1 TBS of fish sauce cover and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes.
Let release naturally, then release any remaining pressure and open lid
Transfer chicken to plate. Strain broth discarding and remaining solids.
Return the broth to the pot and add noodles and let sit until tender 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile shred chicken discarding bones return to pot and stir in remaining Tbsp of fish sauce.
I don’t think that this recipe needs more than what my wife texted to our son and new daughter “I made this soup and it is really good!”. They are both avid soup lovers and Gail’s favorite restaurant is a hot pot place I think it was Spring Shabu-Shabu.
Who doesn’t love a good lentil soup? This one came from
1 large potato (white), peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
4 teaspoons Fody Foods vegetable soup base dissolved in 4 cups of boiled water (or 4 cups of Low FODMAP vegetable broth)
3 cups canned lentils, rinsed and drained (about 2, 14 ounce cans, you may have a little lentils leftover, this can vary depending on the product you use.)
1, 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, not drained
3 cups kale, stemmed and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup parsley, washed and chopped, for garnish
Instructions
In a large stockpot, add olive oil.
Over medium-high heat, sauté carrots, celery and potato in olive oil for about 10-12 minutes or until soft.
Add soup broth and cook for 5 minutes.
Then, lower heat to medium, and continue to cook the vegetables for 15 minutes.
Next, add the lentils, diced tomatoes, kale, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, cayenne, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste.
Let soup simmer on medium-low heat for about 12 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice.
Garnish with parsley and serve!
About Lentils
Lentils are particularly high in protein, fiber, folate, iron, zinc and magnesium! Let’s talk a bit about these important nutritions.
Lentils contain 6 grams of protein in a 1/2 cup canned portion.
For those following a vegan or vegetarian diet, lentils make a great protein option. For those of us who do consume meat, they’re still a tasty, fiber rich, protein rich and nutrient dense ingredient!
Fiber is key for digestive health. One serving of Delallo canned lentils provides 6 grams of fiber; that’s about 25% of your daily requirement!
Lentils provide a great source of folate, a water-soluble B vitamin. While folate is crucial for all (it helps the body make healthy new cells), it is particularly important for women of reproductive age. Adequate folate intake can prevent birth defects of the baby’s brain, making it an important nutrient for those planning to conceive and during pregnancy.
Lentils provide a nice dose of plant-based iron too.
There are two types of iron – heme and non-heme – with heme iron being found in meat, poultry and fish, and non-heme iron being found in plant foods (whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and leafy greens). Non-heme iron is less readily absorbed in the gut, but pairing it with foods high in Vitamin C has been shown to increase absorption.
In my lentil recipe, we’ll be using lemon juice, tomato paste and kale as sources of Vitamin C, but some other foods high in Vitamin C include: bell peppers, strawberries, oranges and broccoli.
Lentils contain a good amount of zinc.
Zinc levels have been shown to be low in some GI conditions, such as chronic diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. Boost your zinc intake with lentils, or other zinc rich foods such as oyster, pork, or pumpkin seeds. For more information on zinc click here!
Lentils contain magnesium too!
Did you know that most of us don’t get enough magnesium?
Magnesium is an important mineral that helps regulate blood pressure and blood glucose, among a plethora of other crucial bodily functions. Lentils are a good source of magnesium. Pumpkin seeds, almonds, spinach, peanuts and avocados are some other food sources of magnesium.
Now that we know lentils can fit into the low FODMAP diet, let’s get to the fun part – cooking!
Lentils can be cooked in advance and kept in the fridge to be reused throughout the week, or you can opt to buy some of the canned varieties when on a low FODMAP diet. Whether you decide to sprinkle some over your salad or stir some into your soup, you’ll be adding a nutrient-dense ingredient to any dish.
Joke in my house is I love making soups but rarely have more than a bowl. I made another batch of Oven Roasted Tomato Soup. Love this soup you can add after things like rice (my favorite because Mom used to make Campbell’s tomato soup with milk and add rice after), corn, cilantro and more to tweek depending on your mood.
Note that I tried a can of the Campbell’s soup and ugg kind of like when I tried Mcdonalds what did I just eat a while back. Makes you think about younger taste buds.
Market Basket had plum tomatoes for 99 cents and it was a raw day so………Most think of the instant pot recipe as quick and easy, throw it in and press a few buttons and walk away. This is one of my favorite soups and I figure I would try it in the Instant Pot but the prep like roasting the tomatoes does take some time. I suppose one could buy some roasted tomatoes to skip that step there are even some smoked fired roasted tomatoes would also save about 40 or so minutes. I also did my own smoked tomatoes last summer and here is the stove top recipe basically the same.
Anyway I choose the oven this day to roast my tomatoes.
Ingredients
3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions – about 2 onions
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
A good pinch of crushed red pepper flakes about 1/4 teaspoon
1 (28-ounce) canned whole plum tomatoes, with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves packed (save small amount for garnish)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
Optional
Add a red pepper sliced in half and seeded and white vein removed or two to the tomatoes while roasting
3-4 cups fresh Cilantro or mix of both basil and cilantro.
Fresh or frozen corn (use if using cilantro the combo is great)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper I also add a small amount of dried basil or even crushed dried rosemary. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet, drizzle any left oil mixture and roast for 45-55 minutes. I like them to get caramelized.
In the instant pot, sauté the onions with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown then add and garlic for about 30 seconds . You’ll kow when you get that great garlic smell. Add the canned tomatoes, basil and or cilantro, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Seal and press soup button it defaulted to 30 minutes. I was going to try it with venting but I screwed up so that will be next time.
Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. ou can add corn at this point if you want frozen or fresh. Chiffonade small amount of the basil and sprinkle over soup when served. Serve hot or cold. Alternatively you can put in blender instead of food mill.
Chiffonade :Arrange the leaves in a stack, roll them up cigar-style, and slice the roll as thinly as you can. The word for this technique (should you care to brush up on your French while you slice) is chiffonade (shihf-uh-NAHD).
Lyn made this last time and it was good, I made it this morning it came out good very spicy. If you want to calm it down maybe leave out the Cayenne or cut the amounts in half.
Slightly modified Whole Foods recipe.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon avocado oil or other fat
1 medium yellow onion, rough chop
1¼ pound carrot, rough chop
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, with seeds, rough chop 2 teaspoons grated ginger
4 cups broth, veggie or chicken
1 teaspoon sea salt OR 1 tablespoon fish sauce (to taste for saltiness)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Cilantro, chopped (added in after cooking, before pureeing) if you don’t have I have substituted some ground coriander about teaspoon.
½ cup cream or full fat coconut milk
3 tablespoons honey, optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
Using the sauté feature, heat the oil and add the onion. Sauté for 3-5 minutes to soften but not brown.
Add in the chopped carrot and pepper, sautéing for a couple of minutes.
Add in the broth and all the spices, stirring.
Lock the lid and set manual pressure for 12 minutes.
When time is up, do a quick release, unlock the lid, add the cilantro, and puree the soup in a blender, food processor, or try using your immersion blender.
Add back to pot and stir in the cream and honey
Garam masala
Garam masala is a blend of ground spices common in India, Pakistan, and other South Asian cuisines. It is used alone or with other seasonings. The word garam refers to “heating the body” in the Ayurvedic sense of the word, as these spices are believed to elevate body temperature in Ayurvedic medicine.
We both finished a bowl looked at each other and said I would make this again with smiles on our faces. Some how probably because I clicked follow I started getting Facebook post for Simply Sophisticated Cooking she always has the best pictures and pretty darn good recipe, so I pinned for later reference. The only thing we did not have were the Poblanos peppers but we grabbed a couple on our next grocery trip. This was a fairly simple well worth trying.
Ingredients
2 fresh poblano chiles
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 large dried ancho chile
One 14.5 oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
3 c. cooked black beans (about two 14.5 oz cans, rinsed and drained)
kosher salt to taste
4 TBS roasted, salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) – we alwasy have raw on hand so I just pan toasted these
1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
How
Preheat the broiler. Place the poblanos on a foil-lined baking tray, and broil for 8-12 minutes, turning every few minutes with tongs, until the peppers are blackened all over. Remove the peppers from the oven, and place them in a bowl, covering the bowl immediately with plastic wrap. Let the peppers steam under the plastic wrap for 15 minutes, then peel off and discard their skins, remove and discard the seeds and stems, and finely dice the pepper flesh.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and crushed garlic cloves and sauté until onion is golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.
Remove the seeds and stem from the dried ancho chile and discard. Place the ancho chile in the pan with the garlic and onion and cook, stirring, until chile has softened and become pliable, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the garlic, onion, ancho chile, and tomatoes to a blender and puree until smooth, then return the puree to the saucepan.
Stir in the broth, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer until the soup is thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the beans and the diced poblanos and cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
Divide the soup between 3 or 4 bowls, topping each with 1 TBS of pumpkin seeds, 2 TBS of crumbled feta cheese, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately.
Wholefoods had a special on stew meat so I grab some and made this great 10 Minute stew.
Well that’s a little deceptive it takes time to prep, time to build, time to natural release the pressure but only 10 minutes pressure cooking time
Ingredients
·3 cups dice Carrot
·2 cups dice Celery
·4 cups peel and dice Russet Potato – I would cut slightly large dice.
·1 ½ cups dice Onion
·3 teaspoons mince Garlic, Cloves
·4 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
·1 teaspoon Thyme, Dried
·1 teaspoon Basil, Dried
·1 whole Bay Leaf
·½ teaspoons Black Pepper
· Pinch of Red Pepper flakes
·2 pounds Stew Beef – lightly coated with flour in hopes to thicken the gravy, this was a no browning recipe
·14 ½ ounces Diced Tomatoes, Canned
·14 fluid ounces Beef Bone Broth
·⅛ teaspoons Salt
Sorry was so hungry forgot to take finished picture will post one next time, I used recipe picture from once a month meals this was her receipe I added just a few things
Directions
**Due to the nature of pressure cooking there is always room for inconsistency. The times given here are based on 4 servings fresh. If you are using frozen or more servings you may need to increase your cooking time.**
Place all ingredients into inner pot.
Lock cover into place and seal steam nozzle.
Choose the soup setting and adjust to 10 minutes or set manually for 10 minutes.
Mirepoix (pronounced “meer-pwah”) is a combination of chopped carrots, celery and onions used to add flavor and aroma to stocks, sauces, soups and other foods. The proportions (by weight) for making mirepoix are 50% onions, 25% carrots and 25% celery.
When you’re making stock, the mirepoix is ultimately strained out, so it’s not important to use great precision when chopping the vegetables. The sizes should be more or less uniform, however, to allow for uniform cooking times.
The more finely mirepoix is chopped, the more quickly its flavor and aroma is released into a stock. Since brown stock is simmered longer than white stock, it’s perfectly acceptable to cut the mirepoix into pieces an inch or two in size. For white stock, a ½-inch dice is probably best.
Making Stock with Mirepoix
For brown stocks such as beef stock, use a pound of mirepoix per 6 quarts of cold water. It’s customary to roast the mirepoix before adding it to the stock liquid, which contributes flavor and color to the finished stock.
For white stocks such as chicken stock or veal stock, use about a pound of mirepoix for 5 quarts of cold water. For fish stock, use half a pound of mirepoix per gallon of cold water. You can cook the mirepoix and fish bones in butter for a few minutes before adding the water.
Mirepoix Variations:
Leeks can be used in place of some or all of the onions.
If you want a colorless stock, you can make a “white mirepoix” by substituting parsnips, mushroom trimmings, or both, for the carrots, or just omitting the carrots altogether.
Gourmet Dad, Don’t Let The Title Fool You 