Brussels Sprouts with Zucchini, Seitan, and Napa Cabbage, served with Tri-Color Quinoa with Kale and Carrot (No Added Fat)

My wife's sister-in-law isn't familiar with Brussels sprouts, and I wanted to introduce them to her. Here is what I did.

Ingredients

• About a dozen Brussels sprouts, outer leaves and stem end removed
• Zucchini cut into 3/8" cubes
• Half red onion cut into 1/4" cubes (any other onion could also do)
• Cup of water
• Another half red (or other) onion cut into 1/4" cubes
• Cup of shredded (approx. 1/4" x 1" pieces) Napa cabbage
• Approximately 4 ounces of shredded seitan
• (Optional) 1/2 t salt

Process

1. I put the zucchini and the first half red onion into the Instant Pot, added the water, then put in the pot's mesh.
2. I put the Brussels sprouts on the mesh - there was just enough water that it wasn't touching the sprouts.
3. I turned the pot on high pressure for 3 minutes.
4. When I was ready to serve, I released any remaining pressure gently and opened the pot carefully.
5. I like how Brussels sprouts come out in the pressure cooker, but they are sometimes overcooked. I now sliced each sprout in half - by doing so at the beginning, they would have been even softer.
6. In a bowl, I mixed the cooked vegetables, the second half onion, the cabbage, and seitan; I skipped the salt.

I also made a tri-color quinoa with vegetables. I put in a pot about a teaspoon of chopped ginger, 3 kale leaves roughly cut (stems composted) into 1/4" squares, a carrot cut into 1/4" thick quarters, a vegan bouillon cube, and about a half cup of quinoa and twice as much water. After bringing to a boil, I simmered, covered, for 4 or 5 minutes, then let it sit, covered for another 5-10 minutes till ready to serve (the characteristic spiral in the quinoa was evident).

Results

I suspect the main course wasn't spicy enough for my wife's sister-in-law, and my wife felt that the sprouts were too soft. Overall, I think that the main dish was good; I liked the crunch of the cabbage but wish that the vegetables were more firm. The quinoa came out great!

Ideas for the future

I'd like to try cooking Brussels sprouts in 2 minutes under high pressure. A dish like the main course with one or two crunch vegetables like water chestnuts or celery may be interesting.