Rutabaga and Pineapple with Seitan, served with Whole Wheat Orzo (No Added Fat)

I picked up a pineapple on sale from Weaver Street Market a few days ago and thought that we'd enjoy some fresh, maybe put some with tangerines perhaps in my blender for a beverage, and make a sweet and sour pressure cooked meal. I also picked up a rutabaga, a root vegetable that I rarely use; I think that I last used it February 2012 when I made what turned out to be a tasty rutabaga - pistachio/pecan soup.

My Dad was visiting with friends today, so I was free to use garlic. Noting that rutabaga chunks take 4-6 minutes of cooking time in the Instant Pot, here is what I did.

Ingredients

• 3 rutabagas, unpeeled and cut into 3/4" chunks
• 1/4 cup water
• Medium shallot cut into thin strips approx. 1/8" x 5/8"
• Garlic clove finely diced
• About 3/4 cup fresh pineapple cut into 1/2" cubes (it ended up being about 1/3 of a pineapple, core excepted)
• 1T miso (I used chickpea miso, but any kind is fine)
•  8 ounces seitan cut into 3/8" cubes
• 1t dried tarragon
• Little bit of freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Process

1. I put the rutabaga, water, and bouillon cube into my Instant Pot pressure cooker  and cooked on high pressure for 4 minutes.
2. After the pressure cooking and when I was ready, I slowly released the pressure and removed the top.
3. I added the shallot, garlic, pineapple, and miso, and cooked for another 2 minutes.
4. When I was ready to serve, I slowly let out the pressure, mixed in the seitan, tarragon, salt, and pepper, and served.

I also made a whole wheat orzo - it cooks in 9 minutes. I cooked with a flavorful vegan bouillon cube; though I had some marinara in mind, it had a good flavor without the sauce, so I served it with just some nutritional yeast mixed in and some chopped tomato on top.

Results

Dinner came out great, better than I had expected. I don't normally particularly like rutabagas, but my wife and I loved their flavor and soft and inviting texture. The pineapple went great, particularly with the seitan, and the combination just worked well, flavors marrying each other nicely.

Ideas for the future

Another clove of garlic would have been good. The pasta was a little bland, especially for my daughter, and would have been better with a sauce and perhaps some vegetables. I still have plenty of pineapple; if I don't use it up eating out-of-hand or pureeing for drinks, I may make another pressure cooked dish, perhaps with beans.