Eggplant and Tofu Stew (No Added Fat)

I'm looking forward to our next So Many Cooks in the Kitchen show on Saturday April 4th; we'll be demonstrating appliances like a juicer, mandolin, immersion blender, and more. I'll be discussing the pressure cooker. Today's dish with my Instant Pot pressure cooker was simple, fast, tasty, and healthy - as usual! 

Ingredients

• Medium eggplant cut into 3/4" or 1" cubes
• 3/4 of a 14 ounce block of extra firm tofu cut into 5/8" pieces
• 14.5 ounce can stewed or roasted tomato (diced not whole)
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped into 1/4" or smaller pieces
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1/8 cup water
• Herbs: 1 t oregano and 1/2 t sage if dried; 1 T oregano and 1 t sage if fresh
• (optional) Medium Yukon Gold or red or yellow potato cut into 3/4" pieces
• 1/8 cup onion cut into 1/4" cubes
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper OR spicy crushed red pepper or hot sauce to taste
• Salt to taste

Process

1. Traditionally one would salt eggplant such as by generously sprinkling salt over the cut pieces in  a colander over a bowl for 1/2 to 1 1/2 hours or so and then rinsing. It would draw off excess moisture, helpful if dry cooking, and pull out some bitterness. However, eggplants have been bred to not be so bitter and I am pressure cooking, so I skipped this step as I usually do.
2. Put the eggplant, tofu, stewed tomato, garlic, garlic powder, and water into the pressure cooker.
3. If using potato, add it as well. I did use potato but in hindsight its flavor and texture was not consonant with the rest of the dish so I'd omit it.
4. If using dried herbs, add them too (otherwise add just before serving).
5. Cook under pressure for 2 minutes.
6. After the cooking is done, wait a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mix in herbs (if using fresh), onion, black or red pepper (or hot sauce), and salt.

 

Results

The dish was predictably delicious. I have been pressure cooking for some years now but still am amazed at the depth of flavor that can be achieved in minutes. We didn't care for the potato but it really didn't detract much.

Ideas for the future

I would omit the potato. I have used capers in the past for eggplant and tomato dishes - they go well together. I wonder what a little bit of roasted fennel would be like in this dish.

Air "Fried" Eggplant with Homemade Tomato Sauce, Grits with Edamame (No Added Fat)

I made an air fried eggplant dish with grits on the side. I used Ener-G Egg Replacer to have a sticky "egg" that I dipped eggplant slices (about 3/8" thick) into, followed by dredging them in a mixture of panko bread crumbs, along with a little nutritional yeast, sesame seeds, salt, and black pepper. I air fried with no oil for 5 minutes at 400°F. I also made a fresh tomato sauce by gently simmering cubes of tomato with onion, dried oregano, a little hot red pepper, and salt, and serving it atop the eggplant.

I prepared grits by getting 3 cups salted water boiling then adding maybe 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame. I cooked for a few minutes till the edamame was defrosted, then added 1 cup grits and a few tablespoonfuls of nutritional yeast. I stirred occasionally and cooked for 5-7 minutes until thick.

Results

Dinner was very good! My daughter particularly liked the meal and ate leftovers again later in the evening. The eggplant was nicely crispy and the sesame flavor was quite nice. The grits were very good!

Ideas for the future

I should use egg replacer and sesame more often in making air fried dishes. I was originally going to air fry other vegetables along with the eggplant and should soon make a melange of air fried mixed vegetables maybe served with a tomato or creamy sauce.

I was not initially planning on using edamame but it turned out to be convenient. It wasn't an ideal flavor combination, but wasn't bad. I should experiment with other grit combinations.

Potato - Eggplant Jumble (No Added Fat)

I had some friends over and had made a very early dinner for them when my daughter and wife came home, so I had a fun, extended cooking time, launching right into our own dinner. I used pans that I had just used for the earlier meal, so I didn't have extra cleanup. I wanted to get a meal going and served quickly, so decided to make a waterless meal. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, finely (1/8" or so) chopped
• 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes (just under 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup eggplant, cut into 1/4" pieces
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 of a small (about 14 1/2 ounce) can of diced tomatoes (i.e., about 7 ounces)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 freshly ground black pepper

Process

1. I put, in this order, the onion, garlic, potato, eggplant, and spinach into a small Saladmaster stock pan; it almost filled the pan. I cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 20 minutes.
2. I mixed in the diced tomato, salt, and black pepper, and served.

I also made some quinoa (1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, simmered with a vegan bouillon cube, and cooked with edamame and bell pepper). For a salad, I diced tomato and cucumber, and mixed in Meyer lemon, black salt, ground cumin, and freshly ground black pepper.

Results

Dinner was good, but I think my family enjoyed it more than I did. My daughter doesn't like quinoa, so even the small side dish was more than enough for her. Surprisingly, she said that my potato main dish would be a great Thanksgiving dish, but I do think that is way overrated. Unlike when I pressure cook, the eggplant did contribute some flavor, but it wasn't strong.

Ideas for the future

I should try more waterless dishes with potato, and include ingredients like beans or maybe tempeh. I wonder what a vegan cheese sauce might be served atop such a dish, maybe tasting a bit like a "loaded" baked potato. Adding roasted or baked eggplant cubes or slices at the end might also be a nice touch.

Eggplant with Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

We're vegan and occasionally eat some vegan cheese (rarely for my wife who never liked cheese and once in a while for me as it tends to be high in fat and processed). I do like Miyoko's Kitchen (I met Miyoko at a conference where I was also presenting) products and recently found their vegan version of mozzarella, and thought I'd make an eggplant dish with this. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups onion cut into 3/8" cubes
• 4 cups eggplant cut into 1/2" cubes (about 2/3 of a medium eggplant)
• 1 clove garlic, finely (1/8") minced - 15m 5m more
• 1 1/4 ounces marinara sauce
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 t dried oregano
• 3-4 ounces of vegan "mozzarella cheese" cut into small chunks as per chef's preference (mine were approximately 1/2" chunks)

Process

1. I put, in this order, the onion and then the eggplant into a large Saladmaster stock pan. I cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 15 minutes.
2. The eggplant was already nicely cooked and soft. I added the garlic and re-covered the pan for another 2 or 3 minutes.
3. I mixed in the marinara sauce and mixed.
4. I let the pan continue on low heat, but now uncovered, for just a few minutes till the sauce was nice and hot, stirring occasionally.
5. I mixed in the salt, pepper, and oregano, then plated, along with baby lima beans and slices of Korean watermelon radish.
6. I tossed the cheese pieces atop the main course and served.

Results

My whole family quite liked the cheese with its mild flavor. It went great with the eggplant. I wish that I had olives or at least capers, as they would have nicely contributed to the main dish.

In the Food for Life classes that I teach, we recommend that, as a rough rule of thumb, no course have more than about 3g of fat. I was a little high, but not greatly so. The 8 ounce packet of cheese has 56g of fat. I used a bit less than half divided among three plates, so each plate had about 9g of fat from the cheese. It was a bit decadent, but given that the other dishes were no added fat, not so bad.

Ideas for the future

I could have gotten away with a bit less cheese, though the main course was quite good as I served it. Olives or capers would definitely have been good. I should explore some caponata preparation that includes vinegar. I'd like to make a Margherita pizza sometime soon, especially if I can find large fresh leaves of basil.

Red Split Lentil Dhal with Pumpkin, Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous (No Added Fat)

I wanted to continue experimenting with pumpkin puree to add a holiday taste to main courses, like I did with my seitan dish last Wednesday. I thought that I'd try a dhal.

Ingredients

• 1 cup red split lentils
• 4 T pumpkin puree
• 1 cup eggplant cut into small 1/4" cubes (I used 6 small graffiti eggplants)
• 1 clove elephant garlic cut into small cubes app. 1/8"-1/4" (or regular garlic cut into 1/8" or smaller dice)
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 2 1/4 cups water (red split lentils cook in a ratio of one to between two and two and a half of lentils:water pressure cooked for 13-18m; I picked 16m)
• 1/4 cup onion cut into approx. 3/8" cubes
• 2T lemon or lime juice (we were out, alas, but tangerines have just started becoming available - yay! - so I used fresh squeezed tangerine juice, instead
• (optional) 1T vegan yogurt per serving 

Process

1. I put the lentils, pumpkin, eggplant, garlic, turmeric, and water into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 16m.
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the tangerine juice and salt. I served with my homemade soy yogurt.

I also made some whole wheat pearl couscous (one part to one and a half parts water, a vegan bouillon cube, salt, and carrot, simmered for 10m then allowed to sit off the heat for 2 more minutes). Oh, and

Results

My family enjoyed the meal. I did, too, but wish I had added onion to the couscous for more flavor. The dhal was fine and nice and thick, but I think could have also had more flavor.

Ideas for the future

Pumpkin didn't really enhance dhal, though I can try other approaches, such as a pumpkin soup with a little lentil dhal mixed in.

Pinto Bean and Red Lentil Stew (No Added Fat)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups beans rinsed, soaked overnight, and rinsed again
• 1/3 cup red lentil
• Just enough water to cover lentils and beans
• 1 1/2 cup Yukon Gold potato (medium potato) cut into 3/8" cubes - 23m
• 2 cups eggplant (about 1/2 eggplant) cut into 3/8" cubes
• 1 1/2 cups carrot (medium carrot) cut into 3/8" width and halved
• 1/3 cup fennel cut into 3/8" cubes
• 1 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes
• 10-12 oregano leaves
• 2t lime (or lemon) juice
• 1 t garam masala (or 1/2 t turmeric)
• (optional) 1/4 t fenugreek seed
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 t (or to taste) salt

Process

1. I cooked the beans, lentils, water, potato, eggplant, carrot, and fennel for 23 minutes (20-25 would have been fine; I wanted a thick result, so went with 23m).
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the onion, oregano, and spices.

I served with a tomato salad (heirloom tomato and some grape tomatoes that our neighbor brought over while I was cooking, Kalamata olives, fresh basil, ume plum vinegar, salt, and black pepper), as well as a kale rollup from Fruitive from our Washington, DC trip that we returned from last night (that isn't gluten-free, but I am labeling this entry as such because of the main course).

Results

The main course was tasty! I love what pressure cooked eggplant does - it doesn't seem to add appreciable flavor (even my brother-in-law who doesn't like eggplant didn't notice when I served him an eggplant dish recently) but thickens a dish.

Ideas for the future

I should more carefully explore how lentils and beans cook well together. I just experimented with a third of a cup of lentil - I wanted to add more, but that's all of the red lentils that I had.

Eggplant - Potato - Brown Lentil Stew with Madagascar Pink Rice (No Added Fat)

I've enjoy cooking lentil stews and dhals, as I described, for example, in December 2014. I thought that I'd make a double serving so that we could send half to our neighbors who just had a baby.

Lentils cook in a 1 part to 1.5-2 part water ratio for 15-20m. I wanted something thick, so initially chose 1.5x water for 20m, but I put a lot of ingredients in, so added another half cup of water (with 2 cups lentils, it ended up being a 1:2 ratio).

By the way, I recently got a third Instant Pot, the Duo Plus 60 and donated my original Duo 60. I've used the Duo Plus 60 in making yogurt but tonight was the first time I've used it for dinner. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 2 cups brown (which I used) or green lentils
• 4 cups water
• Approx. 4 cups potato in 3/8" cubes (I used 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes and ended up with approx. 4 1/3 cups chopped potato)
• Medium eggplant cut into 3/8" cubes (about 2 cups)
• 3 medium carrots halved and then cut into 3/8" slices (about 2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely (1/8") chopped
• 1t ginger, finely (1/8") chopped (I ended up skipping as, alas, we were out of ginger)
• 3/4 t fenugreek seeds (added in this small quantity to not add much flavor but to enhance lactation for our neighbors)
• 1/4 t turmeric
• Medium bell pepper 
• 2 cups onion cut into approx. 3/8" cubes ( maybe 2/3 of a medium onion)
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
• 4t lemon or lime juice

Process

1. I put all of the ingredients except the bell pepper, onion, salt, black pepper, and lime juice into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 20m.
2. While the pressure cooking was underway, I roasted the bell pepper by putting it directly on the gas range flame, turning occasionally till charred throughout (about 5 minutes), then I put in a brown bag that I closed.
3. After the cooking was done, I prepared the roasted pepper by running it under cold water and rubbing the char off, cutting it to let the water inside drain in the sink, removing the membranes, and then chopping into approx. 3/4" squares (about 1 cup).
4. I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the onion, salt, black pepper, and lime juice, as well as roasted bell pepper.

I served with some Madagascar Pink rice (1 part rice to 1 3/4-2 parts water, a vegan bouillon cube, and a dash of salt, simmered for 20m). Yesterday, for the vegetarian society 4th of July potluck party, I made watermelon gazpacho soup and had some leftovers, which I served as a kind of salad to complete the meal.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Eggplant Cutlets with Peruvian Giant Lima Beans in a Marinara Sauce (Almost No Added Fat)

I invited some friends over for dinner tonight and decided to make a layered main course of breaded eggplant (that I had frozen and prepared) with beans and marinara sauce. The cutlets only had 2g of fat per serving of the cutlets, with 5 servings in the packet, so I'll label this dish as almost no added fat (the nutrition label linked here seems to be for another product, as mine is clearly labeled vegan with 10g of fat for eating all of the cutlets). Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 2 cups Peruvian Giant Lima beans, rinsed, soaked overnight, and rinsed again
• Just enough water to cover the lima beans
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 8 ounces frozen chopped spinach
• 16 ounce packet of frozen eggplant cutlets 
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• 2 cups onion cut into half moon slices approx. 1/4" x 1 1/4" ( maybe 2/3 of a medium onion)
• 1 1/4 cups carrot cut into 3/8" slices (3 small-medium carrots)

Process

1. I put the beans, water, bouillon cube, and spinach into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 28m.
2. While the beans were cooking, I sauteed a small onion cut into about 1" x 1/2" slices on a cast iron pan with no oil and simmered a nice marinara sauce with a store-bought sauce as the base and garlic, bell pepper, some of the cooked onion, nutritional yeast, salt, and oregano mixed in.
3. I also heated the eggplant slices in a 375°F oven for about 15 minutes.
4. After the beans were done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then served the beans atop the eggplant, with marinara on top of it all.

Results

Dinner came out well! I forgot to add the carmelized onion (the onion came out great even without oil) and also a garnish of fennel frond when I took the picture. I think that our guests enjoyed the meal; we certainly did.

Ideas for the future

Some capers with the marinara could have been nice. I wish that there were more eggplant. I should use this good breaded eggplant product more often!

Eggplant and Cabbage over Breaded Eggplant Cutlet on a Harvest Grains Bed with Tempeh (No Added Fat)

I wanted to make an eggplant dish tonight and looked back at my notes from December 29th, my last home-cooked meal of 2014. I had cooked with liquid for 7 minutes and then, for 3 minutes, pressure cooked eggplant, kale, and water, then mixed in onion, seitan, and marinara.

I noted then that "the main dish would have benefited from some garlic, either separately grilled and diced and then mixed in at the end or, for a milder flavor, added to the pressure cooker at the beginning .... The marinara was good but I think a more spicy sauce would be even better, perhaps an Indian spice sauce (which would, however, preclude my daughter's enjoying the dish), or at least perhaps a doubling of the marinara sauce. Capers could have been nice in the main course, as well.... I should make several more dishes with eggplant cooked this way. Perhaps I could then try additional ways of cooking eggplant (slow cooking?) in my Instant Pot."

I still would like to slow cook eggplant but came up with the idea of serving a sautéed and then pressure cooked eggplant atop some breaded eggplant cutlets that I had in frozen form from the Dominex company. These cutlets are so low in fat (10g if one were to eat the whole pound of eggplant in the package, but we used at most half of the package for three of us, or less than 2g of fat per person), that I still classify this meal as a no-added-fat one. Instead of kale, I used some cabbage, and, instead of a water sauté, I sautéed the way I normally do with no added fat or liquids. Here is what I did:

Ingredients

• Medium eggplant cut into 3/8" cubes
• Approximately a cup (about 1/2 of my large onion) of onion cut into roughly 1/4" x 1" strips
• 1/4 cup water
• Approximately a cup (about 1/5 of the head that I used) of cabbage cut into approximately 1/4" x 1" strips
• Vegan bouillon cube
• Salt to taste (try 1/4 t)
• (Optional) 1 or 2 t capers
• (Optional) 1/4 t lemon pepper or freshly ground black pepper
• (Optional) 1/4 t tarragon
• (Optional) Crushed red pepper or hot sauce to taste
• Approx. 1/4 cup marinara sauce
• (Optional) One slice per serving Dominex or other brand breaded eggplant cutlets (of course, cutlets can be made, perhaps by partially cooking eggplant slices and then dredging in a bit of plant milk and bread crumbs)

Process

• I put the eggplant and onion into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and turned it on in sauté mode, clicking the Adjust button to cook on low.
• I cooked for about 10m, stirring occasionally. There was (only) a little bit of sticking; natural juices from the eggplant came out and kept things moving quite nicely.
• After about 10m, the eggplant was softened and the onion clear. I turned the pressure cooker off.
• While the eggplant was cooking, I put in a cast iron pan heated over medium-high the breaded eggplant and cooked, flipping several times, till nicely cooked and gently browned on both sides. (I also made some grains, described below.)
• I added water and briefly stirred, which helped to release any little bit that was still sticking onto the pan.
• I also added the cabbage and bouillon cube, then covered the Instant Pot and cooked on high pressure for 2 minutes.
• I let the pressure come down a bit then when I was ready to serve, I slowly released remaining pressure and opened the top.
• I mixed in the salt, capers, lemon pepper, and tarragon (but didn't use spicy heat, though my wife and I added a bit of hot sauce at the table) and served atop a bed of "harvest grains" (see below) and eggplant cutlet for my Dad.
• My Dad doesn't eat garlic but the rest of us do, so I mixed in the marinara and stirred, putting the Instant Pot back into a low sauté for a few minutes, then served as I did my Dad.

I also prepared some "harvest grains" that I had purchased from Trader Joe's. It is a mix of Israeli couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa made simply by using a ratio of 5 parts grain to 7 parts water, along with a vegan bouillon cube, that I brought to a low 10-minute simmer and then immediately served; any grain, such as quinoa (really a seed!), wild rice (really a grass!), rice, or other would work well. Tempeh, browned just with the residual oil in occasional cleaning of the cast iron, completed the meal and made for additional good nutrition and a nice presentation.

Results

 

We all loved the meal, even my sometimes finicky daughter, who particularly liked the breaded eggplant. The combination was quite nice, and worked well together. I don't often shop at Trader Joe's, but should go back to get this nice grain mixture.

 

Ideas for the future

 

Garlic and maybe a little wine cooked into the main course would be good as might be a little nutritional yeast mixed in at the end. Some crookneck squash or perhaps black beans would also make a good addition. I am glad that I came up with the idea of using the breaded eggplant in combination with the pressure cooked eggplant, and should explore using breaded eggplant as an accent or anchor for additional meals.

Eggplant and Potato served with Grilled Jerk Eggplant and Jade Pearl Rice (No Added Fat)

I have tried cooking with eggplant in my Instant Pot, where it takes only 2-3 minutes to cook. I've been thinking that more flavor would be in the eggplant if it were sautéed first, and the Instant Pot has a sauté feature. Here is what I tried for cooking my last dinner for the year:


Ingredients

• Medium eggplant cut into 3/8" slices; reserve three slices and then cut remaining eggplant into 3/8" cubes
• 4 small Yukon gold potatoes cut into approximately 3/4" cubes
• 1 ounce water
• 1 vegan bouillon cube
• 1/2 head kale, stems removed (I composted them) and leaves roughly hand cut into approximately 3/4" squares
• Another ounce of water
• Cup of onion cut into 1/4" x 1" or so slivers (it took about 1/3 of a medium onion for me)
• 4 ounces crumbled seitan
• Approx. 1/4 cup marinara sauce

Process

1. I put the eggplant cubes, potatoes, ounce of water, and bouillon cube into my Instant Pot and turned it on in sauté mode on low. I cooked, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes till the water was absorbed and ingredients began sticking to the pot.
2. I turned the Instant Pot off, added the kale and additional ounce of water, and cooked on high pressure for 3 minutes.
3. When I was ready to serve, I slowly released pressure, mixed in the onion and seitan, and served to my Dad, who doesn't eat garlic. I added the marinara and served to my wife, daughter, and myself.

I also made some Jade pearl rice (I sauteed a bit of onion and ginger in a pan without any oil, then added rice and water in a 1 : 2 ratio, along with a pinch of salt and a vegan bouillon cube, brought to a boil, and simmered on low heat for 20 minutes). I sautéed the three eggplant slices on a cast iron pan with no added oil, dredged with jerk seasoning, and served, as well, topped with baby arugula and a tomato slice.

Results

Dinner was good. This was the best that eggplant has come out from the pressure cooker. I've enjoyed it in the past, but the pressure cooking really didn't add any flavor to the eggplant. This time, it did have some flavor, but not as much as the sautéed slices (they were good, too!). The dish as a whole was good! The sautéed eggplant with the tomato and arugula was a good combination.

Ideas for the future

The main dish would have benefited from some garlic, either separately grilled and diced and then mixed in at the end or, for a milder flavor, added to the pressure cooker at the beginning (pressure cooking garlic gives it a mild roasted flavor). The marinara was good but I think a more spicy sauce would be even better, perhaps an Indian spice sauce (which would, however, preclude my daughter's enjoying the dish), or at least perhaps a doubling of the marinara sauce. Capers could have been nice in the main course, as well. Using more seitan (6 or 8 ounces instead of 4) would have been reasonable.

I should make several more dishes with eggplant cooked this way. Perhaps I could then try additional ways of cooking eggplant (slow cooking?) in my Instant Pot.

Eggplant Stew, Madagascar Pink Rice with Seitan (No Added Fat)

I was pleased with how quickly (3 minutes) and how well eggplant came out in the pressure cooker when I made a dish on July 5. I had a thick Italian eggplant, so decided to let my family try a version of what I made earlier. I made a few modifications, adding some Indian spices and ginger that my wife's sister-in-law would likely enjoy, as well as adding potato for more texture.

In the end, I didn't mix seitan in as I had last time, because I felt that it would clash with the Indian seasonings. Instead, I prepared Madagascar pink rice and, when ready to serve it, I mixed in some seitan. Here is how I made the main course:


Ingredients

• Medium to large Italian eggplant cut into 3/4" cubes (it ended up being about 6 cups); since it was organic, I kept the skin on
• 3 medium carrots cut into 1/4" slices
• Medium onion cut into 3/8" cubes with 1/4 cup reserved
• 3 cloves garlic clove, chopped finely (I was out of garlic, surprisingly, so used a medium shallot)
• 4 kale leaves, stems discarded (composted) and leaves roughly torn into approximately 3/4" squares
• 1 medium Yukon gold potato cut into 1/4" cubes
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 1T coarsely chopped ginger
• 1t (or to taste) finely chopped jalapeno
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 chopped basil leaves
• 1/4 t kala namak (black salt - or any other salt)
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1t black sesame seed

Process

1. I put everything up to but not including the basil and spices (i.e., all the vegetables except the reserved onion, as well as the bouillon cube and water) into the Instant Pot and set it to cook for 3 minutes in high pressure.
2. Once I was ready to serve, I would have gently let out the remaining steam, but it wasn't necessary as the pressure had dropped by then. I opened the top and mixed in the reserved onion, basil, salt, and spices.

Results

I was surprised that the dish was so soft and rather mushy, though I think it tasted good. My wife enjoyed it, as well, but I think that it was under-seasoned to her sister-in-law's taste (she is visiting from India). The eggplant didn't bring much flavor or texture to the meal.

Ideas for the future

I had feared that the potato wouldn't cook in only 3m, so cut it into such small cubes. To get more texture, I wonder what a 1/2" or even 3/4" cut would be like. I should try larger eggplant cubes and perhaps saute the eggplant first. There was too much water - I'll bet 1/4 cup would be plenty.

Eggplant, Carrot, and Kale with Seitan, served with Jade Pearl Rice (No Added Fat)

I had thought to make a vegetable and tempeh dish in my pressure cooker. Under high pressure, the Instant Pot takes 2-3 minutes to cook broccoli florets, carrots, or eggplant (I was surprised that eggplant cooks so quickly), and 3-6 minutes to cook greens like kale. Spinach only takes 1-2 minutes.

I thought that I would go with 3 minutes and perhaps first cook tempeh pieces in a bit of broth. Alas, I was out of tempeh, which is unusual! I am having friends over for dinner tomorrow and thinking of using seitan then, but decided that, in lieu of tempeh, I'd use seitan today, as well. (I look forward soon to experimenting with pressure cooked tempeh; my thought is that I'd put a little broth in the Instant Pot, and cook pieces of tempeh using the pot's saute feature for a few minutes, then add vegetables and pressure cook.) Here is what I did.

Ingredients

• 2 medium carrots cut into 1/4" slices
• Large scallion, chopped into 3/4" lengths
• Garlic clove, chopped finely
• 3 kale leaves, stems discarded (composted) and leaves roughly torn into approximately 3/4" squares
• Medium Japanese eggplant cut into 3/8" slices (since this was organic, I kept the skin on)
• Small handful of baby spinach leaves
• 4 chopped basil leaves
• 1/4 cup water
• Vegan bouillon cube
• (Optional; I skipped since seitan is salty) 1/8 t salt
• 1/3 of a 8 ounce packet of seitan strips, cut into approximately 3/4" squares

Process

1. I put everything but the seitan into the Instant Pot and set it to cook for 3 minutes in high pressure.
2. To keep the vegetables from overcooking, I quick released the steam once the 3 minutes were over.
3. I mixed in the seitan and served.

I also made some Jade pearl rice (I sauteed a bit of onion in a pan without any oil, then added rice and water in a 1 : 1 1/2 ratio, along with a pinch of salt and a vegan bouillon cube, brought to a boil, and simmered on low heat for 20 minutes). I served  mâche rosettes with delicious Sungold tomatoes, as well.

Results

I enjoyed the meal. I had been tempted to add some heat, like jalapeno or hot sauce, or maybe jerk seasoning, but I think that the dish had a charm of letting the vegetables and seitan "speak for themselves". I was surprised how the eggplant really was cooked and had a nice subtle taste that I haven't had in eggplant before. I think that Jade pearl is my new favorite rice, putting Madagascar pink as my second favorite; I hope that I don't overdo it and lose my excitement about this creamy rice.

Ideas for the future

I want to explore eggplant more with the pressure cooker. How would it come out if it were first sauteed a bit in the pressure cooker? I definitely want to explore tofu and tempeh in the pressure cooker. Perhaps I could make this dish again and explore some additional seasoning, or perhaps top it with a sauce. It was a little bit bland, but really hit the spot for what I was looking for tonight.

Eggplant - Kale - Broccolini Melange with Jade Pearl Rice (No Added Fat)

We stopped by the mid-week farmer's market on the way home and got some nice produce, including green garlic, fingerling potatoes, eggplant, and baby leeks. My daughter was hungry when we got home and wanting some organic ramen noodles; I prepared them without the flavor packet and served her seitan, kale, carrot, toast with homemade strawberry jam, and cantaloupe.

For my wife and me, I made a mélange of eggplant, kale, and broccolini in the Instant Pot. I made a side dish of creamy Jade pearl rice, and served tomatoes with hemp seed.

Ingredients

• Baby golden beet root, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
• Small unpeeled organic eggplant, cut into 1/2" cubes
• Stalk of broccolini, cut into 1" lengths
• Bunch kale, leaves hand torn from stems (stems composted) into approximately 1" squares
• 8 ounces seitan strips cut into 1 1/2" lengths
• Organic green garlic. I had a big 3' or so stalk that I brought home today from the farmer's market. I trimmed out the darker green leaves and saved half the remaining length of the stalk. I cut the bottom half of the stalk into 1/4" slices and diced the bulb into 1/4" cubes. (Three cloves of diced garlic would substitute fine.)
• (Optional) Okra, sliced into 1/2" pieces, stem end removed. I only add this as I had five small okras left and wanted to use them up, but the dish would be fine without.
• 10 baby carrots cut into 3/4" lengths
• 1/2 t salt ( reduced sodium garlic pepper Koyo brand ramen noodles (sea salt, mushroom powder, onion and garlic powder, sugar, garlic, chili pepper, ginger, black pepper, black sesame seed, green onion, kombu powder
• 1c boiling water (boiling water reduces the time for the Instant Pot to come to temperature, but room temperature water can certainly be used)

Process

1. High pressure cooking time for small intact beet roots is 11-13m, broccolini 2-4m, greens like kale 3-6m, and eggplant chunks 2-3m. Since I used chopped beet, I thought that we would be good with a 4m cooking time. I put all of the ingredients into the Instant Pot.
2. I closed the instant pot, keeping the steam release valve in the off position, as normal, and set a manual time of 4m cooking under high pressure.
3. When the pot was done, I turned it off. To hasten dinner's serving, I put a damp towel on top of the instant pot. When I was ready to serve, I carefully let out remaining steam by slowly turning the steam release valve on, mixed, and served.

I also made some Jade pearl rice. It is made in a 1 : 1 1/2 ratio over 20m. I like to add a vegan bouillon cube, but we're out. I put in a stainless Saladmaster pan a bit of red onion and sautéed with no added fat for 2 or 3m till somewhat clear, then added maybe a teaspoon of finely chopped ginger, stirred for a half minute, then added the rice and water (and, if I had it, I'd have added a vegan bouillon cube). I brought to a boil then simmered, covered, for 20m.

Results

Dinner was nutritious and good. But the pressure cooking homogenized the flavors. In particular, the  eggplant, broccolini, and okra had little flavor. The beet and carrot were good. The seitan somehow had lost some flavor.

Dinner certainly was more than acceptable, but I think it could have been tastier. We added some hot sauce at the table, but that didn't help that much.

Ideas for the future

I should have added seitan at the end and just had it warmed and not cooked. If I really want to cook with so many vegetables, perhaps a better approach is to puree some or all and make a soup. Or I could cook the eggplant, broccolini, and okra a little bit less, not cook the seitan, and also add some finely chopped raw onion in just before serving.