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.

Teff Porridge with Potato and Sweet Potato, Crispy Seitan and Okra (No Added Fat)

I can't believe I've not posted in so long. I recently experimented with whole teff grain; we love Ethiopian food including the injera teff-based bread with which it is served. Teff provides a good source of protein, magnesium, calcium, iron, Vitamin B6, and more. I thought that I would try using this nutritious food as a base for a dinner porridge and did so successfully a few weeks ago.

The package that I purchased of organic brown teff suggested cooking for 12 minutes or so 1/4 cup teff in 2/3 cup broth. That ratio is 1/4 : 2/3 = 3/12 : 8/12 or, in easy terms, a bit less than 3 times as much liquid as grain. I've also seen recipes of 1:4; in the end one can have significant leeway for varying thickness.

I also made a seitan dish. My daughter doesn't love seitan so I served her smoked tofu. I also pan sauteed some okra halves. Here is what I did.

Ingredients

• Approx. 4 ounces teff; Whole Foods Market and I'm sure others sell this grain
• Approx. a cup and a half of water
• Stalk of broccoli; stalk cubed into small 1/4" or smaller pieces, florets cut into small bite-sized pieces
• 3 leaves of kale with pieces approx. 1 1/2" or so hand torn and then stems discarded (composted)
• Clove of garlic roughly chopped into 1/4" or so cubes
• 2 t ginger, finely (less than 1/4") chopped
• Approx. 1/4 - 1/3 cup of onion cut into 3/8" cubes (most of a small onion) put in two sets
• 2 medium Russet potatoes or 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, well cooked (I used my pressure cooker) and then cut into 3/4" cubes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked (I also pressure cooked) and then cut into 3/4" cubes
• Spices to taste - I suggest starting simply with 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper or lemon pepper, 1 t garlic powder, and salt to taste (maybe 1/4 t)
• Herbs to taste - I suggest a dozen fresh oregano leaves
• (optional) Hot sauce to preference

Process

1. I put all of the ingredients except the potato, sweet potato, second set of onion, and spices and herbs into a large stock pot and brought to a boil
2. I continued to cook, simmering on low-medium heat, dropping to low heat after 5 minutes or so, and stirring all the way from the bottom occasionally as the grain can coat the pan bottom and harden
3. I let the porridge cook down till most of the water was absorbed; there should still be some water as absorption will continue even after the heat is turned off
4. I mixed in the remaining ingredients and served

I also put in a cast iron pan with no oil pieces of seitan, garlic, and onion, and cooked on medium high till crispy, adding a bit of dried rosemary needles and more onion in the final few minutes, then mixed in, outside of the pan, a bit of lemon juice and garlic powder. I served it with lovely cherry tomatoes. On another cast iron pan also with no oil I cooked halved okra with onion and served it with a little bit of salt and, for my wife and me, a small amount of jerk seasoning.

Results

Dinner was good! We all enjoyed the meal. I was afraid that the porridge might be a bit bland but it was good. It's fun and easy to cook with teff!

Ideas for the future

I should explore more teff dishes - and one day maybe make Ethiopian injera. I do occasionally stop by an Ethiopian restaurant and pick up their whole-teff injera and use it as a base for dishes I make. I had thought of adding bell pepper to this dish and decided that it had enough ingredients, but bell pepper would be welcome with this kind of dish. Sauteed mushrooms would go well, too.

Experimenting with Chinese Vegetables Sweet Conehead Cabbage and Celtuce (with Field Peas) (No Added Fat)

Beet-Vegetable Soup, Olive Lemon Bread

My daughter had new orthodontic braces put in yesterday and is preferring soft food. She likes soups, so I experimented with making a beet soup.


Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, roughly minced into 1/8" or 1/4" pieces
• 2 medium beets, rinsed and scrubbed then peeled and cubed into 1/2" cubes
• 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes (mine were organic so I didn't peel but I otherwise would have), also rinsed/scrubbed/cubed into 1/2" pieces
• 3 medium carrots sliced into 3/4" lengths
• 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh edamame
• 1 cup frozen or fresh peas
• 4 stalks celery chopped into 1/2" pieces
• Approx. 1 cup of broccoli florets
• Stem of the cup of broccoli florets cut into 3/8" pieces
• 1/2 cups onion cut into approximately 1/2" half moons 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)
• Seasonings: 1/2 t salt, 1 t ground cumin, 1 T dried rosemary needles, 1 t dried oregano, 1 t garlic powder, 1 t lemon pepper, 1/4 t smoked paprika; I'd add dried or fresh basil but I was out
• (optional) 4 leaves kale, stems removed for compost, and roughly hand torn into approximately 1 1/2" pieces [I was in a rush so omitted]
• (optional) Other vegetables that you favor [my daughter doesn't like asparagus but I put about 3" of the thick end of 3 stalks in for a touch of flavor]
• (optional) Subtle hint of hot sauce of choice

Process

1. I cooked the garlic on a cast iron pan on medium to medium-high heat with no oil for about 5-7 minutes till I obtained a full aroma and light browning.
2. I put all of the ingredients, including the garlic but excluding the celery, into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 20m.
3. My wife doesn't like celery so I separately cooked the celery in about a cup of salted water; after it reached a boil, I simmered on low, covered. (Otherwise I would have just cooked the celery with the other ingredients.)
4. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then served, mixing the celery into all but my wife's bowl.

NB: I ended up filling most of my 6-quart Instant Pot and wanted to remind folks to not overfill if you are cooking beans or other ingredients which expand. In this case I wasn't, so there was no problem - just plenty of soup including a significant amount to share with neighbors.

I am impressed with a product that I found this past weekend on sale, Divina brand green olive spread. It has no oil but only olives, capers, garlic powder, oregano, sea salt, and citric acid - and so has just 1 g of fat per tablespoon of serving (so low that I'm going to mark my dinner as no-added-fat)! I put a light smear on some specialty lemon rosemary bread and served with mixed slices of heirloom tomatoes.

 

Results

We all enjoyed the soup. I made it purposefully soft for my daughter so cooked it for 20m.

Ideas for the future

Beets maintain more of their nutrition if cooked whole and then peeled and chopped, but I did want to make the soup quite soft for my daughter. I've never cooked beets with soup and should explore more - I'd love to steam them and add 3/4" or so chunks to a soup. The color of the soup was nice but having even more beets would make the soup even more pretty.

By the way, our next So Many Cooks event is this Saturday (live on facebook at 2p eastern US time this Saturday). I will be discussing nutritional yeast and jerk seasoning and demonstrating air fried tofu.

Romanesco Cauliflower with Mixed Vegetables

Kiddo's Vegetable and Chickpea Soup, Cauliflower with Spinach (No Added Fat)

Kiddo is going to be making vegetable soup with chickpeas for this weekend's So Many Kids in the Kitchen program (12:30p on Saturday the 13th, east coast US time - facebook.com/somanycooks) and practiced a batch tonight. It was good! I made a simple side dish of waterlessly cooked cauliflower with spinach, as well as a salad of artichoke, tomato, and olive. It was a filling and tasty meal!

Roasted Cauliflower and Beet (No Added Fat)

It's been a while since I made tasty roasted cauliflower and I had a head of cauliflower peeking out at me from my refrigerator. I am presenting beets at the somanycooks show this weekend and thought it would be fun to make a roasted beet and cauliflower dish. I was amazed at the the deep color - perfect for white cauliflower!


Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower separated into florets
• 2 medium beets, tops and bottoms removed and then the remainder peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed so skins loose but with skins otherwise left on
• 2T (more or less as desired for moisture level) Coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
• 1t (or more as desired) dried herbs; I used a spice grinder with a variety of Italian herbs
• 1/4 t salt
• 1t lemon juice

Process

1. I put the cauliflower, beet, and garlic on a baking tray, tossed with coconut aminos and herbs, and put in my toaster oven on its convection setting at 400°F for 15minutes; for regular ovens, I'd go with 20-25 minutes.
2. I transferred the ingredients to a metal bowl, looked for the garlic and pressed down, and mixed in the salt and lemon juice.

That's it! I served with brown rice cooked with baby lima beans and cucumber slices.

 

Results

We all enjoyed the meal, even my daughter who doesn't love beets. I was very happy with the bright color and of course taste of the main course. Other than being careful about not staining the deep beet roots (I immediately washed the cutting board in cold water and luckily had no juice coming onto my counters but I would have wiped any immediately), this was quite easy and required little effort!

Ideas for the future

This was a nice main course! Here are a few thoughts about additional ideas.

• I bet mixing red and golden beets would be attractive.
• I was originally going to air fry some seitan and mix into the dish, but my air fryer is also my toaster oven and I didn't have enough time to run it twice, though it would really only be for maybe 5-6 minutes of air frying. I should try adding seitan or maybe tempeh.
• I really like citrus and bet mixing in fresh tangerine pieces when serving would be nice - maybe along with a bit of olive and rosemary needles.
• I also like lemony beets and perhaps should try adding a lemon marinade before roasting.

Thick Golden Beet Dhal

I wanted to explore another beet recipe today and thought of embedding beets in a thick dhal. I made the dhal and beets separately in my pressure cooker.


Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils
• 3 cups water
• 4 large leaves kale, hand stripped from the stems and then roughly hand torn into approximately 2" squares
• 1/2 cup whole or chopped spinach, fresh (washed) or frozen
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1/8 t smoked paprika
• 1/2 t salt (or to taste)
• 2 medium beet roots (I had very small ones so used 5 or 6), rinsed but not peeled
• Another 3/4 - 1 cup of water
• 1/4 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes
• 2 t lemon juice

Process

1. I put the lentils, kale and spinach, water, turmeric, cumin, and paprika into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 20m.
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then removed from the pressure cooker and mixed in the lem
3. I used a new pot for the pressure cooker and put in a trivet to keep food off the bottom and sides, then added about 3/4 - 1 cup of water, below the trivet level, and the beets atop the trivet.
4. I pressure steamed. These were very small, only about 1 1/2" in diameter, so 10 minutes of pressure steaming nicely did it. For regular sized beet roots, I'd go with 15-17 minutes and for large ones above 3 1/2" in diameter, I'd go for 25-30 minutes.
5. When the beets were done, I did a "quick release" of pressure.
6. I waited a few minutes to handle the beets, cut the very top and bottom off of each beet, then held each under cold running water and rubbed the skin off.
7. I cut the beets into approximately 3/4" cubes and mixed into the dhal, along with the onion and lemon juice.

 

Results

This came out well though I preferred the beets with beans that I had made a few days ago. The beets were so delicious - I should cook beets more often! I'm glad that they were well done and soft.

Ideas for the future

Carrot would have gone great in this dish. If I had beet greens (I actually do have some but want to have them last till this Saturday's show), they would also be good. Using red beets would add a nice contrasting color, but I definitely prefer the sweeter flavor and much less staining of golden beets. I should make beets more often; they're easy, with these tips:

• Pressure steam, like I did today, for 10-30 minutes, depending on size
• Dice into 3/4" pieces and pressure cook, submerged, for 8-10 minutes
• Boil 25-60 minutes, periodically checking for fork tenderness
• Roast whole by covering in parchment paper and then roasting for 40-60m (check tenderness as above) at 400°F
• As I described in March 2017, you can also roast beets after cutting them and mixing in some herbs (and perhaps a liquid like orange juice or soy sauce); the cook time drops depending on the size of the cubes but I really like the ease of whole beet roasting, cutting the beet once cooked
• After removing the skin with a potato peeler, you can grate raw beet onto salads
• Greens are healthy and tasty but, unlike beets which can easily keep in the refrigerator for months, the greens limp quickly so they should be removed from the roots and stored, unwashed, in a separate bag for about 3-5 days

You don't have to remove the skins until you're done cooking. The skins slip off easily once cooked, like I described here.

Golden Beet and Chickpea with Greens (No Added Fat)

I am excited about our next So Many Cooks in the Kitchen program, this one on Heart Healthy Dishes. I wasn't sure what I'd make as whole food plant-based eating is in general very heart healthy, but I decided to feature beets. I experimented today and love what I came up with. Here is what I did.

Ingredients

• Chickpeas
• EITHER 1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight then drained
• OR 3 cups cooked chickpeas, such as approximately two 14 1/2 ounce cans of prepared chickpeas
• 2 medium beets, washed, peeled, and cut into 1/2" cubes
• 4-5 large kale or chard greens OR all leaves from a bunch of beets, rinsed, stems removed, and roughly hand chopped into small fistfuls of perhaps 4" square
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped/minced into pieces smaller than 1/4"
• Just enough water to cover chickpeas (if starting with dry chickpeas)
• 1 14 1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes (alternately, use 2 medium tomatoes diced to less than 1/2" cubes)
• 1/2 cup onion cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 t lemon pepper
• 1t dried oregano (I use ground mixed dried herbs)
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1/4 t salt
• 1T lemon or lime juice

Process

1. If using dry chickpeas, put chickpeas and just enough water to cover them in the Instant Pot pressure cooker
2. Put beets, garlic, greens, and diced tomato into pressure cooker and cooked for 10m
3. After the cooking is done, wait a few minutes and gently released pressure
4. If using precooked/canned chickpeas, mix them in
5. Mix in the onion, spices, and lemon juice

Serve with rice or other grain and a salad.

 

Results

My family enjoyed the meal, as did our neighbors for whom I dropped off some of the main course. I was originally going to go with a white bean but decided to use chickpea - and am glad that I did, as the flavors worked very well together. I wasn't originally going to include diced tomatoes, but they too worked out well for a touch of a contrasting flavor.

Ideas for the future

Beet greens (like I described several times in March 2007) are even more nutrient dense than the roots and I had wanted to integrate them but the beets that I had found were roots only. I'd love to make this dish with beet greens.

Chili with Leftover Beans, Seitan, Vegetables, and Roasted Red Bell Pepper (No Added Fat)

I had a fun demonstration (check it out on Facebook or Twitter, or outside of social media) of the PCRM 21-Day Kickstart day 2 menu of 10-Minute Mixed Vegetable Stir-Fry and Ambrosia. After that I wanted to quickly put dinner together and made a simple chili. I had baked beans and other beans as leftovers; I reheated them and cooked with them some seitan crumbles, celery, corn kernels, and roasted bell pepper pieces. It was good with some hot sauce!

Below are some pictures from the demonstration, including a shot that my wife took of me. I love cooking PCRM recipes - they're always healthy, easy, and so tasty!

New Year's Day Black-Eyed Peas with Steamed Collards, PCRM Mixed Vegetable Stir-Fry (No Added Fat)

It's traditional on New Year's Day to make a simple dish with black-eyed peas and collard greens, and I did just that. I soaked black-eyed peas overnight then pressure cooked, mixed with garam masala, turmeric, and a pinch of salt - in my Instant Pot, it was just a 5-minute cook time!

PCRM has an excellent 21-Day Kickstart program to help people try with support twenty-one days of whole food plant-based eating - and it's free, available on the web or as an app for a smart phone. Fellow Food for Life instructor Lisa Karlan has put together a daily #LunchBreakLive January 1-21 to have a different person demonstrate that day's kickstart dishes on the Jane Unchained show, and tomorrow I'm going to be demonstrating a stir-fry and ambrosia salad so experimented with the recipes today; the stir-fry was part of our dinner and the ambrosia was our dessert.

I think that tomorrow's show will be streamed on facebook, YouTube, and twitter. It's a good way to start the new year; next week is our So Many Cooks in the Kitchen soups/stews show and the following weekend the Kids in the Kitchen interview Genesis Butler. Happy New Year!

Kabocha Squash (and more!) Soup (No Added Fat)

I made soup in my Instant Pot pressure cooker with a variety of ingredients, including kabocha squash, potato, and carrots. I enjoy raw cranberries and put a few in my soup. I made a cauliflower dish and a hearty tomato and chickpea salad.

 

Results

We all enjoyed the soup!

Ideas for the future

Especially with the help of pressure cooking, soups always seem to come out well. I should make soups and stews more often. Our January So Many Cooks in the Kitchen show is about soups and stews!

Diwali Dinner: Indian Lasagna (No Added Fat)

I made an Indian lasagna for Diwali by cooking most of half of head of cabbage, cut into thin strips, in a large saute pan with no oil or water, along with onion and, near the end, 1/4 t each of turmeric and mustard seeds. I also took chickpeas that I had prepared in my Instant Pot pressure cooker and blended them with a bit of cumin, salt, and a touch of lime juice. The cabbage was the bottom layer and the chickpeas the top. I used a combination of marinara sauce and fire-roasted diced tomatoes.

The combination worked well and we all loved it! The trick was to go light on the Indian spices for otherwise they might conflict in taste with the tomato and Italian basis. I also later quickly and roughly chopped in my blender cranberries and made a compote by cooking them on low, covered, with RazzMaTazz grapes from local Union Grove Farm (I froze some that they kindly gave me some weeks back), raisins, and a chopped navel orange. I mixed a little cinnamon in at the end and sprinkled a few small chocolate chips on top.

Spinach and Seitan Enchilada (for kiddo and me; no added fat)

Election Night Wontons

Air Fried Tofu (for kiddo and me)

Honeynut and Robin’s Koginut Squash Power Plate Stew with Razzmatazz Grapes

I wrote about Robin's Kogniut squash yesterday; having Kabocha as a parent serves it well and it results in a nice, creamy texture and flavor. Maybe even more, I love Honeynut squash. It looks similar with a beige outside thin skin, but its flesh is a little deeper. It has a uniquely sweet and again smooth flavor/consistency. I am demonstrating this weekend I think a Kabocha squash dhal, and today thought I'd make a dhal with yellow split peas and both these squashes. I included greens (spinach) ntroductory comments go here. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• Medium honeynut squash
• Medium Robin's Koginut squash
• 2 cups yellow (green is fine, alternately) split peas
• 3 times as much water as split peas - i.e., 6 cups
• 1 1/2 cups chopped spinach (or kale or finely chopped chard)
• 3/4 cup quinoa or millet or buckwheat, or, as I did, a combination
• 3 medium carrots cut into 3/8" thick rounds (about 2 cups)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely (1/8" or so)/roughly chopped
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 t garam masala
• 1/4 t whole cumin seed
• 1/8 t mustard seed
• 1t lemon juice
• small-medium onion chopped into 3/8" cubes (about 3/4 cup)

Process

1. Cook the squashes for 12m in the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. They should be done in 8-9 minutes but, unlike yesterday's dish, I wanted soft squash.
2. When the squashes are ready, release pressure and carefully remove each squash. Cut each in half, scoop out and compost the seeds, and scoop out the flesh; each of the two squashes will yield about a cup.
3. Return to the pressure cooker the split peas, water, spinach, grains, carrots, garlic, spices, and squash flesh.
4. Split peas generally cook under pressure in a ratio of 1:3 to water and 8-10m (45m stovetop); I cooked for 10m to get a thicker dhal.
5. When done, slowly release pressure, mix in the lemon juice and onion, stir, and serve. I included the tasty Razzmatazz grapes that I discussed yesterday for their nutrition, beautiful color, and to make the meal a Power Plate one that includes all of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes.

 

Results

The dish was good and filling, though I preferred yesterday's squash dish. I like thick dhals; this turned out so thick that I call it a stew. I love how the grains complemented the dish in texture. The grape was a delicious addition and added a welcome moist burst of sweetness, which went quite well with the squash. My wife added a bit of hot sauce at the table to her serving.

I usually prepare food for about 4 or so; my family has 3 members but my wife enjoys my meals as lunch leftovers as well, and I like sharing with my neighbors. Today's meal made about 8 cups, which would have been enough for at least 6-8 people.

Ideas for the future

We all enjoyed the meal but I so love honeynut squash that I would like to try something like this again with just that variety of squash, and with a higher concentration of squash. Perhaps I could try, for serving 4, the same amount of squash but half of the split peas, water, greens, grains, garlic, and onion, keeping the carrot, spices, and lemon juice the same. Squash blossoms would go great with this, as well. I do like thick dhals but this could use a little more water so, instead, perhaps the water could be dropped from 6 to 4 cups. I should do more cooking with grains combined with squash.

I regret running a bit late in food preparation. I wish that I had a few more minutes to work on the presentation. The grapes certainly help, but I really would like more of a "pop" to the plate, perhaps with some deep red tomatoes, which we are out of.

Squash Medley with Razzmatazz Grapes (No Added Fat)

Our So Many Cooks in the Kitchen show this weekend is on squash, and I wanted to try slightly undercooking squash so that it could have some firmness and be cubed instead of being mushy, and then cooking stovetop with a few other ingredients to create a medley. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• Medium acorn squash and medium red kuri squash - or other winter squashes of your preference
• 3 small-medium red potatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 small onion cut into 3/8" cubes (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 cup mushroom slices (I used frozen)
• 3 cloves (not full bulbs!) of garlic, skin intact
• (optional) 1-2 t coconut aminos or soy sauce
• 1/4 t garam masala
• 1/4 t curry powder (or 1/8 t turmeric if you don't have curry powder)
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• (optional) 1/2 pint small grapes; we used Razzmatazz, which are maybe 1/4" in diameter but if you use a more typically sized grape, first half or even quarter the grapes
• 1/4 t salt or to taste

Process

1. Put 1/2 cup of water into the Instant Pot pressure cooker (or other pressure cooker) and put in a trivet so that ingredients don't touch the sides of the cooker
2. Rinse the squash and potatoes and put into the pressure cooker along with the three cloves of garlic; cook (on the Instant Pot I use "pressure steam" since the ingredients aren't touching the sides for 8m
3. When the pressure cooker is done, turn it off and start sauteeing over medium heat for a few minutes the onion in a stainless steel saute pan with no oil
4. Once the onion starts becoming clear, add the mushroom
5. Gently released pressure from the Instant Pot, then remove the ingredients
6. The garlic will be nicely roasted; cut the tips off of each of the cloves and press the opposite ends - like toothpaste, the creamy garlic will come out (and into the pan)
7. Cut the potato into 5/8" pieces, skin and all (if organic; otherwise, you might want to peel) and add to the pan
8. Cut each of the squashes into halves and use a spoon to remove the seeds; compost the acorn squash seeds but reserve the red kuri seeds
9. One thing that's great about red kuri squash is that it is entirely edible, skin and seeds as well as flesh. Cut it into medium-large pieces, maybe 3/4" in size. Also cut the acorn squash into a similar size but leave the skin behind. Add all the cut squash into the pan.
10. Mix in the spices except for the salt
11. Continue to cook on medium for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If the potato or squash was a little undercooked in the pressure cooker (mine wasn't), then cook till you're happy with them. Otherwise, 2 or 3 minutes is enough - the purpose is to have the ingredients all "marry" each other and nicely relish each other's flavors.
12. Add the coconut aminos and stir; the liquid will help clean up any residue on the pan
13. After 1/2 a minute, add the grapes, stir, add the salt, and stir a final time (salt can scratch some pans so I prefer to add it late or once plated when stirring)

I served this with brown rice and tomato.

 

Results

My wife and I loved the dish. My daughter doesn't usually like squash but thought that the main course was reasonable. She said that if she did like squash, she'd say this was one of her favorite recent meals! The grapes added not just nice contrasting color and nutrition, but also the flavor and moistness were nice contrasts to the rest of the cooking, each nicely holding the other up. 

Ideas for the future

I would like to have had time to have separated the red kuri seeds and to have added them to or atop the main course. A little bit of red wine might be good instead of the coconut aminos to deglaze and to add another complementary flavor profile. I also would add more mushroom in the future and might cut the mushroom thickly so it is more pronounced.

Getting back to the basic idea of having firm squash to work with, the butternut squash was a bit "al dente" but the red kuri was almost too soft. I should try this again with a 7-minute cook time.

Grits with Mixed Vegetables and Grain

3-Bean and Vegetable Soup