Pressure Cooker Ham and Bean Soup

 From Dad Cooks Dinner

1 pound dried navy beans, sorted and rinsed

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, cut into ½ inch dice

2 cloves garlic, sliced

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

1 ½ pounds smoked ham hocks (or a hambone and some leftover ham)

8 cups water

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Salt to taste

Minced parsley for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Sort and rinse the beans: Sort the navy beans, removing broken beans, stones, or dirt clods. Rinse the beans and set aside.

Saute the aromatics: Heat the butter in the pressure cooker pot over medium-high heat until it stops foaming. Add the onion, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt. Saute until the onions are softened and browning around the edges, about 8 minutes.

Pressure cook the beans: Drain the navy beans, rinse, and add to the pressure cooker. Set the ham hocks on top of the beans, then pour the water over everything. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in an electric PC, or 26 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure release naturally, about 20 minutes. Remove the lid carefully, opening away from you - even when it’s not under pressure, the steam in the cooker is very hot.

Shred the ham hock, season, and serve: Remove the ham hock from the pot with a slotted spoon or tongs, and set aside to cool. Ladle 2 cups of beans into a blender and puree the beans, then stir back into the pot. (I use my stick blender for this step.) When the ham is cool enough to handle, shred it, then stir the ham back into the pot. Stir in the fresh ground black pepper. Now, taste the soup, and add salt until the soup tastes sweet and full of body, and you can just feel the taste of salt on the tip of your tongue. (I needed 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to get the taste I wanted.) Serve with a sprinkle of minced parsley on each bowl.

Leftover Turkey Chili

 From The Clean Eating Couple

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup onion minced minced

1 tablespoon garlic minced 

1 cup carrots chopped in small pieces

1 cup red bell peppers chopped in small pieces

3 cups cooked turkey (breast, dark, meat, etc- chopped)

40 oz canned crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoons paprika

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes omit for less spicy

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 15 oz can black beans rinsed + drained

2 cups frozen corn

Instructions

Crockpot Instructions:

Chop vegetables.

Heat olive oil in a pan on the stove. Add in the onion, garlic and carrots. Sauté for 2-5 minutes or until slightly translucent. 

Stir all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT corn together in the crockpot until thoroughly mixed.

Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. Five minutes before serving, add in frozen corn and stir until warmed. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.

Spinach Cassava Tortillas

 From PaleoGrubs

4 cups chopped fresh spinach

1 cup cassava flour plus extra for dusting

2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for greasing

1 ½ tbsp water plus extra for cooking

¼ tsp salt

Add the spinach and 3 tablespoon or water to a large pot.

Cook over medium heat until the liquid evaporates.

Remove from the heat.

Add the cooked spinach, olive oil, 1 ½ tablespoon of water and cassava flour to food processor and process until soft dough forms.

Wrap it and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured working surface divide the dough into 6 balls.

Roll each ball between two pieces of parchment paper.

Light grease non stick skillet with extra olive oil and heat it over medium heat.

Heat the tortilla for one minute on each side or until nice brown spots develop.

White Bean Fish Spread

  Adapted from The Sioux Chef

1 can sardines (including oil)

1 cup cooked white beans

Pinch sumac

Pinch maple sugar

Pinch salt

Mash the sardines in a small bowl. Add the white beans, mash, and mix well. Add sumac, maple sugar, and salt to taste. 

Quinoa Carrot Veggie Burgers

 From 100 Days of Real Food

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and cooked with 2 cups of water

2/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup minced carrot

1/3 cup minced onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 eggs

1/4 cup flour of any kind (doesn't need gluten)

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine all of the ingredients except the oil. With wet hands, form the quinoa mixture into patties about 1 inch thick.

In a large saute pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Working in batches, add the burgers to the pan, cover, and cook until the bottoms are browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and repeat, adding more oil if necessary. 

Serve warm topped with hummus and avocado.

Winter Squash Soup

 Adapted from The New Basics Cookbook

4 lbs. assorted squash (e.g., butternut and acorn)
2 medium carrots
1 onion
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch cayenne
Salt to taste

Quarter each squash and scoop out the seeds/strings. Place in the pressure cooker on top of a metal trivet with water covering the bottom of the cooker. Cook on high for 14 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally. When the pressure has released, let squash cool slightly and scoop out the flesh into a Dutch oven, leaving the skin behind.

Meanwhile, dice the carrots and onion. When the squash is done, add the remaining ingredients to the pot with the squash. Bring to a boil, then drop to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer for 20 minutes, adjusting the spices if needed.

When the carrots are tender, use an immersion blender to carefully puree the soup. 

Curried Split Peas

 From Wholefully.com

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoons red curry paste
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2/3 cup split peas
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cooked rice (wild/brown blend recommended)

Instructions

1. In a large skillet with high sides, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and cook until just translucent and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
2. Add in the curry paste and stir. Continuing stirring for 1-2 minutes, or until the curry paste becomes fragrant.
3. Add in the vegetable broth and split peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the split peas have become tender (but not mushy).
4. Add in the diced tomatoes and coconut milk. Continue to simmer for an additional 20 minutes, or until the mixture is very thick and the split peas are very tender.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning—some curry pastes are very salt-heavy, so you might not need to add any seasoning at all.
6. Serve over hot rice.