Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup

Recipe from Maria Dowd

Maria followed this recipe: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/cozy-autumn-wild-rice-soup/#tasty-recipes-60115

 
Ingredients:
 
6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1 cup uncooked 100% wild rice
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (or see cream sauce option below*)
2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed
Fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
 
Directions
 
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Method:
 
Combine base ingredients. Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of an Instant Pot pressure cooker.  Stir briefly to combine.
 
Pressure cook. Cover and cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes.  Let the Instant Pot rest and naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes.  Then carefully open the vent and quick release the remaining pressure.  Remove lid and discard the bay leaf.
 
Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined.  Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
 
Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!
 
Stove Top Method:
 
Sauté the veggies. Heat (an extra) 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.  Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
 
Add base ingredients. Add in the vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, carrots, celery, sweet potato, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning.  Stir to combine.
 
Simmer. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
 
Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!
 
Notes:
 
Alternate cream sauce recipe: In place of the coconut milk, you can either add 1 1/2 cups half and half.  Or you can make a cream sauce by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a (separate) saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking in 1/4 cup flour for one minute, and then whisking in 1 1/2 cups milk until the mixture is smooth.  Let the sauce cook until it nearly reaches a simmer, at which point it will thicken, then remove from heat and add the sauce to the soup once the rice has completely cooked.
 

 

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham

Recipe from Monica Pileggi, 7 February 2024 

 
Recipe by: https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/instant-pot-split-pea-soup-ham-bone/

Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Time to pressurize and depressurize 25 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
1 onion diced
2 ribs celery diced
2 carrots diced
1 cooked ham bone, a smoked ham hock, or 6 oz. diced deli ham (Don’t use fresh/uncooked ham)
1 lb. dry split peas sorted through and rinsed
6 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth or veggie stock, water, or a mixture
2 bay leaves
kosher salt and black pepper [don’t add salt if using a broth with salt]
chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional 

 

Directions:
 
Turn pressure cooker to the "sauté" setting. Melt butter and sauté onion, celery, and carrots for about 5 minutes, until softened.

  

                                  
Add the split peas, chicken stock, ham bone, and the 2 bay leaves.
 
Turn off the "sauté" function.
 
Cover pressure cooker and set to manual, high pressure for 15 minutes.
 
Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10-15 minutes. Then, quick release the pressure valve.
 
If you used a ham bone or hock: remove the it from the soup and remove the ham meat that's still attached to it. Add the ham meat back into the soup.
 
Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary (see notes). Serve immediately, or store in your refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
 
My Notes:
 
I used avocado oil instead of butter.
I added 2 cloves of garlic, minced, along with the onions.
I added a pinch of dried thyme.
I did the natural release for 14 minutes before the quick release.
 
This was such an easy soup to make with the instant pot. This recipe is a keeper!

 

Sausage Lentil Stew (Instant Pot)

Recipe from Monica Pileggi

Adapted from Recipe from: https://meaningfuleats.com/instant-pot-sausage-lentil-stew/

 
My changes are in  [  ]
 
Prep Time 10 minutes    

Cook Time 25 minutes   

Total Time 35 minutes
 
Servings 8

Ingredients:

 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage  [I used a combination of sweet and hot; 6 links, which came to 1 lb 2.7 oz total]
1 large onion chopped [I had 3/4 of a large onion on hand]
2 stalks celery chopped [I used 3 stalks]
3-4 carrots peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
29 oz canned diced tomatoes
5 cups chicken stock [I only had 4 cups chicken stock, so I added 1/4 white wine and 3/4 cup beef broth]
1 1/2 cups dry lentils rinsed and picked over (preferably French green lentils)
1 cup finely chopped kale (optional)

Directions:

 
Press the SAUTE button on the instant pot and let preheat for 1-2 minutes. Add the olive oil and Italian sausage. Cook, breaking into small pieces with a spoon, until no longer pink.
 
Add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and salt.
 
Add the diced tomatoes, chicken stock, and lentils. Stir to combine.
 
Close the instant pot [turn the dial to pressure cook] and press MANUAL and set timer for 10 minutes. When the time is up let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest of the steam.
 
Stir in the chopped kale. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Deviled Eggs

Recipe from Monica Pileggi

There are many, many recipes for making deviled eggs. This is my creation.

Ingredients

1 dozen extra large eggs, hard boiled and peeled

4 T. Mayonnaise

1-1/2 t. Dijon mustard

1 T. Blue cheese dressing

1 T. minced white onion

A little bit of dried Dill

Dash of Curry

Salt and pepper to taste

A dash or two of hot pepper sauce (optional)

Paprika to garnish

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop the yolks in a large bowl (I actually slightly bend the white and it pops out); place the whites in a serving platter.

Combine the yolks with the remaining ingredients (except for the paprika) and mash until smooth with a fork. 

Fill each white with the yolk mixture with a spoon. Sprinkle the tops with paprika. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Notes: 

I add the mayo, dijon, and blue cheese dressing a little at a time until I get the right consistency and taste. Adjust to your liking. You may want more blue cheese, or less. If you don't like curry, leave it out. I don't add much, so it's not that noticeable.

I use my Instant Pot (IP) to hard-boil the eggs, using the 5-5-5 method: 5 minutes pressure cooking, 5 minutes natural pressure release, and 5 minutes in an ice water bath using a large bowl. 

If you don't have an IP, you can follow this method on steaming eggs (skip the crazy shaking of the eggs in a food storage container and follow my ice water bath method):   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV9nz1qlY64.  Steaming is a better method than boiling directly in the water because the eggs will peel very easily.