Instant Pot Cauliflower SoupVegan And Gluten Free

This low calorie soup is excellent for weight loss.

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Weight Loss Between the Holidays
I'm probably not alone at wanting to shed the Thanksgiving pounds before the next wave of holidays. I've always been a proponent of healthy soups for making this happen. Here's a easy and delicious soup that is less than 150 calories per hearty serving and also has 6 grams of dietary fiber.

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable which contains the phytochemical sulforaphane. This compound has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which contribute to its ability to prevent and treat several types of cancer. Inflammation also contributes to many long-term chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and more.

The high fiber content of cauliflower not only helps keep you full, contributing to weight loss, but also helps lower cholesterol, control blood sugar, helps feed your gut bacteria, reduces the risk of colorectal cancer, and keeps you regular. 

Instead of using cream, this soup gets its creamy texture from potatoes allowing it to be dairy and cholesterol free.


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Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

Requirements
Hand Held Immersion Blender 
Instant Pot

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large head cauliflower, leaves removed, cut into florets
1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups vegetable broth*
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
*5 cups for stovetop recipe

Directions
Heat the oil in the Instant Pot by pressing the “Sauté” button. Add the onion and celery and cook until they soften, stirring frequently, about 3 to 4 minutes. Press the “Off” button.

Add the cauliflower, potatoes, 4 cups of broth, bay leaf, salt, black and cayenne pepper to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid, press the “Manual” button, and set for 4 minutes at high pressure. When done, quickly release the pressure and remove the lid carefully with the steam pointed towards the back. 

(To cook on the stovetop, heat the oil in a soup pot and sauté the onion and celery for several minutes. Add the cauliflower and potatoes, 5 cups of broth, the bay leaf, salt, black and cayenne pepper. Cook on a low boil, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Continue with the recipe.)

Remove a cup or more of the cooked vegetables, roughly chop and set aside. 

Remove the bay leaf and add the lemon juice. Using an immersion blender, blend the remaining soup until smooth. You can also do this in a blender but take care not to over process.

For a chunky soup, remove some of the cooked vegetables before you blend the soup and put them back in after blending. Skip this step for a completely blended soup.

An immersion blender makes blending a lot easier.

Stir in the chopped vegetables, adjust seasoning if needed,  and serve. 

Nutritional Information:
Per serving (6): 149 calories, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 60 mg omega-3 and 219 g omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, and 438 mg sodium.

2-Minute Instant Pot Lemony Potato Salad

Enjoy this Italian-style potato salad in minutes.
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Working my way through our Potato Harvest
In my quest to use the 50+ pounds of potatoes that we harvested, I whipped up this potato salad yesterday using my Instant Pot.

This is an Italian-style potato salad that my dad used to make for me using lemon and oil instead of mayonnaise. It also uses parsley from my garden and fresh garlic that I harvested a while back.

New potatoes only take a few minutes to cook in the Instant Pot and don't need peeling, just a good scrub.

I only use 1 1/4 pounds of potatoes in this recipe because it's best when served warm and fresh.


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Lemony Instant Pot Potato Salad
Vegan, gluten and dairy free
[makes 4 cups]

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/4 pounds of new potatoes, 
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup small diced celery, center stalks
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Make the dressing. Mix the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, black pepper, oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl or cup. Set aside.

Scrub the potatoes and dice in 1" cubes. You should get about 4 cups.

Place the potatoes in the Instant Pot with 1/2 cup of water. Sprinkle 3/4 teaspoons of salt over the potatoes. 

Secure the lid, press the “Manual” button, and set for 2 minutes at high pressure. When done, press the “Off” button and quickly release the pressure. Then, remove the lid carefully with the steam vented towards the back. If the potatoes are not done, just place the lid over the pot and let sit. Check each minute until the potatoes are just fork tender.

There will be a little water in the bottom of the pot. Do not remove as the potatoes will eventually absorb it.   

Pour the dressing over the potatoes along with the celery and parsley.

Toss gently and thoroughly to coat the potatoes. Serve immediately while warm.

Enjoy warm

Instant Pot Helps Make Perfect Breakfast Fried Potatoes With Less Oil

Use your Instant Pot for perfect breakfast potatoes.
Make a healthier breakfast for your Valentine!

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Breakfast Potatoes
I must have been Irish in another lifetime because I adore potatoes. Baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, and especially fried breakfast potatoes. Fried breakfast potatoes, however, can take a lot of oil with added calories. They also take a long time to cook, and who has that kind of time in the morning? But the Instant Pot comes to the rescue to help with both of these problems. 

So if your want to make your Valentine some healthy fried breakfast potatoes to go with a tofu scramble or his favorite egg dish, here's a quick recipe for the potatoes. You can always jazz this recipe up by frying some onions or peppers before you add the potatoes, but I like my potatoes as they are.

To save even more time in the morning, you can make the Instant Pot potatoes the night before, refrigerate them, and fry them the next morning.


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Breakfast Fried Potatoes
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 3 to 4 servings]

Requirements
Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker with steamer basket and rack
Large Non-stick Fry Pan

Ingredients
3 cups (1/2" -3/4" inch diced) Yukon Gold potatoes with skin (~ 1 pound)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place the steamer rack and 1 inch of water in the Instant Pot.

Spread the diced potatoes evenly in the Instant Pot's steamer basket. Place on the rack.

Secure the lid, making sure the top vent is closed. Press the "Manual" button and set for 4 minutes at high pressure. When done, do a quick release, carefully open the lid, and immediately remove the potatoes from the Instant Pot. The potatoes should be almost cooked, but a little al dente. They will continue to cook in the fry pan.

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick (I like enamel coated), fry pan on medium heat. Add the potatoes and spread evenly in the pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender but crispy and brown on both sides, flipping over occasionally, about 10 minutes. 

Serve warm.

Nutrition
Per serving (3): 155 calories, 5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 49 mg omega-3 and 487 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 3 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates, and 3 g dietary fiber. 

Per serving (4): 116 calories, 3 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 37 mg omega-3 and 366 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 2 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, and 2 g dietary fiber. 

Curried Kabocha Squash, Potato, and Zucchini Soup

Curry-flavored, blended soup featuring kabocha squash.

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Harvest Time
I harvested my mini-kabocha squash and potatoes and still have a few zucchini left on the vine so I thought I'd combine them in this tasty soup. Kabocha adds a lovely sweetness to the soup and the potatoes make it creamy and thick. The soup is lightly flavored with curry.

Mini kabocha squash

Purple and gold potatoes

Ingredients for Curried Kabocha Squash,
Potato, and Zucchini Soup.

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Curried Kabocha Squash, Potato and Zucchini Soup
Vegetarian or Vegan, Gluten Free
[Makes 4 servings]

Requirements
Soup pot
Blender or Immersion blender

Ingredients
1 small kabocha (~1 1/2 pound)
1 pound yukon gold potatoes
1 small purple potato*
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Earth Balance (vegan) or ghee**
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sweet curry
1/4 teaspoon hot curry
2 medium zucchini (1 1/2 pounds)
4 cups vegetable broth
salt and black pepper to taste

* If you do not use a purple potato, increase the Yukon golds to 1 1/4 pounds.
** ghee is clarified butter and is well tolerated by those allergic to dairy protein and/or those who are lactose intolerant. 

Directions
Peel the kabocha squash, remove seeds, and slice. Usually I don't peel kabocha squash, but in this soup, I think the texture is smoother without the skin. Set aside.

Peeled and sliced kabocha squash.

Peel the potatoes and dice the Yukon golds. The purple potato will be removed before the soup is blended, so just cut that one in half.

Heat the oil and Earth Balance or ghee in a soup pot or Dutch oven on medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for several minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the curry seasoning and stir to coat the onions. 

Stir the onions and garlic with the curry seasoning.

Add the broth, kabocha squash, potatoes, and zucchini. Cook until the vegetables are firm.

Remove a few slices of zucchini, kabocha, and the purple potato halves. The purple potatoes may take a little longer since they are not diced or sliced as small as the other vegetables. But do not overcook them.

Dice the removed vegetables and set aside. (If you want a totally blended soup without little chunks of veggies, omit this step). 

Remove a few slices of zucchini and kabocha as well as the purple potato. 

Continue to simmer the rest of the soup until the ingredients are very soft and start to fall apart, about 20 to 30 minutes. Blend the soup with a hand immersion blender or place in a blender and process until smooth.

Blending with an immersion blender is much faster
and easier than using a blender. Cleanup is easier too.

Stir in the chopped vegetables, simmer a minute or so until they are heated, and serve.

Instant Pot Kale And New Potatoes Low in Calories And Low in Fat

Potatoes and kale make an easy side dish in your Instant Pot

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Potatoes and Kale
I am starting to harvest my potatoes - see my post, How to Grow your Own Potatoes.
Since I still have lots of lovely kale in the garden, I thought I'd make a recipe using kale and my tender new potatoes.

Sliced Magic Molly and Pinto Gold new potatoes.
Studies show a link between the consumption of purple potatoes and the reduction of diastolic and systolic blood pressure.

Here's a quick recipe using my Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker.               

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Instant Pot Kale and New Potatoes
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 6 to 8 servings]

Requirements
Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker

Ingredients
1/2 pound new potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1/2 pound de-ribbed, thinly sliced kale
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water

Directions
Place a third of the sliced kale in the Instant Pot. Place 1/2 of the sliced potatoes over the kale, spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

Place another third of kale and the rest of the potatoes in the pot. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

Layer the kale and potatoes

Place the remaining third of the kale in the pot and drizzle with olive oil. (Oil increases the ability to absorb the carotenoids.)

Pour the water over the kale and potatoes.

Hit the MANUAL button and set for 3 minutes. When it is done, release the pressure immediately and carefully remove the cover. Test to see if the potatoes are cooked. If not, just let the cover rest on the pot for another minute.

Serve while warm.

Nutrition
Per serving (6): 54 calories, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 84 mg omega-3 and 137 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 2 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 1.6 g dietary fiber, and 18 mg sodium.

Per serving (8): 41 calories, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 63 mg omega-3 and 103 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 2 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, and 14 mg sodium.

Creamy Vegan New Potato Salad With DillRed, White And Blue New PotatoesPerfect For The 4th Of July

This new potato salad is perfect for summer BBQ's.

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My Expectations are High

If you've been following my post on "How to grow your own potatoes", you'll see that my plants are doing exceptionally well. After 6 short weeks, the plants have taken over the bed, are 3 feet tall, and have begun to flower! Since my expectations are high, I've begun to think about what I'm going to do with all of these potatoes.

In the meantime, while I anxiously await the birth of my own purple and gold new potatoes, I found these adorable baby new potatoes at the market this week. I thought they would make a very colorful and delicious salad using the dill from my new herb garden.

These cute little multicolored potatoes are only 1" across

Dill from my garden

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Creamy New Potato Salad with Dill
Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free
[makes 6 to 8 servings]

Ingredients
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 pounds baby new potatoes (1/2 pound white, 1/2 pound purple, 1/2 pound red)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 cup finely diced celery (~ 2 center stalks)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons vegan sour cream

Directions
Combine the red onion, garlic, oil and vinegar and set aside. Sitting in the vinegar will cut the intensity of the red onion.

Scrub the potatoes and dice into 1/2 inch pieces. If they are tiny, one-inch new potatoes, just cut in half. Place in a medium saucepan of boiling water with one teaspoon of salt. Cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Do not overcook. 

Drain the potatoes and let them cool. Place in a salad bowl and toss with the oil and vinegar mixture. Add the celery, another 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or to taste), black pepper, dill, and sour cream. Toss until well combined.

Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Nutrition
Per serving (6): 128 calories, 3 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 24 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, and 242 mg sodium.

Per serving (8): 96 calories, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 181 sodium.

How To Grow Your Own Potatoes

Magic Molly purple fingerling potatoes from Johnny's seeds.

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A Year for Trying New Veggies
In March I planted my very first asparagus. They are popping up now although I won't be able to harvest any until next year (despite having bought 2-year old crowns). But it's always exciting to try growing new vegetables.

The one vegetable I have never tried growing is potatoes. So this year, after the encouragement of my cousin Christy,  I dedicated an entire raised bed to the effort.

Why Bother?
You might ask yourself why bother growing something as plentiful and common as a potato. Well, have you ever tasted a fresh potato? I have and the difference is amazing. Besides superior taste and texture, you can grow a variety of potatoes that you don't find in the store. And if you do find them in the store or farmer's market, these gourmet potatoes can be pretty pricey.  But if you decide to grow them, be sure to order them in time as the "seed" potatoes get sold out pretty quickly. 

Seed Potatoes
You don't actually grow potatoes from their seeds, even though they do produce seeds, but you grow them from  the part of the potato that has "eyes." These potatoes are called "seed potatoes." Each eye is a bud that turns into a new plant. 

Although you can grow a crop from you old potatoes that are beginning to sprout, it's important to make sure that you are starting with potatoes that are "disease free." So this year, at least, I am starting with organic seed potatoes that I purchased from Johnny's Seeds. They were crazy expensive so I hope to try to make my own seed potatoes next year.

How to Plant
We went a little overboard in our garden beds this year. We filled it with new compost, rock dust, biochar, worm castings, and mycorrhizae. So the potatoes should be pretty happy.

Amendments to the soil before mixing.
Mycorrhizae are added directly under the seed potatoes.

We had been keeping the seed potatoes at 40 degrees so we had to let them warm up to room temperature. Most of the Pinto Gold's were so small (2 ounces or less) that we didn't have to cut them and were able to plant them whole. The Magic Molly purple fingerling potatoes were bigger so we had to cut them into smaller pieces, each piece having at least one "eye.". The cut potatoes should be allowed to sit for 2 days before planting so that they seal. This prevents rotting and makes them less susceptible to soil-born diseases.

After mixing the amendments into the soil, we placed each seed potato 2 to 3 inches deep into the soil with the eyes pointing up about 12 inches apart with the rows about 30 inches across.

Note the eyes pointed upward

Cover carefully with the soil. 

Covered with soil

The plants should emerge 2 to 3 weeks later. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Update May 14th 
12 days after planting, sprouts emerged. They looked like this:

Potatoes sprouted after 12 days

Update May 20th
The weather has been unusually warm and the little spuds love it. Here's what the bed looks like 18 days after planting.

Less than 3 weeks after planting, these
healthy leaves are growing quickly!

When the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, I will have to "hill" them by mounding soil from each side of the row about 4 inches high along the base stem of the plants.

As the plants grow, I will repeat the hilling process until the hills are about 1 foot high.

Hilling prevents the "greening" of the potatoes. Green potatoes contain solanine, a glycoalkaloid poison (found in nightshade vegetables) so don't ever eat a green potato or the sprouts of a potato as they also contain solanine.

Update June 14th
Six weeks after planting, the plants are about 3 feet tall! I've hilled the dirt around the stems and I'm now starting to see little flowers.

6 weeks old, the stalks stand 3 feet tall

Clusters of little flowers appeared

Yield
Not sure what to expect but I should get around 5 to 10 pounds for every pound of potatoes I planted. Since I planted a pound of Magic Molly's and a pound of Pinto Golds, I'm hoping to get 10 to 20 pounds of potatoes. I'll keep you posted!

Here's what they should look like:

Magic Molly fingerling potatoes

Pinto Gold

Small "new" potatoes can be harvested 7 to 8 weeks after planting. Main crop tubers harvested in the fall. To prepare for storing, dig the tubers, brush off soil, and allow skins to cure.

Update August 9th
I harvested nearly 70 pounds of potatoes - much more than I expected from only 2 pounds of seed potatoes. Here's what they looked like.

Super pleased with this huge harvest!

Vegan And Gluten-Free Asparagus SoupInstant Pot And Stove Top Recipes

This creamy soup is dairy free and only 200 calories a bowl.

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It's Asparagus Time!
Asparagus is starting to show up in local markets and I couldn't be happier. Most of the time I just roast them in the oven and serve them over a green salad or as a side dish, but today I was in the mood for soup. 

Here's a simple recipe that you can make in your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or in a Dutch Oven or medium-size soup pot on the stove. 

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Asparagus Soup
Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]

Requirements
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (optional)
Hand Immersion blender

Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus (1 1/4 pounds)
1/2 pound leeks
1 tablespoon Earth Balance (vegan) or organic Ghee*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
4 cups veggie broth**
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

* Ghee is not vegan but is free of lactose and casein
** Or 1 Rapunzel vegetarian bouillon cube and 4 cups of water

Asparagus, leeks and Yukon gold potatoes are the
main ingredients in this easy-to-make soup.

Directions
1. Prepare the asparagus. Trim off the bottoms of the asparagus with a knife or bend the bottoms until they snap off. Discard. 
Cut off the tips and set aside. Slice the lower portion of the spears into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.

2. Prepare the leeks. Cut off the dark green tops of the leeks. Either discard or save for making veggie stock.
Slice the remaining part of the leeks vertically and run under cold water. Wash well to remove any dirt or sand. Shake off the water and thinly slice.

Only use the white and light green parts of the leeks.

3. Cook the leeks. Heat the Earth Balance or ghee and cook the leeks.

If you are using your Instant pot, do this with the sauté function.
If you are using a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the Earth Balance or ghee on medium-low heat. 

Cook the leeks and garlic for a few minutes until the leeks soften. 
If you are using an Instant pot, hit the off button.

Cook leeks until they soften.

4. Cook the soup. Add the potatoes, the lower parts of the asparagus (NOT the tips), salt, pepper, and the broth to the pot.

.

If you are using an Instant Pot, close the lid securely, hit MANUAL and set for 4 minutes. When complete, hit off and let the pressure come down naturally. Carefully open the lid.

If you are cooking on the stovetop, bring broth to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes and asparagus are very tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Blend the soup. Add the nutritional yeast to the soup and, using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. You can also do this in your Vitamix or blender. 

Blend until smooth with an immersion blender.

6. Cook the asparagus tips. Add the asparagus tips to the soup and cook until they soften but remain a little crisp.

If you are using an Instant Pot, you can do this by using the sauté feature to heat the soup to cook the tips. 

If you are cooking on the stovetop, bring the soup to a simmer and cook the asparagus tips until they soften.

7. Season the soup. Adjust the salt and pepper to your liking. Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Nutrition
Per serving (made with Earth Balance): 203 calories, 3 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 81 mg omega-3 and 133 mg omega-6 essential fatty acids*, 9 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber, and 331 mg sodium.
* This does not include the essential fatty acids from the Earth Balance or Nutritional Yeast since the manufacturer does not provide that information.