tomato Archives - VeggieConverter

Instant Pot Eggplant Parmesan

January 15, 2020 By Kristi

Instant Pot Eggplant Parmesan

Today, I'm tackling homemade instant pot eggplant Parmesan. Cheesy, saucy, delicious Italian classic eggplant Parmesan made simple in the instant pot!

I'm so excited. Every year on my birthday, I order eggplant Parmesan from a local restaurant that has a complimentary birthday meal.

Why? Because it's kind of a pain to make eggplant Parmesan myself and, I really shouldn't have the wheat (I skip the noodles, but it's still lightly breaded). And, because I love eggplant Parmesan!

I'm a superfan of risotto, too. It's a toss-up between those two for all-time favorite Italian dish. And what's up with most everyday Italian places not having risotto on the menu anymore? Sad. So, for the 364 (or sometimes 365) in between my birthdays) I need to come up with an easier way to make a gluten-free version at home.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my eggplant tian. It's delicious and it's pretty close to eggplant parm, so it nearly satisfies that desire, but if I really want parm it's not quite right. And my more recent discovery of chickpea Parmesan is absolutely fantastic. And so simple!

But again, it's not the same. So, today, we're doing it. We're going full eggplant parm. Well, minus the breading. Because, honestly, to me, that's not the important part. I do have a recipe coming up in the future for eggplant parm bites that are breaded and are more like nuggets. But for now, we're going with thin slivers of eggplant, marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Instant Pot Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, sliced thin

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups marinara sauce

1 cup mozzarella, for serving

fresh basil, for serving

Instant Pot Method

Place all ingredients except mozzarella and basil in instant pot and cook on low pressure for 30 minutes.

Note: If your marinara is thicker, you can also use the pot-in-pot method to prevent the burn warning. Use a smaller oven-safe dish, or the inner pot for a 3-quart instant pot for your food. Then, pour 1 cup of water in your larger instant pot. Place the trivet in the bottom and the smaller pot with the food inside on top before cooking.

Top with cheese and basil.

Serve over noodles.

Slow Cooker Method

Place all ingredients except mozzarella and basil in slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

Top with cheese and basil.

Serve over noodles.

Yield: 8

Eggplant Parmesan

Today, I'm tackling homemade instant pot eggplant Parmesan. Cheesy, saucy, delicious Italian classic eggplant Parmesan made simple in the instant pot!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, sliced thin
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup mozzarella, for serving
fresh basil, for serving

Instructions

Place all ingredients except mozzarella and basil in instant pot and cook on low pressure for 30 minutes.
Top with cheese and basil. (Cover and switch to saute mode or pop under your oven broiler for 5 minutes if you want to melt the cheese.)
Serve over noodles.

Chickpea Parmesan

December 26, 2019 By Kristi

Instant pot chickpea parmesan is one of my new favorites. It's so incredibly simple. If you use premade sauce, it's stupid easy. You can even use already cooked chickpeas and reduce the cooking time. I absolutely love this dish, which is a riff on chicken parmesan, so you could also call this vegetarian "chicken" parmesan if you like.

My first parmesan love is eggplant parmesan, an Italian restaurant classic. I enjoy it every year on my birthday at a local restaurant that has a free birthday meal and it's so tasty. The full breaded and baked version is kind of a lot of work to make yourself, but it's worth it.

I have a few versions of eggplant parmesan and its related culinary adventures here on the site like eggplant tian and eggplant caponata. But man, I'm cheating on my eggplant and I'm loving it. I'll have to try an eggplant version in the instant pot now that I've figured this out though. I love how easy this is to throw together!

I hope you love this as much as I do. You can easily make this recipe vegan by using nondairy cheese or a "cheesy" vegan topping in lieu of the mozzarella.

Chickpea Parmesan

Ingredients

1/2 cup dry chickpeas

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups marinara sauce

1 cup mozzarella, for serving

fresh basil, for serving

Instant Pot Method

Place all ingredients except mozzarella and basil in instant pot and cook on low pressure for 30 minutes.

Top with cheese and basil.

Serve over noodles.

Note: If you use precooked chickpeas, reduce your cook time to 15 minutes.

Slow Cooker Method

Place all ingredients except mozzarella and basil in slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

Top with cheese and basil.

Serve over noodles.

Note: If you use precooked chickpeas, reduce your cook time to 4 hours.

Yield: 4

Chickpea Parmesan

Instant pot chickpea parmesan is one of my new favorites. It's so incredibly simple. If you use premade sauce, it's stupid easy.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup dry chickpeas
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup mozzarella, for serving
fresh basil, for serving

Instructions

Place all ingredients except mozzarella and basil in instant pot and cook on low pressure for 30 minutes.
Top with cheese and basil.
Serve over noodles.

Tikka Masala Mash Pie

November 30, 2019 By Kristi

Tikka Masala Mash Pie is a dream creation of sorts. I was having a conversation with Mr. Meaty on our way to Costco and I dreamed up a dish...Tikka Masala Pot Pie or Shepherd's Pie. My first thought was to put it all inside a samosa shell. But I decided that, while delicious, was a little much on the carbtastic side for a weeknight for me. Maybe for Sunday dinner later.

So, I went with Shepherd's pie style instead.

I'm offering this baby in several versions. My personal favorite is paneer tikka with Bombay potato mash. But if you're keto, you'll want to try the chicken tikka a la Two Sleevers with cauliflower mash. It's fantastic, too, but, of course, not vegetarian. 🙂 Whatever meal plan you follow, enjoy, and eat heartily!

You can also use the fabulous butter chickpeas recipe from my new cookbook. Or, if you have leftover turkey from thanksgiving, use it up instead of chicken by making Turkey Tikka Masala with Urvashi's Tikka Masala recipe.

If you have leftover mashed potatoes, use those, too. It's a great way to use leftovers without getting tired of the same old flavors. And if you're looking for more uses for leftovers, check out this Thanksgiving leftovers post!

So, the end result of my dream is a Tikka Masala Mash Pie, which is a Shepherd's pie style pie, a tikka topped with Bombay potato mash. It has turkey, chicken, paneer and chickpea options.

Check Out My New Cookbook...

You can find more recipes like Butter Chickpeas in my new cookbook. Whether you are a dedicated vegan, a moderate vegetarian, or just a weekend herbivore, The Super Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker Cookbook is your simple source for recipes that fit into your busy life. With 115 delicious, hands-off recipes, it proves you can spend minutes in the kitchen and still have a delicious end result.

The Super Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker Cookbook is filled with simple dishes that involve no pre-cooking and that rarely exceed 10 minutes of prep time. Simply load your slow cooker (or Instant Pot) with raw ingredients, go about your day, and return to a ready-to-serve meal.

Tikka Masala Mash Pie

Serves 8

Ingredients

Tikka

Chicken Tikka Masala OR

Butter Chickpeas OR

*Turkey Tikka Masala use turkey in place of chicken OR

Paneer Tikka use 6 ounces Paneer in place of chicken in the Tikka Masala

Bombay Mash

4 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed OR 1 Cauliflower

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon garam masala

1/2 tablespoon coriander

1 tablespoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon dried fenugreek

1/2 tablespoon ginger paste

1/4 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder, optional)

1/4 teaspoon chaat masala (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 small carrots, diced small

1/2 green pepper, diced small

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup heavy cream

Fresh cilantro and naan for serving.

Sunday samosa pot pie option

2 cups maida flour (or gluten-free flour)

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

Method

Bake potato or cauliflower for 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit with remaining ingredients except for carrots, pepper, peas, and cream.

Mash.

Add cream.

Parboil carrots and bell pepper for 5 minutes.

Stir carrots, bell pepper, and peas into the mash.

Layer tikka in serving dish.

Top with mash.

Broil on high in the oven for about 5 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve with naan.

For Sunday pot pie, mix flour with oil until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add water and knead into a firm dough. Add a bit more water if needed. Roll out dough to the size of your pot or pie dish.

For bubbly samosa crust, fry in hot oil until golden brown and bubbly. Then place the fried crust on top of your pie. Alternatively, you can place the raw dough on top and bake the whole pie at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes. It won't be bubbly, but there is less risk of breakage.

Instant Pot Method

Cook Indian butter chickpeas or tikka masala or paneer via instant pot method.

Add your potatoes and the spices and lemon juice to your instant pot along with 1/2 cup of water.

Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.

Allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.

Add cream and switch to saute mode.

Mash and add peas, peppers and carrots.

Place tikka in a cast iron or other oven-safe dish. Top with bombay potatoes. Broil for about 5 minutes until potatoes are golden brown.

*For leftover turkey and mashed potatoes method. Prepare masala sauce in blender. Mix turkey with masala sauce in your dish (I use a cast iron pot), skip marinade and add about 1/2 to a cup of cream or yogurt to the sauce instead.

Add the previously cooked mash on top with the carrots and all. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Switch to broil for 5 minutes to brown the top of the potatoes.

Serve.

The Super Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker Cookbook

Want more vegetarian and vegan recipes you'll love? Check out my first cookbook! I'm so excited about it and I hope you'll love it. You can find more information about it right HERE.

Indian Butter Chickpeas, an option in this Tikka Mash Pie, is updated and featured as just one of 115+ yummy vegetarian recipes in the cookbook!

Recipe card

Yield: 8

Tikka Masala Mash Pie

Tikka Masala Mash Pie is a dream creation of Shepherd's pie style tikka topped with bombay potato mash. It has turkey, chicken, paneer & chickpea options!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

TIKKA:
Chicken Tikka Masala OR
Butter Chickpeas recipe from Super Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker (recipe card below) OR
*Turkey Tikka Masala use turkey in place of chicken OR
Paneer Tikka use 6 ounces Paneer in place of chicken in the Tikka Masala
BOMBAY MASH:
4 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed OR 1 Cauliflower
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon garam masala
1/2 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon dried fenugreek
1/2 tablespoon ginger paste
1/4 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder, optional)
1/4 teaspoon chaat masala (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 small carrots, diced small
1/2 green pepper, diced small
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fresh cilantro and naan for serving.
SUNDAY SAMOSA PIE CRUST (OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS)
2 cups maida flour (or gluten-free flour)
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Instant Pot Method

Cook Indian butter chickpeas or tikka masala or paneer via instant pot method.

Add your potatoes and the spices and lemon juice to your instant pot along with 1/2 cup of water.

Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.

Allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.

Add cream and switch to saute mode.

Mash and add peas, peppers and carrots.

Place tikka in a cast iron or other oven-safe dish. Top with bombay potatoes. Broil for about 5 minutes until potatoes are golden brown.

Leaky Cauldron Guinness Beef Stew

February 9, 2018 By Kristi

We took an amazing family trip to Universal and Disney during the fall and something unexpected happened in Diagon Alley. I fell in love with a bowl of beef stew, Guinness Beef Stew. The Leaky Cauldron was my favorite restaurant that we visited on that trip. And we visited some great ones!

At the other Universal restaurant---The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade---the food and ambiance was awesome, but with two kids and sore feet, I didn't like how they won't let you sit down until you have your food. So, the girls and I just had to stand and wait for Mr. Meaty to come through the line instead of getting a few extra minutes to relax.

At Disney, I loved the look and the princesses at Akershus, but the food was not great. Lunch at the Beast's Castle, Be Our Guest, was amazing and the food was good so that was a definite winner.

The best Disney restaurants we experienced were at Animal Kingdom. Tusker House was our character experience and it was super fun and the food was great. It was a great mix of African-inspired foods and the buffet presentation made it easy for everyone to get something they liked. We got to try a ton of new-to-us dishes. And we met Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy. Win!

Our other character experience buffet was also fun. We got to see Alice in Wonderland characters, including an amazing Mad Hatter as well as Winnie the Pooh. And the breakfast buffet was pretty darn good at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian.

Satu'li Canteen was one of the few places that we just stumbled into. We went to Disney in September, when they do the free Disney Dining Plan. So we had most of our meals planned six months in advance. Crazy, right? But, after going through the super awesome Avatar rides, we were hungry for brunch and saw the Satu'li Canteen had some great vegetarian options for me. So, we popped in and split two meals among the five of us (my mom joined us on this trip). We got a tofu bowl and a beef bowl and both were tasty.

The one restaurant we were disappointed in was Ohana. We stayed at the Polynesian and were excited about the Hawaiian dinner at the hotel's restaurant, but the Brazilian-steakhouse style food (they bring various meats around and ask if you're ready for refills, but it's just beef, chicken and shrimp) was dull. And the service wasn't particularly friendly or exciting. The veggies and the much-lauded bread pudding were the only items I enjoyed and those weren't spectacular. I'd skip this one unless you're heading to the morning character experience with Lilo and Stitch.

Another pop in restaurant we went to was the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen. We shared a few things among the five of us here, too. For some reason this restaurant wasn't busy at all. But the atmosphere was fun and the food was great!

But, back to the point. We had a great trip and, overall, loved the restaurants that we experienced. Of those, The Leaky Cauldron was the best, in my opinion. Sure, it didn't have Daisy Duck. But it had that great Harry Potter English pub feel, amazing food and great service. I had the Guinness Beef Stew, the girls and Mom and loved their fish and chips. Mr. Meaty got the Cottage Pie.

And, we went for breakfast another day and had full English breakfasts, which were amazing, too. But the Guinness Beef Stew was so tasty that I've been dreaming of making it myself ever since. And, as luck would have it, Mom got us a great Harry Potter Cookbook for Christmas and there's a Guinness Beef Stew recipe inside! So, finally, here it is. And my, oh my, does it live up to my memory.

Both kids went in for seconds or even thirds. I declared it the best beef stew we'd ever made. Tall Fry declared it the best STEW we'd ever made, no beef qualifier required. The broth is rich and somehow creamy and the vegetables come out perfectly cooked: tender, but not mushy. This is the best beef stew ever. Enjoy.

Guinness Beef Stew

Adapted from Harry Potter Cookbook

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as necessary
1 pound chuck steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (or portabella mushroom strips)
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons flour
14 ounces broth (plus more to adjust consistency, if desired)
1/2 cup Guinness (or substitute Mexican Coke, if desired)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped prunes
1 teaspoon ground sage
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup chopped parsley (or 1 tablespoon dry)

Dutch Oven Method

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Add the meat in batch and sear on both sides over high heat for 4-5 minutes until crusty brown. Transfer each batch of meat to a plate.

Once the meat is done, add more oil to the pot if necessary.

Add onion and cook over medium-low heat until softened. Scrape up the browned bits, fond, from the bottom of the pot as you cook.

Add flour and stir until combined.

Pour in broth and Guinness (or Coke) and cook over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbling.

Add the meat and any juices back to the pot.

Add tomato paste, chopped prunes, sage, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Add potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and parsley.

Simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally. Add more chicken broth or water as necessary to keep the Guinness beef stew from drying or burning. (We added about another cup of broth.)

Enjoy!

Instant Pot Method

Turn the saute function on medium in your instant pot. When the screen reads HOT, add the oil. Sear the meat on all sides.

Set meat aside. Add onions, adding more oil if needed. Saute onions until softened.

Return meat to instant pot.

Add remaining ingredients.

Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes and let pressure naturally release.

Guinness Beef Stew: Our Universal and Disney Dining Experience

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as necessary
1 pound chuck steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons flour
14 ounces chicken broth (plus more to adjust consistency, if desired)
1/2 cup Guinness (or substitute Mexican Coke, if desired)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped prunes
1 teaspoon ground sage
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup chopped parsley (or 1 tablespoon dry)

Instructions

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Add the meat in batch and sear on both sides over high heat for 4-5 minutes until crusty brown. Transfer each batch of meat to a plate.
Once meat is done, add more oil to the pot if necessary.
Add onion and cook over medium-low heat until softened. Scrape up the browned bits, fond, from the bottom of the pot as you cook.
Add flour and stir until combined.
Pour in broth and Guinness (or Coke) and cook over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbling.
Add the meat and any juices back to the pot.
Add tomato paste, chopped prunes, sage, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Bring the mixture to a simmer.
Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Add potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and parsley.
Simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally. Add more chicken broth or water as necessary to keep the stew from drying or burning. (We added about another cup of broth.)

Leaky Cauldron Guinness Beef Stew Recipe

Cuban Black Bean Soup

November 9, 2017 By Kristi

The girls and I love our Cuban black bean soup. One of our favorite local restaurants is the Cuban Diner and they have an amazing black bean soup. They also have fantastic picadillo, empanadas and plantains. Mom's a big fan of their cuba libres, too. They're tasty. Can't be helped.

We make a pretty good slow cooker black bean soup already. But we decided to try a slightly different version.

This one is full of cumin and tomatoes and is absolutely fantastic. Tall Fry had thirds!! It's so easy to make. It's a simple dump the ingredients into the crockpot and walk away kind of recipe, so it's perfect for a chilly school night meal. We love this one.

And, bonus points, it worked out really well in the girls' lunchboxes in our awesome lunchbots thermoses. I love these thermoses. They keep soups and stews nice and hot and they're just the right size for the kids. We also use smaller ones for yogurt. They're super.

It's gotten pretty chilly lately for Georgia in fall, so we're glad to have some warm, tasty meals to warm us up. It's a great change up from our traditional veggie chili. And, it's similarly super frugal! Dry beans and some pantry staples are about all this soup takes. Winner!

What's your favorite chilly day crockpot meal?

Cuban Black Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients

16 ounces dry black beans, soaked for 24 hours
6 cups organic vegetable broth
1 can organic tomato paste
1 can green chiles
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Method

Place all ingredients in slow cooker.

Cook on LOW for 8 hours.

Carefully blend to desired consistency either with a stick blender or in a high-speed blender.

Serve.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

16 ounces dry black beans, soaked for 24 hours
6 cups organic vegetable broth
1 can organic tomato paste
1 can green chiles
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Instructions

Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
Cook on LOW for 8 hours.
Carefully blend to desired consistency either with a stick blender or in a high-speed blender.
Serve.

Cuban Black Bean Soup Recipe | @VeggieConverter

Mexican Fried Rice

August 27, 2017 By Kristi

Mexican Fried Rice | @VeggieConverter

Ever had Mexican Fried Rice? You know, like the Asian variety, but Mexican flavors. No? Me neither. I don't know why I never thought of it before, but this is our first time trying it.

We have a really yummy neighborhood Mexican restaurant that we go to a lot. And the girls are weird about eating their Mexican rice.

Like, they have to order it with their combos for some reason, but they usually eat two bites and move on to the rest of their food. So, as a result, we sometimes end up with a ton of leftover Mexican rice.

I was pondering what to do with the two boxes of Mexican rice we somehow ended up with in the refrigerator this week. (Don't judge. It's been that kind of week.)

I decided on tossing in black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, epic amounts of our yummy homemade taco seasoning and some green onions. But you could really throw in whatever you like.

And if you want to start out with plain rice, just add some tomato juice to the equation.

It turned out crazy fantastic. I mean, I kinda thought it would be good, but I didn't expect it to be a definite repeat. I big puffy heart it and so did Mr. Meaty and Bug.

Goose had to cool it down a bit with ranch dressing and a big glass of milk (it was too spicy for her, but she's pretty much an "all flavor is spicy kind of gal), but liked it after that.

Mexican Fried Rice

Serves 4

Ingredients

olive oil
2-3 cups leftover Mexican rice (or leftover rice plus a generous splash of tomato juice)
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced tomatoes, drained
3 ounces green chiles, drained
2-4 tablespoons taco seasoning
green onions for garnish

Method

Heat a cast iron skillet (or your skillet/pan of choice) to medium high.

Add a glug of olive oil and your rice.

Once the rice is sufficiently dried out, toss in your black beans, tomatoes, chiles and taco seasoning.

Stir fry the rice until it's the perfect fried rice consistency (usually about 15 minutes, depending on how dry your rice started out).

Top with green onions and serve.

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Mexican Fried Rice | @VeggieConverter

Mexican Fried Rice

Ingredients

olive oil
2-3 cups leftover Mexican rice (or leftover rice plus a generous splash of tomato juice)
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced tomatoes, drained
3 ounces green chiles, drained
2-4 tablespoons taco seasoning
green onions for garnish

Instructions

Heat a cast iron skillet (or your skillet/pan of choice) to medium high.
Add a glug of olive oil and your rice.
Once the rice is sufficiently dried out, toss in your black beans, tomatoes, chiles and taco seasoning.
Stir fry the rice until it's the perfect fried rice consistency (usually about 15 minutes, depending on how dry your rice started out).
Top with green onions and serve.

Black Bean Tortilla Soup

March 21, 2017 By Kristi

Tortilla soup is one of those Tex-Mex favorites that I've always wanted to love. I mean, how can you go wrong with a soup topped with avocado and pico de gallo?

But, alas, I don't really dig chicken and it's almost always a chicken soup.

So, I crafted this easy peasy Black Bean Tortilla Soup that's vegan and delicious.

It's pretty much a dump the cans and rice into the VitaClay or slow cooker recipe. But, in spite of that, it's actually healthy since it doesn't include any junky cans.

If you want to go fully homemade, you can also swap in soaked and cooked black beans and diced fresh tomatoes and green chiles for the canned variety when they're in season. Just shy of two cups per can is about the right amount.

I added a little hot sauce and a bit of lime juice to mine to give it more punch and the standard recipe was the perfect spiciness temperature for the kiddos. They added shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips to their bowls.

Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 can black beans
1 can fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles
2 cans vegetable broth
1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
2/3 cup dry rice

optional toppings: avocado, tortilla chips, lime wedges, cheese, pico de gallo or hot sauce

Slow Cooker Method

Place primary ingredients in VitaClay cooker and cook on SOUP setting for 1 hour.

OR, in a slow cooker, place all ingredients EXCEPT the rice in slow cooker and cook on LOW setting for 2 hours. In the last 20 minutes, add the dry rice and continue to cook.

Serve with desired toppings.

Instant Pot Method

Place all ingredients, except rice, in the instant pot.

Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.

Add rice. Cook on rice setting until complete.

The Results

Bug, our 8-year-old, loves the chicken version of this soup at restaurants. So it was no surprise that she loved this version, too. I loved it also.

Goose, our 6-year-old, was horrified. Why, you ask? I'll quote her on this one. "Mom, why would you put rice in soup? That's disgusting."

No, she could not explain why it's disgusting. But the rest of the family really enjoyed it. So take that with a grain of Goose-is-sometimes-a-weirdo...ness.

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Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 can black beans
1 can fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles
2 cans vegetable broth
1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
2/3 cup dry rice
optional toppings: avocado, tortilla chips, lime wedges, cheese, pico de gallo or hot sauce

Instructions

Place primary ingredients in VitaClay cooker.
Cook on soup setting for 1 hour or in a slow cooker on LOW setting for 2 hours.
Serve with desired toppings.

Paleo Creamy Tomato Noodle Soup

April 20, 2016 By Kristi

Sometimes the best ideas come to me when I'm just whipping up a quick dinner for the kids and myself. This Paleo creamy tomato noodle soup is one of those times. I wanted to make noodles because I've been craving them and I didn't have any marinara sauce made, so I opted to combine a can of tomato sauce and a can of coconut milk. It turned out more souplike than I had in mind, but we absolutely loved what turned out to be creamy tomato noodle soup. It's grain-free, dairy-free and vegan! The tomato and coconut milk combination is absolutely fantastic (just

The tomato and coconut milk combination is absolutely fantastic (just like in the Lentil Quinoa deliciousness). It may be the key to all deliciousness ever. Hard to say this early. But, let me tell you. Both kids ate THIRDS. THIRDS! I might've done a little jig. I highly recommend this one. If you're not grain-free, you can opt for regular thin spaghetti noodles or rice noodles. If you are, go for zoodles or grain-free noodles like we did!

Creamy Tomato Noodle Soup

Ingredients

8 ounces grain-free noodles or zucchini noodles
15 ounces tomato sauce
13.5 ounces coconut milk
4 ounces mushrooms
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
Himalayan pink salt, to taste

Method

Prepare noodles, set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add noodles and heat through if necessary.

It comes out kind of like a stoup: a stew/soup. You might need both a fork and spoon. Or just a fork and drink the rest out of the bowl. That's what the kids opted for. It's so tasty I highly recommend putting this one in your monthly meal plan rotation. It's also great with rice or quinoa instead of noodles!

Paleo Creamy Tomato Noodle Soup

Ingredients

8 ounces grain-free noodles or zucchini noodles
15 ounces tomato sauce
13.5 ounces coconut milk
4 ounces mushrooms
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
Himalayan pink salt, to taste

Instructions

Prepare noodles, set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add noodles and heat through if necessary.
It comes out kind of like a stoup: a stew/soup. You might need both a fork and spoon. Or just a fork and drink the rest out of the bowl. That's what the kids opted for. It's so tasty I highly recommend putting this one in your monthly meal plan rotation. It's also great with rice or quinoa instead of noodles!

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Lentil Quinoa with Curry Tomato Sauce

March 25, 2016 By Kristi

I'm doing this 21-day cleanse thing and I am not supposed to eat meat or beans (or dairy or grains), but I can eat lentils. I noticed my iron was low (familiar symptoms when it gets low) so I searched around to find out what I could currently eat that would boost my iron. Quinoa and lentils are both on the awesome plant-based iron list. And then this article from No Meat Athlete reminded me about eating iron along with Vitamin C to increase absorption so I decided to try a tomato sauce and came up with Lentil Quinoa with Curry Tomato Sauce. I tell you what. I thought it'd would be a decent, quick meal that would satisfy my body's iron craving. But it turned out it was absolutely fantastic! I scarfed my bowl down and then the kids both scarfed their own. A couple of us had seconds and thirds. Fantastic. And the best part? It only takes about 15 minutes. Win.

Lentil Quinoa with Curry Tomato Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

2/3 cup quinoa
1/3 cup split red lentils
2 cups water
15 ounces tomato sauce
6 ounces coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry
1 teaspoon cumin
salt, to taste

Method

Combine quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes. Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes. About 10 minutes in, add remaining ingredients and cook the remaining 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir and serve.

(Alternately, you may cook the sauce separately over low heat and pour over cooked quinoa and lentils.)

Lentil Quinoa with Curry Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

2/3 cup quinoa
1/3 cup split red lentils
2 cups water
15 ounces tomato sauce
6 ounces coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry
1 teaspoon cumin
salt, to taste

Instructions

Combine quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes. Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes. About 10 minutes in, add remaining ingredients and cook the remaining 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir and serve.

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Slow Cooker Dal Makhani

February 11, 2016 By Kristi

Slow Cooker Dal Makhani and it's just as delicious (if not better) than the restaurant variety? Yes, please!

We're doing the War on Debt still so we're on a restaurant moratorium. I'm missing Indian food. Even though I've made a few Indian dishes at home, it's never quite the same. So I thought about what was in my pantry (after all, we're STILL doing that pantry challenge...oy, it's gonna be months) and decided, hey, it'd be pretty hard to muck up Dal Makhani, right?

But instead of doing my standard use what's in my kitchen tinker with it technique, I went with (nearly) the exact recipe. Other than swapping out dairy items and switching one type of lentils for another and one type of beans for another, I stuck to it. That's good for me, right? Hah. I cannot be more pleased with how it turned out. It was a HUGE hit with everyone. Even Goose! Who isn't a fan of "spicy" things? She added cream to hers to cool it down (believe me, it's not REALLY that spicy, but it is to her delicate palate).

Dal Makhani

Adapted from Slow Cooker Dal Makhani
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 cup dry red lentils
1/2 cup dry black beans
2 tablespoon dry channa dal
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
4 cups water
GRIND TO PASTE
2 dry, whole red chillies
1 inch piece ginger
6-8 flakes garlic
1 cup tomato puree or sauce
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
2 tablespoons kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1/2 teaspoon Indian chili powder
1/2 teaspoon aamchoor powder (raw mango powder- can be found in Indian grocery stores)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro/coriander, finely chopped

Method

Wash the lentils, beans and channa dal properly and add them to the slow cooker with 4 cups of water. Cook on your VitaClay's SOUP setting for 4 hours (or 8 hours on LOW in a slow cooker) with salt, coconut oil and the ginger-garlic-chilli paste added to the lentils and water.

Mash the lentils a bit and add the tomato puree, kasoori methi, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, nutmeg powder, aamchoor, coriander powder, onion powder, and let cook on VitaClay's STEW setting for another 2-3 hours (or 4-6 hours on LOW in a slow cooker).

Add the chopped cilantro and serve with rice, naan or roti.

This was absolutely delicious!! Definitely a new regular at our house.

Instant Pot Method

Add ingredients to instant pot and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.

Add the chopped cilantro and serve with rice, naan or roti.

Dal Makhani

Ingredients

1 cup dry red lentils
1/2 cup dry black beans
2 tablespoon dry channa dal
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
4 cups water
GRIND TO PASTE
-2 dry, whole red chillies
-1 inch piece ginger
-6-8 flakes garlic
1 cup tomato puree or sauce
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
2 tablespoons kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1/2 teaspoon Indian chili powder
1/2 teaspoon aamchoor powder (raw mango powder- can be found in Indian grocery stores)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro/coriander, finely chopped

Instructions

Wash the lentils, beans and channa dal properly and add them to the slow cooker with 4 cups of water. Cook on your VitaClay's SOUP setting for 4 hours (or 8 hours on LOW in a slow cooker) with salt, coconut oil and the ginger-garlic-chilli paste added to the lentils and water.
Mash the lentils a bit and add the tomato puree, kasoori methi, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, nutmeg powder, aamchoor, coriander powder, black salt, onion powder, and let cook on VitaClay's STEW setting for another 2-3 hours (or 4-6 hours on LOW in a slow cooker).
Add the chopped cilantro and serve with rice, naan or roti.
This was absolutely delicious!! Definitely a new regular at our house.

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