Carrot ginger soup

 https://www.loveandlemons.com/carrot-ginger-soup/

I left out the onion, maybe used a little too much salt. I think next time I want to try roasting the carrots first.

New Year's Black Eye Peas

 https://www.africanbites.com/black-eyed-peas-recipe/#recipe

I made this vegetarian and gluten free by using Beyond sausage and a vegetable bullion and used the instant pot (15 min on high with natural release), but otherwise followed the recipe. Also, the store didn't have collard greens, so I used kohlrabi greens. Served with cornbread(https://whats4supper2night.blogspot.com/2023/02/skillet-cornbread.html) Ebon was skeptical but had a second helping and the kids didn't really like it, but I thought it was really good!

Butter bean stew

 Made this for the teachers at Parent teacher conferences.  It used up some white limas. A couple people said it was good,  so I guess it was a hit 🤷 

https://skinnyspatula.com/butter-bean-stew/

Ramen

 I attempted to make ramen yesterday and it turned out pretty good.  The kids really liked it, so I was very happy about that. 

3 cups water 

1 large piece of kombu dashi/ kelp 

6-7 whole dried shitake mushrooms 

In the instant pot for 2 min on high.  It may be OK to do it longer,  but read something that said the kelp can make the broth slimy. So I released the pressure after 2 min and took out the kombu. Then I added:

3 garlic cloves minced 

3-4 green onions, chopped white parts 

Thumb of Fresh ginger, grated

1 carrot chopped in 4" matchsticks 

1/4 cup soy sauce 

4 more cups of water 

In the instant pot for 10 min on high.  I released the pressure,  added the ramen noodles (3 small cakes of dried noodles) put the IP on saute mode until the noodles were cooked,  about 5 minutes. 

Then I added a little pepper, the green parts of the green onions, and 2 tablespoons of mirin. 

I added a squirt of Sriracha to add spice and a soft boiled egg (boil water,  add egg and cook for 6 minutes, remove from heat and cool to peel). Bean sprouts would have been good. 

Mushroom soups

 I made a couple different soups with mushrooms for Leela.  This first was a bit of a bust

https://www.rabbitandwolves.com/vegan-wild-mushroom-leek-chowder

This was a little more liked by the family and Leela in particular. 

https://mycancalekitchen.com/shiitake-soup-ginger-garlic/

Tomato and White Bean soup

 This is a good way to use up some white beans

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020733-tomato-and-white-bean-soup-with-lots-of-garlic?action=click&module=RecipeBox&pgType=recipebox-page&region=soups&rank=1

Wild rice soup

 I very much enjoyed this, but again, the family did not 

https://www.feastingathome.com/instant-pot-wild-rice-soup/

White Bean corn chowder

 I thought this was pretty good

https://thedairyalliance.com/dairy-recipes/white-bean-corn-chowder/

This NYT recipe was a great reason to use up some Ranch Gordo white beans. At this point, I can’t remember what kind I used, but probably some royal Coronas or the Marcellas.
I remember that I was the only person in my family who liked it, but this is not unusual for the bean dishes I make. I probably won’t make this one again though.

IP Beans with Chorizo

This Budget Bytes recipe calls for pinto beans, but I used some Rancho Gordo Yellow Indian Woman beans and a half package of Trader Joe’s soy chorizo. This is ended up more like Chili than I was anticipating, but it was still pretty good! I would make this again!

MW30 Day 13 and 14 and 15

Sunday
Breakfast - 2 pieces of the egg bake with Tabasco and 1/2 avocado. Also a banana. I went for a run this morning and felt a little funny after eating this breakfast, but didn't seem as bad as the days before and it could have been from the run too.
Lunch - I wasn't hungry so after I had a nap, I had an apple with cashew butter.
Dinner - I attempted to make a white bean and vegetable (celery, carrot, 1/4 cabbage, 1/2 orange pepper, 1/2 large potato, onion garlic, and tomatoes at the end) soup, but I used too many beans and didn't used the pressure cooker which would have made everything go much faster. It ended up taking about an hour to get dinner ready on the stovetop, so I won't be doing that again. I used a quart of the veggie stock I made earlier in the month and that, along with S&P, basil and oregano made it taste pretty good, once the beans were actually done.
Snacks - pomegranate seeds, pear


Monday
Breakfast - avocado with EBTB seasoning and handful of almonds.
Lunch - Salad with 1/4 roasted cauliflower, tomatoes, and olives with balsamic vinaigrette and spaghetti squash with the korma simmer sauce.
Dinner - Bean soup and too many handfuls of nuts and raisins.

Tuesday - Halfway to 30!
Breakfast - too many almonds
Lunch - Carrot ginger soup, chickpea and cauliflower korma, avocado with EBTB seasoning
Dinner - spaghetti squash with the korma simmer sauce.

Barely Lentil soup

I made this barley lentil soup the other day. It was just ok. Fairly plain. Don’t think I’ll try this particular recipe again.

MW30 Day 11

Breakfast - had two pieces of the egg bake I made last night with Tabasco and 1/2 an avocado.

Lunch - last of the curried butternut squash soup. That was a really good soup that I wish the rest of my family liked. I also had a big spinach salad with olives, 1/2 orange pepper, 1/4 of the roasted cauliflower, tomatoes and the balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner - I made carrot ginger soup based on a recipe I found from plated cravings. It was just ok. I added more ginger after cooking but it still didn’t have the flavor I had hoped for. Afterward, I had a couple handfuls of nuts and raisins.

MW30 Day 5

Breakfast - Three ghee-fried eggs, 1/2 avocado, leftover roasted veggies, and some butternut squash I had in the freezer. I tried putting some Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning on the squash, but it didn’t quite work, or at least I didn’t like it too much.

Lunch - I made a pretty good curried butternut squash soup with the freezer squash because it was a little stringy. It was really good, I had two bowls! I also had a kale salad with tomatoes and the tahini dressing.

Snacks- I was a little hungrier today, so I had a few snacks. Some pomegranate seeds and a handful of nuts before dinner. After dinner I had an apple with almond butter.

Dinner - trout filet fried in ghee with some garlic, steamed carrots, sautéed kale and tomatoes.

Modified Whole 30

I need to get back to eating better, but the vegetarian version I did the last time didn't end well for me. I'm opting to eat beans/legumes for protein in addition to the many eggs I plan to eat. I will be tracking what I eat again, as it's helpful for me and others in the future. Starting weight is 165.2.

Day 1
Breakfast - 3 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 1med-large sweet potato
Snack- pomegranate seeds
Lunch - egg salad (probably 2-3 eggs worth) over romaine lettuce, 7 olives, 1/2 carrot, 1/2 avocado, handful of sugar snap peas, and some tomato soup.
Snack - stalk of celery
Dinner - black eyed peas with collard greens. I took the recipe for the beans from the Rancho Gordo Bean email but is also available here. It was ok, but only me and the toddler ate it. Now I have a lot left for the week.

I felt pretty good today, I felt a little hungry after dinner but I didn't eat anything, so off to a good start, I guess.

Catching up

I made lots of new dishes in the last few months, but haven't had time to post.
Here's a list:
Harvest pear crisp, next time I would reduce the sugar, was too sweet.
http://amp.myrecipes.com/recipe/harvest-pear-crisp-0

Lentil soup with lemon was really good. I will make it again!
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016062-red-lentil-soup-with-lemon?em_pos=medium&emc=edit_ck_20180106&nl=cooking&nlid=76807618

Spinach quiche with a sweet potato crust was also really good. I loosely followed this recipe which can be Whole 30 friendly if you omit the dairy:
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.cookinglight.com/recipes/spinach-feta-quiche-sweet-potato-crust

IP chickpea masala
https://www.carveyourcraving.com/instant-pot-chickpeas-curry-spinach-chana-masala-vegan-gluten-free/

Smitten Kitchen confetti cake. I made this as cupcakes, but I didn’t really like how they turned out. I thought they were dry and not very sweet.
https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/07/confetti-party-cake/

BBQ Jackfruit sandwiches. I really liked how this turned out, but the rest of my family didn’t. I will probably make it again for another try.
https://minimalistbaker.com/bbq-jackfruit-sandwiches-with-avocado-slaw/

IP Chipotle Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

I made this for a work pot luck, and many people said that it was good. I don't think I can make it at home, though because the chipotle peppers were a little spicy. The flavors were really good though!

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
3/4 large yellow onion chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin (I used whole seeds b/c that's what I had, but would have preferred to use ground)
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tomato can of water
1/4 cup tomato paste
28 oz can black beans or 2 cups cooked beans
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
5 chipotle peppers, chopped (I used from a can San Marcos brand)
1 cup frozen corn
Salt
Pepper

Directions

1. In IP, use Saute function to saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and translucent. Add spices and saute for a minute or two more.
2. Add tomatoes, water, tomato paste, beans, sweet potatoes, and chipotle peppers.
3. Set IP to HP for 8 minutes. Natural release
4. Add corn, and salt and pepper to taste

Instant Pot Black Bean and Lentil Chili

I needed a quick recipe for black beans and decided to try this black bean and lentil chili . I started with dry, unsoaked beans, and this was the biggest mistake for this recipe. It took way longer, and because of that, the bottom burned a little. After all this, I thought it tasted ok. I don’t think I will try making it again.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons powdered cumin
• 1 ounce (30g) dried mushrooms (any kind, I prefer Porcini)
• 1 cup (200g) lentils, sorted and rinsed
• 2 cups (400g) dry black beans, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 - 14 oz. can (400g) chopped tomatoes (or 1¾ cups freshly chopped tomatoes - about three tomatoes)
• 4 cups (1L) water
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

optional garnish:

• grated cheddar cheese
• quick-pickled jalapeño peppers

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pre-heat the pressure cooker by pressing the "Brown" or "Saute'" program - meanwhile gather the ingredients and chop the carrots and onion.
2. To the pressure cooker add the oil and onion.
3. Then, add the spices (paprika, oregano, garlic powder and cumin), dried mushrooms, carrots, and chopped tomatoes. Mix well.
4. Mix-in the lentils, black beans and water. Mix well.
5. Close the lid and set the valve to pressure cooking position. 
6. Electric pressure cookers and stove top pressure cookers: Cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.
7. When time is up, open the pressure cooker with the Natural pressure release. 
   Electric pressure cookers: Disengage the “keep warm” mode, or unplug the cooker, and open the lid when the pressure indicator/lid-lock has gone down (about 20 to 30 minutes). 
   Stovetop pressure cookers: Move the cooker off the burner and wait for the pressure to come down on its own (about 15 minutes).
8. Add the salt and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.
9. Serve and, optionally, garnish with grated cheddar cheese and quick-pickled jalapeño peppers.

Chard, potato, and white bean stew

I've been trying to use up things in the freezer and some white beans were calling my name. It has been generally colder and rainy than normal this spring, so I found this recipe for Chard, potato, and white bean stew.
I used cooked beans and did this in the instant pot, so it was quite a bit faster than the original instructions. After sautéing the onions and garlic, I did 4 min on high with a quick release with the potatoes, beans, herbs, and 4 cups of water. This took a while to come to pressure, but once done, I added the chopped chard. I also didn't use the stems so as to appeal more to the picky eaters.  I probably could have left the beans and added with the chard because they got even softer. Overall I thought it was good. Leela ate most, but didn't like the chard. Ebon ate some, probably out of pity. Not sure if I will make this again, but it's definitely a good use for chard and beans.


INGREDIENTS

1 cup dried white beans, soaked for 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water 

A bouquet garni made with 1 bay leaf, a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, and a Parmesan rind, tied together with kitchen string

Salt

1 generous bunch red chard (3/4 to 1 pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste), sliced
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

PREPARATION

1. Drain the beans and combine with 1 quart of fresh water in a casserole or Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer. Skim off any foam, then add the bouquet garni. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
2. Meanwhile, stem and clean the red chard leaves in 2 changes of water. Rinse the stems and dice. Set aside. Cut the leaves in ribbons, or coarsely chop, and set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion and chard stems. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the potatoes and stir together, then transfer to pot with the beans. Bring back to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and beans are tender. Taste and adjust salt.
4. Add the chard and thyme leaves to the pot, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. The chard should be very tender. Stir in freshly ground pepper to taste and the parsley. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve, passing the Parmesan to sprinkle on the top.

Beer Cheese Potato Soup

I used this slow cooker recipe for beer cheese potato soup recipe in the instant pot. It turned out pretty good, but I needed to reduce the broth/water liquid to two or 1.5 cups.