Cauliflower and cheese soup in instant pot

Since the weather is cold we’ve been craving soups. My husband made this soup in the instant pot and it was quite tasty .

Ingredients:

1 Head of Cauliflower – cleaned and chopped 

2 Tbs butter 

1 large Bay leaf 

1 medium onion – chopped 

4 cloves of garlic – minced 

2 cups of vegetable broth 

1 cup of shredded cheese (Vegan cheese if you want to keep it vegan) 

¾’s can of Coconut Milk 

¼ teaspoon of Pepper 

Salt to taste

Directions:

1)      Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and sauté the onions, bay leaf, and garlic in the butter.

2)     Add pepper and a pinch of salt when the onions are transparent.  

3)     Add the vegetable broth, and cauliflower.

4)     Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the pressure valve.  Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.  When timer goes off allow the pressure to release naturally (About 20 minutes).

5)     Place the contents of the Instant Pot in a blender or use a hand blender to blend the pot of vegetables until smooth and creamy.  Add coconut milk and cheese and mix until smooth.  

6)     Add salt and pepper to taste.    

Borscht - Ukrainian beet soup

I first had borscht at a Russian restaurant numerous years ago. I thought it was extremely tasty and a great way to eat beets. I love the subtle flavors in it including the flavor of thyme, the background flavors of other vegetables such as leeks, celery, carrot and I love that dollop of sour cream on top.I set out to make borscht and found so many recipes on the internet including this one and I looked through them all and made my own version ( with a little input from my friend Shirlee who suggested adding cream to the soup)

Ingredients: 

Beets - 1/2 lb ( about 3 medium beets)- peeled and cut in to 1” squares 

Potatoes - 1/2 lb  ( about 3) - peeled and cut in to 1” squares 

Onion - 1 medium ( diced finely ) 

Leeks - 1 ( diced finely - 1/2 cup )

Carrots - 2 - peeled and cut in to 1” squares 

Garlic - 2 cloves peeled and minced 

Tomato paste - 1/2 tbsp 

Paprika - 1/2 tsp 

Thyme - 1 tbsp dried thyme ( or to taste)

Bay leaf -1 

Salt - 1 tsp - to taste 

Pepper- 2 tsp - to taste 

Sugar - 1 to 2 tbsp - to taste 

Red wine vinegar- 1/2 tbsp 

Cream- 1/4 cup - or to taste 

Butter / olive oil - I put some of each ( 2 tbsp butter and  2 tbsp olive oil ) 

Sour cream- for garnishing the soup 

Instructions

1. Place a deep heavy bottomed pot on medium heat ( I used a Dutch oven)

2. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil and let the butter melt

3. Add the onions to the pot and sauté until translucent

4. Now add the leeks, celery, salt and pepper and sauté, 5. Add a little extra butter and oil to the pan and add the thyme, paprika , garlic, bay leaf and tomato paste and mix well and sauté it. 

6. Add the cubes of beets, potatoes and carrots and mix well.

7. Add 4- 5 cups of vegetable broth to the pot and mix in well. Taste the water to adjust seasoning. If sour add 1-2 tbsp of sugar ( I always add this for enhanced taste)
8. Let the broth boil and then reduce the heat slightly and place a lid on it with some venting and let it cook for 20-30 minutes ( or until the vegetables are soft when poked with a fork). Make sure to replenish broth if it has evaporated and make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the contents from sticking to the bottom 

9. Fish out the bay leaves

10. Now let the soup cool . Once cool add a little bit of the mixture at a time to the blender and grind to a smooth purée. ( you may save some of the veggie cubes to add back in for texture )

11. Add the purée to a pot and mix the cream in to it thoroughly well. 

12. Spoon out the borscht to a bowl and add a splash ( 1/4 tsp ) of red wine vinegar to the soup and mix well. This adds an acidic component to the soup and you can adjust per taste. ( I do this since people have different tolerance for acidity). Season with salt and pepper. 

13. Place a dollop of sour cream on top . Borscht is now ready to serve 

Indian miso noodle soup

My sister loves Ramen and she found this recipe on one of her favorite sites The Chutney Life and tried it out. She sent me pictures for my blog . She really loves this recipe. 

Ingredients :

Ramen noodles - 1 packet

Vegetable broth ( Swanson 1 carton 32 oz)

Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves ( minced)

Ginger - grated 1 tsp

Scallions - 1 bunch chopped ( keep the green and white parts separate. This is because the white parts take longer to cook than the green)

Shiitake mushrooms sliced - 2 packages ( here we get 3 oz packages at our grocery store ) - wash really well and chop into small pieces 

Cilantro - chopped- half a cup

Red miso - 1 tbsp ( fermented soybean paste)

Asafoetida- 1/8 tsp

Cumin seed - 1/2 tsp 

Sambal olek - 1 tbsp ( Indonesian chili paste)

Soy sauce - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp 

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste 

Oil - 1to 2 tbsp

Red chili flakes ( optional)

Instructions:

1. Cook the ramen noodles per package instructions and drain them and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process and to prevent them from becoming mushy 
   
   
2. In a large deep pot heat the oil on medium heat. Once hot place the cumin seeds in there and let them sputter. Then add the scallions ( white portion), asafoetida and sauté for a few seconds 
3. Now add the chopped mushrooms, salt, turmeric powder and sauté until the mushroom are soft. Make sure they don’t stick to the pan
   
   
   
   
4. Add the minced garlic, grated ginger and sauté . Now add the vegetable broth , cilantro , soy sauce , Sambal olek, scallions ( green)  and let it simmer.
5. In a small bowl add the miso paste and a little bit of the hot broth and mix well so the paste dissolves. Once dissolved add this mixture back to the pot. 
6. Let the broth cook on medium heat for 10 minutes , stir to ensure the ingredients are mixed 
7. In a bowl add the ramen noodles and pour in the broth and garnish with chili flakes, scallions and cilantro 
8. Indian miso soup is ready to serve 
   
   

Avocado soup

 When my mom first made avocado soup I wasn't sure I wanted to try it. She kept insisting it was very tasty and also very satisfying as a meal. I finally tried a few spoonfuls and I really loved it. The soup is thick, creamy, cool and filling and very simple to make.

Ingredients

Avocado ( large, ripe, pitted) - 2

sour cream - 1/2 cup 

milk - 1/2 cup

water - 1/2 cup

garlic cloves - 2

cilantro leaves chopped - 2 tbsp

lemon juice - 2 tbsp

salt - 1/2 tsp ( to taste)

black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

tortilla strips - optional

Instructions

1. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of the avocado.
2. Add the avocado, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic cloves, cilantro, milk, water salt and pepper to a blender and grind until smooth. You can add more milk or water to get it to the correct consistency for you ( thick or watery).
   
   
   
3. Pour out into a bowl and garnish with a few cilantro leaves and tortilla strips. Add additional salt and pepper and lemon juice to taste.
4. Serve cold