Instant Pot Bacon Cauliflower Soup

It's been a long time since I've touched this blog. Approximately three years ago, I became very burnt out with blogging. It started out as fun, and then it wasn't. It took hours to take photos, edit photos, learn SEO, coding......it all became about being noticed and getting paid. I was spending too much time on something, that honestly, didn't really matter at the end of the day. And so I walked away. I loved blogging when I started, it felt like a community. Until it wasn't. When I left it had become more about making money and less about sharing. I found myself being critical of food photos and always comparing myself to everyone else. It became something that wasn't the release from everyday stress that was the reason I started blogging in the first place.

So I'm back, but this time I'm older and wiser. I don't intend to make money off this blog, I have found that over the last two years the Internet is full of horrible food recipes. If I have to throw away one more inedible meal, I might scream. So this is my recipe book. Using my iPhone 6 (gasp, that's right my Canon Rebel hasn't been out of the closet in 2 years), I will be documenting the food I make so I can have a place to go back and try recipes that I liked in the past (or avoid recipes that were horrible).

Honestly, I don't care if anyone reads or cares about any of my posts. This is about my food journey so I can remember that I can be a pretty decent home cook, even if my photos didn't take 3 hours to stage, capture, and edit. If you're looking for glossy food magazine photos, they won't be here. I don't have the time or patience for that rat race any longer. So here goes.

Instant Pot Bacon Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

• 6 slices chopped bacon
• 1 chopped onion
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 2 chopped green onions
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 chopped red potatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup heavy cream

Cooking Directions

1. Saute the chopped bacon on the saute option on the instant pot. Once crispy remove from pot.
2. Add the onions to the Instant Pot and saute for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and one of the chopped green onions.
3. Add the chicken stock.
4. Add the potatoes, bay leaves, and cauliflower.
5. Close the lid and set on the high pressure cooker option for 5 minutes. Do a quick release once it beeps as done.
6. Remove bay leaves and then add the heavy cream. Cook on the saute setting until the soup thickens.
7. Top with bacon and chopped green onions.

This recipe need a lot of additional salt at the end of cooking. It turned out really well though, it might benefit from a little spice (maybe crushed red pepper. 

Adapted from Instant Cookbook by Monet Chapin.

Winter Vegetable Dal

Winter Vegetable Dal

I want my kids to fail. That's right I don't want my kids to succeed at everything they try. Why? Failure is one of the most important lessons we should be imparting to our kids. Let me provide a little background to my reasoning. My son came home from school last week and informed me that everyone got a ribbon for participating in a school event. Great, so everyone wins for doing nothing. I know that sounds a little harsh, but good old fashioned competitiveness is not a bad thing. I failed a lot growing-up. I tried basketball, softball, gymnastics and I was horrible at all of them. Then I discovered swimming and I was great at it. The pleasure I got from succeeding was that much better since I knew what it was like to be horrible at something. In college I had a professor inform me that I didn't understand anything about the concept of 'national identity' and that I should avoid a degree in English. I ended up getting my BA in English Literature and wrote my master's thesis on national identity and geography. However, if I hadn't done horribly in that class I might have had a very different life. We remember the times we fail, we need those failures to become the adults we are. It seems that we are now teaching our children that failure should be avoided in order to save our children the pain. Yes failure hurts, but the success that eventually comes is that much sweeter for having the fought our way back. So yes I want my children to fail, I will comfort them from the pain and cheer them on when they find a way to succeed. It's a part of growing-up.

My family rarely eats out, less than once a month. However, we all love various ethnic foods so I try to re-create as many dishes at home as I can. Last week I tried a new Winter Vegetable Dal recipe from the January/February 2014 issue of Eating Well magazine.

Winter Vegetable Dal

 

This recipe has 18 ingredients. It takes 1 hour of total time, 35 minutes of which is active and makes 6 servings. I did make a number of changes to the original recipe. First, I used a bay leaf instead of curry leaves. Curry leaves are very hard to find in my area and I didn't want to have to go searching for them. I thought that I had cumin seeds in my cupboard, but wasn't able to find them when I made the recipe so I substituted ground cumin instead. I cut my potatoes small, but I still found that my dal took longer than the recipe suggest for the vegetables to fully cook, approximately 10 additional minutes.

Winter Vegetable Dal

My husband and I enjoyed this recipe. It was mild enough that my kids loved it while still being flavorful enough for adults. If you like your dishes spicier you can add a small amount of crushed red pepper. The leftovers of this dish re-heated well and it tasted great over brown rice.

For the recipe go to Winter Vegetable Dal.

Indian Chickpea and Vegetable Stew From All You Magazine

Indian Chickpea and Vegetable Stew

My husband and I rarely agree on what to watch. We haven't been to a movie in the theater for 8 years. Partly because we are both too cheap and mostly due to the fact that we hate most movies and can't agree on the few that either of us would see. Last month my husband set up separate Netflix user accounts so that what I watch wasn't in his recently viewed section. I was fine with that since he watches nothing but horrible television shows and movies by people that I never thought where funny when they were on Saturday Night Live. He also watches non-funny 80's and 90's comedies that I avoided like the plague when they were originally in theaters. My husband complains that I watch nothing except Sci-Fi and 80's/90's cult classics. He would be mostly right, I to this day claim "Heathers" as my all time favorite movie. So for the most part we watch separate movies and television. However, every year we pick a few new shows that both of us can agree upon. Normally they aren't something that we love, but that we agree we love each other enough to sit through. This normally lasts for a season or two before both of us give up on the show and we have to move on to another show that we both deem semi-adequate. Regardless of our faults we seem made for each other since we continue to try to find common movie/TV ground. It's the constant commitment to finding common ground that reminds me that our marriage is important to both of us. In 10 years we have only found a few shows/movies that we both love, but we have enjoyed the journey of trying to find something together. Tonight's dinner recipe is another example of compromise. My husband loves the Indian restaurant in our city, I pretty much hate it. To compromise I make a lot of Indian dishes at home. Some recipes I pick are traditional (to appease my husband and I) and some are more Americanized (for my kids). Tonight I tried a new recipe for Indian Chickpea and Vegetable Stew from the September issue of All You magazine.

Harris Riverfront Park Huntington, WV

This recipe has 17 ingredients. It takes an hour and ten minutes of total time, 45 minutes of which is active and makes 6 servings. I made a  few changes to the original recipe. My family loves the taste of ginger so I used 2 tablespoons of minced ginger instead of 1. I was out of turmeric so I left it out and added a small amount of crushed red pepper for flavor. I found that the dish needed a lot more salt than stated in the original recipe, I ended up adding an additional 1 1/2 teaspoons. Finally, I added a cup of coconut milk. I found that it helped with the flavor and made for a more 'stew' like consistency.

Downtown Huntington, WV from Harris Riverfront Park

My two boys were in love with this recipe. The spices were mild enough to be kid friendly while having enough flavor for adults. This is definitely a more 'Americanized' Indian recipe, which is nice for kids or adults that aren't fans of the strong flavors many traditional Indian dishes can have. If you want to increase the heat you can always add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper. This will add a little bit of heat without overpowering the flavors of the dish.

For the recipe go to Indian Chickpea and Vegetable Stew.

Indian Chickpea and Vegetable Stew

Recipe Type: Main

Summary:

A kid friendly recipe for Indian Chickpea and Vegetable Stew from the September issue of All You magazine. Only $1.63 per serving.

Preparation Time: 0h, 25m

Cooking Time: 0h, 45m

Total Time: 1h, 10m

Yield: Serves 6

Flavorful Low Fat Moroccan Lentil Soup

My youngest son went the dentist today and for the first time he had a cavity free appointment. While this is routine for my oldest son, my poor youngest son has had serious problems with his teeth since they came in. He never drank cows milk and still had to have two dental surgeries before his third birthday. Since then he has had fillings every six months. My dentist was determined that it was the food that he was drinking, but has finally been convinced that is has to mostly be genetics. My youngest eats healthier than any other child his age that I know and drinks a ton of water, very little carbs and a high protein diet. Luckily our pediatrician agrees with me and thinks it's 100 percent genetic and not my fault. I still hate the mommy guilt when he has to have another filling. I decided to make one of my son's favorite meals this week in order to calm him down before the dentist. My youngest absolutely loves soup, chicken noodle, vegetable you name it. This week I tried a new recipe for Moroccan Lentil Soup from the February 2013 issue of Eating Well magazine.

This recipe has 18 ingredients. It takes 1 1/2 hours of total time, 30 minutes of which is active and makes 12 servings. Since vegetable stock is so expensive pre-made I made my own. It costs a lot less money and tastes so much better. I used fresh spinach since the taste of frozen spinach always seems off to me. Thanks to my forgetfulness I failed to add the lemon and cilantro to the finished soup. I did add it to the leftovers and the flavor was delicious. I added a little more time to my overall cooking time to ensure that the lentils were fully soft. For soup I prefer my beans very soft, I find the texture more pleasing when eaten. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I love that this soup is only 152 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving. Since it is full of vegetables and lentils it is filling and can either be used as a side or a main dish. I served it as a main dish and it was a perfect option for our vegetarian meal night. My youngest loved the cauliflower and ate all the pieces out first. This soup also makes a large batch so their are plenty of leftovers.

For the recipe go to Moroccan Lentil Soup.

Sicilian Cauliflower Pasta

My oldest son has become quite infatuated with gardening. It all started when the first flowers started appearing at stores in our area and he got the idea into his head that mommy needed to actually plant something this year. Now I always have the best intentions with my gardening, I have a garden bed and great pots for my porch. The first three years after I had my oldest son I always had a great garden and my flowers were always beautiful. Then I had my second son and all my gardening seemed to fly out the window. I grew up with a mother who seemed to be able to grow anything she touched. We had the most beautiful lilac trees that people would ask permission to pick from every year and her tomatoes were always juicy, big and delicious. I have somewhat inherited this green thumb. When I actually get around to planting my garden for the year, it always looks fabulous. Emphasis here is on actually planting the garden. So this year, I actually went out and bought soil, plants and with the help of my three and six-year-old I planted a very nice garden and flower pots are spilling over my porch. They do look very nice and my oldest son is so proud of himself. So much so that today when we drove to the farmer's market in Charleston my son came home with more flowers that he had personally picked out for the porch. In addition to all the gardening supplies we additionally brought home a great bunch of new vegetables, dried beans and spices that I am never able to find in my city. I love shopping at farmer's markets and my two kids have grown to love them also. Cauliflower is one of my kids favorite vegetables to buy and cook from the farmer's market and grocery store, so I was eager to try the recipe for Sicilian Cauliflower Pasta in the March issue of the Food Network Magazine.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and I made no ingredient modifications. I allowed my cauliflower to cook much longer than the four minutes suggested by the recipe in order to be sufficiently browned. Additionally, I allowed the pasta to cook with the dill mixture for approximately 5 minutes in order for the pasta water to fully absorb and the flavors to be enhanced. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I try to keep my reviews as realistic as possible and this recipe I am sad to say did not live up to expectations. The flavor was bland and the whole wheat pasta when combined with the parsley was way too gritty. So here are my suggestions to save this dish. First and foremost use regular pasta instead of whole wheat. The whole wheat pasta, while better for you does not work with the cauliflower and dill in this recipe. The combination of textures is way too gritty. Second, I would suggest roasting the entire head of cauliflower in the oven at approximately 400 degrees until well browned (about 20-30 minutes). Then chop the roasted cauliflower instead of grating and pan frying like the recipe. Finally, I would eliminate the parsley completely and add capers for flavor. I would also increase the amount of cheese to a 1/4 of a cup and double the amount of golden raisins. I think with these changes this recipe can be significantly better and has the potential to be a great dish.

For the recipe go to Sicilian Cauliflower Pasta.

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Bacon

I am sad to say that about ten years ago I gave into the whole steamed vegetable craze and went all in. I literally steamed every vegetable I could for almost a year. My husband was great about it for the most part, he only complained a few times. However, even I became burnt out with steamed vegetables, they can get really boring when not accompanied by any sauce etc. That's when I discovered roasted vegetables and fell in love. Roasting vegetables can make even the most mundane veggie delicious. My youngest child had his first table food as roasted carrots and absolutely loved it. It is the one way of preparing vegetables that I can guarantee that my two kids will eat. Given my family's love of roasted veggies I was intrigued when Martha Stewart Living had a recipe for Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Bacon, combining multiple family favorites.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 15 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of total time and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and made no ingredient modifications. I did double the recipe since it only made 4 servings and I like having leftovers. The recipe chops the bacon and then fries it, I prefer to make my bacon crisp and then chop it. I feel that the bacon has a better crispiness and flavor when done that way. For the bacon I used thick-cut, it really is great in recipes and makes really crispy bacon. I followed the remainder of the recipe as followed.

The bacon in this recipe is delicious. Along with the roasted vegetables it creates a great flavor that everyone in my family enjoyed. I liked how easy this dish was to prepare and the sweet potatoes give the pasta a nice sweet taste. The leftovers heated up very well for lunches the next day. I hadn't used orecchiette pasta many times before and I was very impressed, I will definitely try it again soon! Overall, another easy and flavorful pasta recipe.

For the recipe go to Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Bacon.

Food and Wine Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric and Cumin

Growing up almost all of the vegetables that my mom prepared were steamed. She loved her steamer basket and used it frequently. After I got married I followed in my mothers footsteps and prepared most vegetables steamed, occasionally sauteed. When my kids started eating vegetables I quickly discovered that steamed vegetables weren't the most popular dinner table item and I branched out to new cooking techniques. One of the easiest and most flavorful ways to prepare vegetables that I have discovered is roasted. My family loves roasted vegetables and I make them frequently. The March issue of Food and Wine magazine had a recipe for Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric and Cumin, which looked flavorful and simple.

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes an hour and 20 minutes, twenty minutes of which is active and makes 8 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and I made no ingredient modifications. Instead of toasting the pine nuts in the oven, I used the stove. I find it easier to toast nuts on the stove and it saves time. For the oil I used sunflower oil since I have never been able to find safflower oil at any of my local grocery stores. Make sure to toss the cauliflower during cooking time to prevent burning. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

Roasted cauliflower is always popular in my house and this recipe was no exception. The crushed red pepper gives the vegetables a nice flavorful undertone, while the cilantro and mint keep the dish from getting overly spicy. I love how vibrant the cauliflower looked on the plate from the turmeric and the fresh herbs provided a great fragrant taste. Overall, another great roasted vegetable recipe that I would definitely use again.

For the recipe go to Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric and Cumin.

Redbook Cauliflower and Tomatoes

My two kids were great about eating their vegetables until about a year ago. Now they love fruit and will eat whole bags of apples a week, but getting them to eat the vegetables on their plate can be hit or miss. My husband on the other hand is the opposite, he love vegetables and will eat as many as I put in front of him, but it's like pulling teeth to get him to eat a piece of fruit. I fall somewhere in the middle, I love both fruit and vegetables and eat large servings of each everyday. One of my favorite ways to get everyone in my household to eat their vegetables is to roast them. Roasted vegetables have a delicious nutty flavor and are very popular in my house. Combining fresh herbs and roasted vegetables is easy and flavorful and Redbook magazine recently had a recipe for Roasted Cauliflower and Tomatoes which looked perfect for my family dinner table.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of prep and cooking time and makes approximately 4-6 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients and made no substitutions. There were a few things with the recipe that I had to change. The temp was too high and the roasting time too long. I ended up roasting the recipe at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I also made sure to toss the cauliflower twice during the cooking time or they would have otherwise burned. Granted I did make my cauliflower heads small, so if you keep the heads on the larger side than the original temp and time might work more sufficiently. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

Roasted vegetables are a great way to get people who hate boiled or steamed vegetables to eat a recipe. I liked that this recipe was simple and the combination of the cauliflower and rosemary worked well together. The tomatoes created a nice sweet flavor and the garlic brought everything together. Overall, a great, easy and flavorful vegetable side dish recipe.

For the recipe go to Cauliflower and Tomatoes.

Bon Appetit Crispy Cauliflower with Capers, Raisins, and Breadcrumbs

I figured when my oldest son started kindergarten this fall I would have a lot more time during the day to bake, clean and prep dinner. It turned out I was wrong. As soon as my son gets on the bus for school my youngest turns into a one child force of destruction, that mommy spends the rest of the day cleaning up after. By the time my oldest gets home from kindergarten, I am worn out and still have dinner to try to prep while my two sons tear through the cupboard looking for snacks. I have become adept at getting a main dish on the table by the time my husband gets home at 4, but a side dish has proved more problematic. To alleviate the dinner time stress I have been looking for side dishes which are quick and easy, and I was pleased when I saw a recipe for Crispy Cauliflower with Capers, Raisins, and Breadcrumbs in the November issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes approximately an hour of prep and cooking, with 15 minutes being active, and makes 8-10 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I chose to leave out the anchovy paste since I was cooking for my two children and they can be finicky. The recipe states to use one head of cauliflower, but I found that was not enough and two would be more effective. I used homemade chicken stock, which I make without salt so I had to add more salt than if I had bought the store bought variety. I prepped most of the recipe in the morning saving me a significant amount of time at dinner. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The breadcrumb mixture is this recipe has a great taste and I have used it again as a pasta topping. The cauliflower came out crisp and delicious, with the capers adding a nice slightly salty touch. The fact that most of this recipe can be prepped in the morning is great for a weekday meal, saving a great deal of time in the evening during dinner prep. Overall, a great way to get a vegetable side dish on the table without a lot of work.

For the recipe go to Crispy Cauliflower with Capers, Raisins, and Breadcrumbs.

Food and Wine Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts

Pasta makes frequent appearances in my menu plans. Normally every week I make at least one pasta dish, sometimes more. There are many reasons why pasta is one of my favorite foods, but the two biggest are that my kids will eat it, and it re-heats well for lunches. With me staying at home and my family of four living on one income it is essential that the meals that I prepare make multiple meals, and don't cost a fortune to make. If you read this blog regularly, you would have noticed that up until about three months ago I wrote reviews on recipes from Food and Wine magazine and then suddenly they stopped. The short story is that I completely forgot to renew my subscription and only remembered last month. That's what happens when you have  a two and a five-year-old and try to cook from scratch all the time, something has to go and apparently for me it's my memory. I received the November issue of Food and Wine magazine last month and I was pleased to see a recipe for Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts, which looked easy and full of vegetables.

This recipe has 14 ingredients. It makes 4 servings and takes approximately 40 minutes of prep and cooking time. I made a few modifications to ingredients due to local availability. I was unable to find bucatini, so I used perciatelli instead. Secondly, I used a sweet onion since they were still in season and I prefer the taste in recipes. I had to go to multiple stores to find fresh Brussels sprouts and the ones that I was finally able to purchase were very large, so I cut them in quarters. Finally, my Brussels sprouts took longer to cook completely than the recipe suggested, probably approximately five minutes. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I loved how easy this recipe was to put together and the large amount of vegetables. The anchovies gave a nice umami compliment to the flavors without being overpowering. My husband took the leftovers for lunch and thought that the taste was even better the next day. The recipe states that it makes four servings, but with 12 ounces of pasta it made more than enough for my family of four and a bunch of leftovers. Overall, a delicious pasta dish, full of vegetables and kid friendly.

For the recipe go to Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts.