Also known as Breville Fast Slow Pro recipe #2

Pantry time: Using the chorizo in the freezer and Kalinga Unoy rice, we used the Breville a second time. Again, the end result was very satisfying. And I forgot just how tasty the Kalinga Unoy rice is.
Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Black Beans With Chorizo Recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 ounces Spanish-style chorizo, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch half moons (see note above)
1 pound dried black beans
1 whole onion, split in half
6 whole garlic cloves
1 orange, split in half
2 bay leaves
2 quarts homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oil in pressure cooker until shimmering. Add chorizo and cook, stirring, until it releases its fat and starts to crisp, about 2 minutes. Add beans, onion, garlic cloves, orange, bay leaves, chicken stock, and 2 teaspoons salt. Cover and cook at high pressure for 40 minutes.

2. For extra-tender and creamy beans, allow pressure to release naturally. For firmer beans, use quick-release valve on an electric pressure cooker, or run a stovetop pressure cooker under cold running water until pressure dissipates. Remove lid and discard onion, orange, and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and serve. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro at the table.

Excitedly, we prepared our Ribollita toscana for tonight’s dinner. It. Was. Awesome. The beans were creamy, the savoy cabbage smelled great and the stems and kale still had some chew. It didn’t need the parmesan but the cheese was a nice savory treat. None of the veggies were mushy. And each serving is only about 215 calories. I want to pressure cook *everything* now.

1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1¼ cups dried borlotti or cannellini beans, soaked and drained (see note)
100g tinned tomatoes
1 potato, diced
250g Tuscan cabbage, cut into thin strips
250g savoy cabbage, cut into thin strips
250g silverbeet, white stalk discarded and leaves cut into thin strips
150g stale bread without crusts, cut into large chunks
50g good quality parmesan, grated

Select SAUTÉ/SEAR function and set the timer for 10 minutes. Add 2½ tablespoons olive oil, onion, celery and carrot. Press START and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the beans, tomato, potato, 4 cups of water and 4 large pinches of salt. Select PRESSURE COOK and Medium pressure. Set timer for 15 minutes. Place lid on cooker and close the valve. Press START.

Once cooking time is complete open the valve to release all the steam before opening. Add the Tuscan and savoy cabbages and the silverbeet. Select PRESSURE COOK and High pressure. Set timer for 15 minutes. Place lid on cooker and close the valve. Press START.

Once cooking time is complete open the valve to release all the steam before opening the lid. Season to taste. Add the bread and stir through. Transfer to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow flavours to develop.

To serve, reheat and serve topped with grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Note The dried beans should be soaked for a minimum of 8 hours in the fridge with at least three times the volume of water.

we actually got to use some of our peaches this year. granted, at least half of them were wormy but i ate quite a few and i made cobbler out of these 8. we kept the same 4 cups of peaches but halved everything else and even halved again the wet half of the sugar.

a few weeks ago, we shopped at Rainbow Acres and needed lunch. we decided on a jalapeno cilantro hummus wrap that was *delicious*. armed with a new hummus recipe, we made our own. m said that next time, we need to add more water and more salt. but, man, it was so good. ironically, the baba ghanoush that i made was actually hotter than the hummus and i even broiled the jalapenos. we only had 3/4 cup of dried chickpeas in the pantry so that’s what we used.

most recipes mix okra and tomatoes so it wasn’t easy finding an okra recipe sans tomatoes. to further complicate it, our cut okra is frozen (mama bear bought frozen just in case she couldn’t find fresh for our bhindi masala recipe).

i didn’t have any onions so really this is just an okra recipe. i used the full amount of turmeric and cayenne (m said it was a bit spicy, but not prohibitively so) but only half the salt (plus 1/8 of a teaspoon) (thank goodness! to the half salt part…)

mostly veg…i doubled the chicken but i quintupled the veg. this photo is misleading as i hadn’t added the zucchini yet. it was awesome and the garlic butter is money.

POPSUGAR fried rice

Garlic butter

spontaneously, i made dinner picking a recipe from the “thousands” that are in my email. today, i chose einkorn risotto (even though i wasn’t sure we had enough einkorn). i knew we had plenty of marjoram. i used homemade broth from the freezer. super easy and very tasty. we paired it with baked salmon and lettuce salad. perfect.

INGREDIENTS
1 ¼ cups einkorn
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
½ cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or Sauvignon blanc
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
¼ cup chopped chives
Black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan, more to taste (optional)
Walnut oil for drizzling, if not using Parmesan

PREPARATION
Rinse einkorn and place in bowl. Cover with boiling water and let sit for 30 minutes, or cover with room-temperature water and leave overnight. Drain and reserve about 1/2 cup soaking water.
Place 1/4 cup soaked einkorn in food processor and pulse about 10 times to crack some of the grains.
Pour broth and reserved soaking water into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. It should be lightly seasoned, as it will reduce while you slowly cook the einkorn.
Heat oil in a wide, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and, if using, garlic and cook gently until shallots are just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add whole and cracked einkorn and stir over medium heat until grains dry out a bit and begin to crackle, a couple of minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, until it evaporates.
Stir in enough simmering broth to just cover einkorn. The broth should bubble slowly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of broth and continue to cook in this fashion until einkorn is tender, about 25 minutes. It will still be chewy. Add marjoram, chives and pepper, and more broth if there is none visible in pan. Taste and adjust salt. Continue to simmer, stirring often, another 5 minutes.
Add another ladleful of broth to the pan and remove from heat. Stir in parsley and, if using, Parmesan. Mixture should be creamy. Serve right away in wide soup bowls, and top with walnut oil if desired.

tahini, tahini, and more tahini. 

last night, m made hummus for a starter, we made chicken shawarma for dinner, and she convinced her nephew to make salted tahini chocolate chip cookies. what’s really awesome is after he mise en placed everything, he discovered the recipe said “let rest in the fridge for 12 hours.” we made them today and invited him over so he could reap the rewards of his hard work. 

Cookie and Kate’s Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes

INGREDIENTS
Pancakes
1 cup buckwheat flour (or ½ buckwheat and ½ flour of choice)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups buttermilk, shaken*
1 large egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Butter, for the skillet
Roasted Strawberries
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced into bite-sized quarters or halves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

INSTRUCTIONS
Roast the strawberries: preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, gently toss berries with the sugar and maple syrup/honey. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway, or long enough for the berry juices to thicken but not burn (watch the edges in particular).
Make the pancakes: in a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
All at once, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter should have some small to medium lumps.
Preheat your skillet over medium-low heat and brush with 1½ teaspoons of butter. Give the batter a light swirl with a spoon in case the buckwheat is starting to separate from the liquid. Using a ¼-cup measure, scoop the batter onto the warm skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes (you’ll know it’s ready to flip when about 1 inch of the perimeter is matte instead of glossy), and flip. Cook on the opposite sides for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
Transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200 degree Fahrenheit oven to keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more butter when needed. Serve immediately.
NOTES
Recipe adapted from Pancakes by Adrianna Adarme of A Cozy Kitchen.
*MAKE YOUR OWN BUTTERMILK WITH DAIRY-FREE OPTION: combine 1¼ cups low fat milk (any variety of low fat milk should do—almond, soy, rice, low fat coconut) with 1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
IF YOU LOVE THESE PANCAKES: you’ll also enjoy my buckwheat crepes recipe and my other pancake recipes!
A NOTE ON FLUFFINESS: I tried forcing some extra height into these pancakes by using half whole wheat pastry flour and even folded in whipped egg whites, but neither made a significant difference. Then I took another bite and wondered why I was trying to make these marvelous pancakes something they’re not. They’re perfect just the way they are.

i’m so glad i make bread now because i’m not afraid to try to make any bread and i have just enough knowledge to make the dough work even if i didn’t get the recipe quite right. which just goes to show you that dough is very forgiving and you shouldn’t be afraid to make dough/bread. tonight i made pita to go with m’s shawarma. whoa. mind blown. we may never have to go to zankou chicken ever again.